Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Richlands’ subject grades are an A− for safety and an A for the outdoors; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Richlands’ average trip to work is 35 minutes, against 24 minutes in North Carolina’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Only 13 of North Carolina’s 190 towns score higher on safety. Richlands’ trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 0.2 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Only 17 of North Carolina’s 451 towns score higher on the outdoors. Richlands has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Eagle Nest and Venters Farm Historic District. Richlands has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Richlands beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
1,520 counted in 2010 and 2,287 in 2020; an estimated 2,485 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Richlands is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1933.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Richlands, 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 Richlands.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 97% of U.S. communities. Since 1999, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Richlands.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Onslow County Schools. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Richlands High, with 1,027 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trexler MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 770 | B− |
| Richlands HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,027 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
The violent crime rate in Richlands is 0 per 1,000 residents. Richlands reports less crime per resident than 77% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade. The property crime rate in Richlands is 7.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Richlands | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.2 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
7.1% of Richlands residents are 65 or older. Richlands has grown 8.8% since 2020, to 2,485 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Richlands’ median age is 29.5 years.
| Richlands | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 7.1% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 29.5 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 29% | 29% |
Somewhere between 25% and 70% women
The Census survey reached too few of Richlands’ residents to say more: its margin here is ±22.6 points. Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Richlands | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 21.9% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.2% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.5% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 20.5% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.3% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 6.4% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5.4% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 1.7% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.4% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.1% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.6% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.8% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.4% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18.7% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,500, single groups can be off by several points
Richlands beats the North Carolina average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 40% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Richlands.
| Richlands | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.7% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Richlands | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.3% | 6.6% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 9.7% | 12% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 71.8% | 76.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Richlands has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 33° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Richlands home is worth about $275,000, up 4.3% in a year, 17% below the North Carolina typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Richlands for work: only 6% work in town. Since 2013, Richlands has added 504 jobs, to 944 in 2023. The top destinations are Jacksonville (26%), Raleigh (4%) and Charlotte (3%).
| Richlands | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $65,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 13% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Liberty Garden | — | 1 |
| 2. Venters Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Richlands
About 3 of every 100 Richlands residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
6 notable people were born in Richlands.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Richlands is a town in Onslow County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Richlands had a population of 2,287. It is included in the Jacksonville, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. Incorporated on March 29, 1880, it was the first town in Onslow County to have its own library and museum (home of the Onslow County Museum). Richlands was also the first town in Onslow County to have a female mayor, Annette Hargett. Richlands is located 12 miles northwest of Jacksonville.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. That is 4 years of the area's median household income ($68,148 across the Jacksonville, 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+.
6 notable people were born here, including Mario Williams and Charlie Sanders.