Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Selma gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $272K, 2.7 years of the Raleigh metro’s $100K median household income. It grades C− overall, 180th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. It reports more crime per resident than 92% of U.S. towns, including 42 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 84% of the country. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Selma, against 13% in North Carolina’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Selma's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 97% of U.S. towns. Selma has 8 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Everitt P. Stevens House and Noah Edward Edgerton House.
Where Selma beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 256 in 1880, 6,317 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1924 and 3 maps from 1964 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Selma is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Selma, 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 Selma.
Selma trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has poverty well above the North Carolina rate.
Selma’s violent crime rate is 5.6 per 1,000 residents. Selma reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 92% report less. Selma’s property crime rate is 26.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Selma | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.6 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 26.7 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Johnston County Public Schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selma ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 794 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Against the 2,795 U.S. towns with household incomes like Selma’s, it is healthier than 62%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
20% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Selma. Selma beats the North Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 28% of adults worry about having enough food in Selma.
| Selma | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 10% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 19% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Selma | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.8% | 7.9% |
| More uninsured adults | 19.7% | 10.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 79% of U.S. communities. Since 2018, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Selma.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Selma has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Selma is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes are within reach (about $272K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 25 miles. At 2.7 years of the Raleigh metro’s $100K median household income, the typical home (about $272K) costs less against local pay than in 93% of North Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
43% of Selma households own their home. The typical Selma home is worth about $272,000, about the same as a year ago, 18% below the North Carolina typical home.
| Selma | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 43% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $820 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Selma for work: only 5% work in town. Since 2013, Selma has added 360 jobs, to 2,920 in 2023. The top destinations are Raleigh (14%), Smithfield (14%) and Garner (4%).
| Selma | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.8% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brack Wilson Park | — | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Selma
About 4 of every 100 Selma residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
8 places in Selma on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Selma is a town in Johnston County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Selma had a population of 6,317. Selma is part of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary combined statistical area. The area has a population over 1.7 million residents, though the town of Selma is able to maintain its rural character. The Everitt P. Stevens House, located in Selma, was the site of the last Grand Review of the Confederate Army held on April 6, 1865, after its defeat at the Battle of Bentonville.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Selma.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selma | #180 | C− | A− | D | B+ | C− |
| Smithfield | #186 | C− | B+ | D | B+ | C− |
| Pine Level | — | — | A | A− | B+ | B |
Pine Level has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Selma with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Selma grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #180 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades C− for health, D for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 29% of towns.
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−.
