Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Red Springs grades D− overall, 274th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns, mostly because of health and safety. On CDC estimates, its residents' health ranks in the bottom 2% nationally. Its crime rate is higher than 97% of U.S. towns, with 14 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 70% of U.S. towns. 40% of residents live below the poverty line in Red Springs, above both North Carolina’s towns (13%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). On incomes, just 39 of North Carolina’s 448 towns do worse. Red Springs's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 95% of U.S. towns.
Where Red Springs beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Philadelphus Presbyterian Church| Widest gap | Red Springs | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 38.8% | 13.9% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Red Springs is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 858 in 1900, 3,087 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and a map from 1974 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Red Springs, 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 Red Springs.
Red Springs is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has poverty well above the North Carolina rate.
At 2.4 years of the Lumberton area’s $42K median household income, the typical home (about $102K) costs less against local pay than in 97% of North Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. The typical value, about $102K, is 11% below its July 2024 peak.
Red Springs’ median rent is $582 a month. The typical Red Springs home is worth about $102,000, up 2.4% in a year, 69% below the North Carolina typical home. 52% of Red Springs households own their home.
| Red Springs | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $582 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by Public Schools of Robeson County. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Red Springs High, with 867 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Springs MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 572 | D− |
| Red Springs HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 867 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Against the 85 U.S. towns with household incomes like Red Springs’s, it is less healthy than 57%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
37% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Red Springs. Only 1 of the 289 North Carolina towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Red Springs. 20% of adults report frequent mental distress in Red Springs.
| Red Springs | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 52% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Red Springs | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 9% | 14.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.6% | 76.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 38.8% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Property crime runs at 44.9 per 1,000 residents, about twice the North Carolina rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 212 to 158 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Red Springs is 44.9 per 1,000 residents. Red Springs reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 97% report less. The violent crime rate in Red Springs is 4.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Red Springs | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 44.9 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.4 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Red Springs | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Buie Street Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Red Springs has mild winters and warm summers. Only 4 of the 290 North Carolina towns we compare have a higher July high than Red Springs.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Red Springs for work: only 9% work in town. No town among the 290 in North Carolina we compare has a lower median household income than Red Springs. Jobs based in Red Springs fell to 1,323 in 2023, 152 fewer than in 2013.
| Red Springs | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $21,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 9% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 2016, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Red Springs.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Red Springs
About 5 of every 100 Red Springs residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
2 places in Red Springs on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Red Springs.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Red Springs is a town in Robeson County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 3,087 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Red Springs grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #274 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades D− for health, D− for safety and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
3 notable people were born here, including John Malachi and James David Manning.
