What should you know before moving to River Bend?
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Overall it grades C−, 211th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns. A typical home there costs about $283K, 4.4 years of the New Bern area’s $64K median household income. 10% of residents are under 18 in River Bend, below both the North Carolina town median (22%) and the median of U.S. towns (22%). On walkability, just 32 of North Carolina’s 450 towns do worse. River Bend's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 94% of U.S. towns.
95% of working residents leave River Bend for work
Where River Bend’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How River Bend grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far River Bend is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to River Bend: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in River Bend, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in River Bend.
River Bend has home values climbing faster than North Carolina’s and has commutes shorter than most of North Carolina, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of North Carolina (mostly hurricanes).
Hurricanes leads a very high hazard risk in River Bend
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of North Carolina towns, with expected losses of about $1,148 per resident a year; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on. 752 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 154 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1982, 752 flood insurance claims have been paid out in River Bend.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Older than North Carolina overall
The median age in River Bend is 53.1 years. 33% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across North Carolina.
| River Bend | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 53.1 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 29% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
About 85 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.9 points). Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| River Bend | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4.5% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.5% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.1% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.5% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.8% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.1% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.8% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 19.2% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13.5% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.3% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18.5% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 31% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.5% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.5% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.2% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,900, single groups can be off by several points
With 0.4 jobs for every working resident, most of River Bend’s workers commute out
The average commute for its 987 working residents takes 16.9 minutes, against 25.1 across North Carolina.
Most working residents leave River Bend for work: only 5% work in town. River Bend’s average trip to work is 17 minutes. The top destinations are New Bern (36%), Raleigh (5%) and Jacksonville (3%).
| River Bend | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 8.2% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5% | 6.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Mild winters and hot summers in River Bend
River Bend has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 33° and about 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
River Bend’s grade for cost of living is a C+
Home values rose 43% in five years, to about $283K, against 22% across North Carolina.
86% of River Bend households own their home. The typical River Bend home is worth about $283,000, up 3.7% in a year, 15% below the North Carolina typical home.
| River Bend | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,289 a month | $1,084 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
River Bend has set aside 5.2% of its land for conservation
0.4 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| River Bend | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.2% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. River Bend fields | 0.2 mi | 5 |
| 2. River Bend Town Park | 0.1 mi | 5 |
| 3. Harbour Town Racquet club | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Residents of River Bend are less healthy than 52% of U.S. towns
River Bend beats the North Carolina average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 47% of adults have high blood pressure in River Bend.
| River Bend | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 85% | 80% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 36% |
| What stands out | River Bend | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.4% | 12.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6% | 8.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.2% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about River Bend
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of River Bend
About 6 of every 100 River Bend residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
About River Bend
Town in North Carolina, United States
River Bend is a town in Craven County. As of the 2020 census, River Bend had a population of 2,902. It is part of the New Bern, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 13 ft
Questions about River Bend
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is River Bend, NC a good place to live?
River Bend grades C− overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #211 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades B− for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is River Bend, NC expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.