Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Rockwell’s subject grades is an A− for cost of living; the weakest is a C for schools. 26% of residents are under 18 in Rockwell, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 22%. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 68% of U.S. towns. Rockwell's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 91% of U.S. towns. Zion Lutheran Church and Kerr Mill is on the National Register of Historic Places. Rockwell has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Rockwell beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Rockwell is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 249 in 1910, 2,302 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1795 and 3 maps from 1962 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rockwell, 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 Rockwell.
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockwell Christian School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 308 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Rockwell has mild winters and warm summers. Rockwell’s July high is 89°F, close to North Carolina’s towns (89°F) and above U.S. towns (85°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Rockwell for work: only 6% work in town. Since 2013, Rockwell has added 279 jobs, to 1,316 in 2023. 7% of residents live below the poverty line in Rockwell.
| Rockwell | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 7% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Rockwell since 2010.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Rockwell home is worth about $292,000, about the same as a year ago, 12% below the North Carolina typical home. Rockwell’s median rent is $952 a month.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
14% of Rockwell residents are 65 or older. Rockwell has grown 4.7% since 2020, to 2,417 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. The median age in Rockwell is 37.2 years.
| Rockwell | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 37.2 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.6 points. Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Rockwell | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.5% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.8% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.2% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.2% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.5% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.4% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.2% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.9% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.3% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.1% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.2% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.1% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.2% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.2% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.1% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,400, single groups can be off by several points
Rockwell beats the North Carolina average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Rockwell | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Rockwell | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.8% | 7.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
6 within 15 miles of the center of Rockwell
About 2 of every 100 Rockwell residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Rockwell is a town in Rowan County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,302 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.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
2 notable people were born here, including Herm Holshouser and Clyde Kluttz.