Saxapahaw Mill, 1917, 1917
Saxapahaw’s story
170 years in pictures
The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1917 and 2 maps from 1977 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1856Saxapahaw is settled
SaxapahawNC
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
William P. Morrow House · Photo: MarkMorrow20 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,301
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$194K
Census ACS
Household income
$59K
median
Median age
49.5
years
Jobs based here
172
A commuter town
Is Saxapahaw a good place to live?
The best of Saxapahaw’s subject grades is an A for cost of living; the weakest is a C− for incomes. Saxapahaw’s trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 0.2 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Its National Register listings include Bingham School and Cooper School. Saxapahaw has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Saxapahaw stand out
Where Saxapahaw beats most towns.
Small town
1,301 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Saxapahaw grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Saxapahaw is from typical.
Cost of livingTypical home $194K, 3 years of the Burlington metro’s $66K median household incomeAOpen →Jobs & incomeC−Open →SchoolsCOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4 of 20; 1.2% of households have no car; 4.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →HealthAlamance Regional Medical Center 11.7 miles awayB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors7 miles of trails; 0% conserved landC+Open →History2 places on the National Register; 2 notable people born hereC+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 47 attractions →Kenan Memorial Stadium and 32 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Saxapahaw. Close and well known come first.
16 mi Stadium & arenaKenan Memorial Stadium
35 mi Stadium & arenaLenovo Center
35 mi Stadium & arenaCarter–Finley Stadium
34 mi Zoo & aquariumNorth Carolina Zoo700K visitors a year
16 mi Stadium & arenaDean Smith Center
20 mi LandmarkBennett Place State Historic SiteSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Kenan Memorial Stadium: Yeungb, CC BY 3.0 · Lenovo Center: Edward T. Funkhouser, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Carter–Finley Stadium: SMaloney, CC BY 3.0 · North Carolina Zoo: Diane Villa, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dean Smith Center: No machine-readable author provided. Snargle~commonswiki assumed (based on copyr, Public domain · Bennett Place State Historic Site: Ildar Sagdejev (Specious), CC BY-SA 4.0
Getting set up
Moving to Saxapahaw: who provides what
Saxapahaw is unincorporated, so Alamance County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerDuke Energy13.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterTimberlake S/D water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesAlamance CountyAlamance County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn North Carolina you can register online until 25 days before Election Day, in person with same-day registration during the early voting period, or by mail (postmarked 25 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereAlamance County Board of ElectionsAlamance County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP codes27253, 2734027253 91% · 27340 9%Census 2020
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 Saxapahaw.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Saxapahaw stands out in North Carolina and nationally, with fewer of its working residents who work locally
The income of the median household in Saxapahaw is $59,000. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in the town rose by 26, to 172. Saxapahaw: 15% of residents live below the poverty line, above both North Carolina’s towns (13%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). The top destinations are Burlington (15%), Chapel Hill (11%) and Durham (9%).
0%work in town
| Saxapahaw | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.1% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Saxapahaw0%
Burlington15%
Chapel Hill11%
Durham9%
Greensboro7%
17 mi
median commute distance
172
jobs based in Saxapahaw
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 44% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsC
On state tests, Saxapahaw’s schools trail 66% of North Carolina districts
The largest public high school is The Hawbridge School, with 597 students. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Its public schools are run by The Hawbridge School.
34%of NC districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| B. Everett Jordan ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 338 | C− |
| The Hawbridge SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 597 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Climate
The climate in Saxapahaw brings mild winters and hot summers
The range runs from 30° on a January night to 89° on a July afternoon, with about 2 inches of snow a winter.
2″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter31–53°
Spring46–71°
Summer66–87°
Fall48–71°
Nov 1
typical first frost
Apr 6
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
The biggest natural risk in Saxapahaw is inland flooding, at a moderate overall level
Saxapahaw’s natural-hazard score from FEMA stands at 57 of 100. FEMA puts 65% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 13% to tornadoes.
57risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesHurricanes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthB−
Residents of Saxapahaw are healthier than 54% of U.S. towns
In Saxapahaw, 26% of adults have been diagnosed with depression, and 38% have obesity. The town tracks North Carolina closely on all 32 CDC measures. For adults 18 to 64 here, the share who have no health insurance is 12%.
54%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Saxapahaw | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 38% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 25% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 12% |
32 measures vs. North Carolina
0 better32 too close to call0 worse
Alamance Regional Medical Center
In Burlington · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsC+
In Saxapahaw, 0.3% of the land is conserved
The biggest park or preserve is Saxapahaw Island, at 22 acres. Across 1 park or preserve: 6.5 miles of trail.
0.3%conserved
0.3%
conserved · 10 of 3,513 acres
6.5 mi
of trails · 1.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Saxapahaw Island | 0.1 mi | 22 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade A
The median home in Saxapahaw sells for about $460K
Saxapahaw: 81% of households are owner-occupiers.
$460Kmedian sale price
3
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Saxapahaw
18pages on Saxapahaw
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Saxapahaw
Alamance Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Graham7.7 mi$2,592 in-state tuitionElon UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Elon14.4 mi$46,958 tuition
About 1 of every 100 Saxapahaw residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Saxapahaw for work
Where Saxapahaw’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
172jobs based in Saxapahaw
0%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Saxapahaw
Census-designated place in North Carolina, United States
Saxapahaw ( SAKS-uh-puh-haw) is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated area in Alamance County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Burlington, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Saxapahaw had a population of 1,671.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 5.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 449 ft
- ZIP code
- 27340
- Area code
- 336
Questions about Saxapahaw
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Saxapahaw, NC a good place to live?
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Is Saxapahaw, NC expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $194,000, 42% 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 A.
What is Saxapahaw, NC known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Sallie W. Stockard and Wade Marlette.