River RoadNC
A town of 3,366.
Is River Road a good place to live?
River Road grades D− overall, 256th of 286 graded towns in North Carolina, mostly because of incomes. The median household income is $46K, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line. On hazard risk, just 39 of North Carolina’s 451 towns do worse. River Road has 2 places on the National Register. On the outdoors, just 13 of North Carolina’s 451 towns do worse.
97% of working residents leave River Road for work
Where River Road’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How River Road grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far River Road is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to River Road: who provides what
River Road is unincorporated, so Beaufort County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Road.
River Road sends most of its workers to Washington and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of North Carolina (mostly hurricanes) and is a long drive from an emergency room.
Hurricanes leads a very high hazard risk in River Road
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of North Carolina towns, with expected losses of about $1,173 per resident a year; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on.
At 96 of 100, River Road’s FEMA risk score is against 46 of 100 in North Carolina’s towns and 44 of 100 across U.S. towns. Since 1985, 1,695 flood insurance claims have been paid out in River Road.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents commute out of River Road
River Road has 259 jobs for its 1,676 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 18.8 minutes, against 25.1 across North Carolina.
Most working residents leave River Road for work: only 3% work in town. At 19 minutes, River Road’s average trip to work is where North Carolina’s towns sit at 24 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Since 2013, River Road has added 50 jobs, to 259 in 2023.
| River Road | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.1% | 6.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
River Road is less healthy than 71% of U.S. towns
The nearest emergency room, Ecu Health Medical Center, is 24.2 miles away in a straight line. Against the 4,457 U.S. towns with household incomes like River Road’s, it is healthier than 72%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
River Road beats the North Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 44% of River Road adults have high blood pressure.
| River Road | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | River Road | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.4% | 76.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.7% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Older than North Carolina overall
People 65 and older are 26% of residents (17% statewide); children under 18 are 15% of residents (22% statewide). River Road’s median age is 47 years. 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across North Carolina.
| River Road | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 15% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 47 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 29% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.5 points. Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| River Road | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.3% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.6% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.9% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.6% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.6% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.2% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.7% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.1% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 16.7% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19.7% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 28.8% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.3% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.5% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.9% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,400, single groups can be off by several points
River Road has mild winters and hot summers
River Road has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in River Road is 89°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
A home in River Road sells for about $425K at the median
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about River Road
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of River Road
About 3 of every 100 River Road residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
About River Road
Census-designated place in North Carolina, United States
River Road is a census-designated place (CDP) in Beaufort County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,048 at the 2020 Census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 7.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 13 ft
River Road’s neighbors
One town shares a border with River Road.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Road | #256 | D− | C+ | — | C+ | C |
| Washington Park | — | — | — | — | — | — |
River Road reports no FBI crime data of its own. Washington Park isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare River Road with a neighbor →
Questions about River Road
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is River Road, NC a good place to live?
River Road grades D− overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns and #256 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades C for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is River Road, NC expensive?
The typical home is worth about $233,000, 30% below the North Carolina typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.