Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Sanford earns a D, 246th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns, mostly because of health. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 80% of the country. What it does well: natural-hazard risk is low. 29% of working residents work locally in Sanford, above both North Carolina’s towns (6.8%) and U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Lee County Courthouse and Railroad House.
Where Sanford beats most towns.
Census counts: 236 in 1880, 30,261 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1914 and 2 maps from 1974 on.
15 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Sanford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sanford, 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 Sanford.
Only 8 of the 289 North Carolina towns we compare have a higher share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Sanford. 25% of adults worry about having enough food in Sanford. Sanford beats the North Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16.
| Sanford | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 10% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 15% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Sanford | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.7% | 7.9% |
| More uninsured adults | 17.8% | 10.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Lee County Schools. Three of its 16 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| SanLee Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 792 | C+ |
| Lee County HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,459 | B− |
| Lee Early CollegeTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 272 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
9.0 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is O T Sloan Park Ii, at 49 acres.
| Sanford | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.9% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kiwanis Park Greenway | 1.7 mi | 39 |
| 2. O T Sloan Park Ii | — | 49 |
| 3. Horton Park Renovation | — | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Sanford 8 Ne weather station, 8 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 203 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 77% of North Carolina places with climate records.
Sanford has mild winters and warm summers. Sanford’s July high is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Sanford’s working residents works in town. 22% of Sanford residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Raleigh (10%), Cary (4%) and Durham (4%).
| Sanford | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 22% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.1% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Sanford home is worth about $287,000, about the same as a year ago, 14% below the North Carolina typical home.
| Sanford | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,052 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 20 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sanford.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sanford
About 5 of every 100 Sanford residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
15 places in Sanford on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Sanford.
City in North Carolina, United States
Sanford is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, North Carolina, United States. Since its incorporation in 1874, Sanford has been an active railroad and industrial center, known as one of the nation's largest producers of brick and pottery products. Its population was 30,261 at the 2020 census. The geographic center of North Carolina is located northwest of the city, in Chatham County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sanford grades D overall, better than 7% of U.S. towns and #246 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades C− for health and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($65,387 across the Sanford, 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.
12 notable people were born here, including Dennis A. Wicker and Akeem Richmond.
