Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Roanoke Rapids grades D− overall, 276th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its police reported 120 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 97% of U.S. towns. The median household income is $54K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. It also has a long history, with 3 places on the National Register. Roanoke Rapids’ violent crime rate is 8.3 per 1,000 residents, above both the North Carolina town median (3.1) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6). Roanoke Rapids's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 92% of U.S. towns. Only 8 of the 234 North Carolina towns we compare have a lower typical home value than Roanoke Rapids.
Where Roanoke Rapids beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Chris Daughtry
Roanoke CanalEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Roanoke Rapids is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,009 in 1900, 15,229 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1914 and a map from 1974 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Roanoke Rapids, 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 Roanoke Rapids.
Roanoke Rapids is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports violent crime at about twice the North Carolina rate.
7.2 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. Roanoke Rapids’ trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Roanoke Rapids | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chockoyotte Park | 0.6 mi | 16 |
| 2. Emry Park | 0.5 mi | 10 |
| 3. Roanoke Rapids Lake Day Use Area | 0.3 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Roanoke Rapids City Schools. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Roanoke Rapids High School, with 776 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manning Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 630 | C |
| Roanoke Rapids High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 776 | B− |
| Roanoke Rapids Early College HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 119 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 8.3 per 1,000 residents, about twice the North Carolina rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Property crime runs at 38.7 per 1,000 residents, about twice the North Carolina rate, most of it theft.
The property crime rate in Roanoke Rapids is 38.7 per 1,000 residents. Roanoke Rapids reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 97% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 2.8 years of the Roanoke Rapids area’s $47K median household income, the typical home (about $131K) costs less against local pay than in 91% of North Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living.
The typical Roanoke Rapids home is worth about $131,000, up 2.5% in a year, 61% below the North Carolina typical home. 50% of Roanoke Rapids households own their home.
| Roanoke Rapids | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 50% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $858 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 7,016 U.S. towns with household incomes like Roanoke Rapids’s, it is less healthy than 53%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
Roanoke Rapids beats the North Carolina average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 43% of adults have high blood pressure in Roanoke Rapids.
| Roanoke Rapids | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 15% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | Roanoke Rapids | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.9% | 13.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 21.7% | 15.2% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 11.5% | 8.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Roanoke Rapids has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 30° and about 5 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Roanoke Rapids has about as many jobs (6,326) as working residents, but only 1,633 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Roanoke Rapids’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Roanoke Rapids fell to 6,326 in 2023, 1,327 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Rocky Mount (4%), Greenville (4%) and Raleigh (3%).
| Roanoke Rapids | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8.2% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 1989, 30 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Roanoke Rapids.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Roanoke Rapids
About 4 of every 100 Roanoke Rapids residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
3 places in Roanoke Rapids on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Roanoke Rapids.
City in North Carolina, United States
Roanoke Rapids () is a city in Halifax County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 15,229 at the 2020 census and is the largest community in Halifax County. It is the principal city of the Roanoke Rapids Micropolitan Statistical Area, and is also an anchor city of the Rocky Mount-Wilson-Roanoke Rapids CSA, with a total population of 297,726 as of 2018.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Roanoke Rapids.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roanoke Rapids | #276 | D− | C | D− | C | C− |
| South Rosemary | — | — | B+ | — | D | D− |
| Weldon | — | — | C | C− | D | D− |
South Rosemary and Weldon have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. South Rosemary reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Roanoke Rapids with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Roanoke Rapids grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #276 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades C− for health, D− for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.8 years of the area's median household income ($47,104 across the Roanoke Rapids, NC area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
14 notable people were born here, including Chris Daughtry and George Grizzard.
