Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,703, settled in 1885.
CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 96% of the country. Overall it grades C−, ranked 178th of 286 in North Carolina. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 77% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is incomes: the median household income is $46K, and 21% of residents live below the poverty line. 21% of residents live below the poverty line in Raeford, against 13% in North Carolina’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Raeford's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 91% of U.S. towns. Raeford has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Hoke County Courthouse and Raeford Historic District.
Where Raeford beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Raeford’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Raeford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 580 in 1910, 4,559 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1978 and 3 maps from 1972 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Raeford, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Raeford.
Raeford fares better on crime within North Carolina than nationally and draws workers from Fayetteville and beyond.
Only 10 of the 289 North Carolina towns we compare have a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Raeford. The share of adults in Raeford who say their health is fair or poor: 31%. Of 32 CDC measures, Raeford beats the North Carolina average on 2 and trails it on 19. Nearly a fifth of adults locally have diabetes; 30% worry about having enough food.
| Raeford | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 19% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 12% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Raeford | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.3% | 14.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80% | 76.7% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 29.7% | 15.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Hoke County Schools. Three of the 5 schools are below, and why each made the list. The largest public high school is Hoke County High, with 2,110 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Hoke MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 656 | C− |
| Hoke County HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,110 | B− |
| SandHoke Early College HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 418 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
4,260 jobs are based in Raeford, 2.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
The top destinations are Fayetteville (14%), Raleigh (4%) and Pinehurst (4%). Raeford’s average commute stands at 20 minutes. Jobs locally fell by 603 from 2013 to 2023, to 4,260. Half commute less than 19 miles.
| Raeford | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA puts 29% of Raeford’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 22% to hurricanes. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 74% of U.S. communities. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2018.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Raeford’s typical July afternoon high is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Raeford: 57% of households are owner-occupiers. Its rent at the middle of the market stands at $833 a month. In Raeford, the typical sale closed at 100% of the list price.
| Raeford | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $833 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.8 miles of trail wind through 4 parks and preserves. The trail network density for Raeford comes to 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Raeford | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Burlington Park | — | 9 |
| 2. Hoke Parks & Recreation Department | — | 8 |
| 3. Robbin Heights Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 18.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 81% of North Carolina’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 4 reported in 2025, 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
For Raeford, the level of property crime is 12.9 per 1,000 residents. The level of violent crime in the town is 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Raeford | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.9 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Raeford; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Raeford residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
2 places in Raeford on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Raeford.
City in North Carolina, United States
Raeford is a city in Hoke County, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 4,559 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Hoke County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Raeford.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raeford | #178 | C− | B | B− | C+ | D− |
| Silver City | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Silver City isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Raeford with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Raeford grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #178 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades D− for health, B− for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 4.7 years of the area's median household income ($61,763 across the Fayetteville, NC metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
10 notable people were born here, including Eric Maynor and Kathy McMillan.
