Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Smithfield gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $289K, 2.9 years of the Raleigh metro’s $100K median household income. It grades C− overall, 186th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its crime rate is higher than 92% of U.S. towns, with 38 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, and the median household income is $43K, and 27% of residents live below the poverty line. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in Smithfield, above both North Carolina’s towns (13%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Smithfield is home to Johnston Community College. Among 277 North Carolina towns, just 7 have a lower median rent than Smithfield.
Where Smithfield beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Johnston County Courthouse
Census counts: 329 in 1850, 11,292 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1933 and 3 maps from 1964 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Smithfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Smithfield, 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 Smithfield.
Smithfield trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, draws workers from Raleigh and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
13,696 jobs are based in Smithfield, 2.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Smithfield for work: only 17% work in town. 6.1% of Smithfield workers work from home. The top destinations are Raleigh (16%), Durham (4%) and Garner (3%).
| Smithfield | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $43,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Work from home | 6.1% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Johnston County Public Schools. Three of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Smithfield-Selma High, with 1,548 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smithfield MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 573 | C− |
| Smithfield-Selma HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,548 | C |
| Johnston County Schools Career TechnicalTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 241 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Property crime runs at 38.7 per 1,000 residents, about twice the North Carolina rate, most of it theft.
Smithfield’s property crime rate is 38.7 per 1,000 residents. Smithfield reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 92% report less. Within North Carolina, it does better than 29% of towns.
| Smithfield | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 38.7 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 3,418 U.S. towns with household incomes like Smithfield’s, it is healthier than 55%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
Smithfield beats the North Carolina average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 28% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Smithfield.
| Smithfield | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 19% | 19% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 10% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Smithfield | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.8% | 14.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.3% | 76.7% |
| More uninsured adults | 16.9% | 10.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
3.2 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Smithfield Recreation Area, at 43 acres with 2.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Smithfield | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.8% | 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. Smithfield Recreation Area | 2.4 mi | 43 |
| 2. Town Commons Park | — | 19 |
| 3. Talton Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Smithfield has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Smithfield is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
27.3% of residents live below the poverty line, against 13% across North Carolina, which weighs on its D for jobs and income. The median household earns $43,270, against $72,388 across North Carolina.
Adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (23% statewide). Smithfield has grown 16% since 2020, to 13,114 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across North Carolina.
| Smithfield | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 44.9 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 22% | 22% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.6 points. Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Smithfield | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.8% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.9% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.9% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.9% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.6% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.9% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.6% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.4% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 17% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.5% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.9% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.9% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.8% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.9% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
135 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 20 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 135 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Smithfield.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Homes are within reach (about $289K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 26 miles. At 2.9 years of the Raleigh metro’s $100K median household income, the typical home (about $289K) costs less against local pay than in 90% of North Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living.
The typical Smithfield home is worth about $289,000, about the same as a year ago, 13% below the North Carolina typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Smithfield
About 3 of every 100 Smithfield residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
9 places in Smithfield on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Smithfield.
Town in and county seat of Johnston County, North Carolina
Smithfield is a town in and the county seat of Johnston County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,292. The town is located near North Carolina's Research Triangle and is about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of downtown Raleigh. The Raleigh-Durham-Cary combined statistical area has a population over 2 million residents. Smithfield is home to the Ava Gardner Museum, Wild Bill's Western Town named Shadowhawk, and is situated along the Neuse River, where visitors enjoy the annual Ham & Yam Festival, walks along the Buffalo Creek Greenway, and the historic downtown district.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Smithfield.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smithfield | #186 | C− | B+ | D | B+ | C− |
| Selma | #180 | C− | A− | D | B+ | C− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Smithfield grades C− overall, better than 21% of U.S. towns and #186 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 B+.
12 notable people were born here, including Gregory Helms and Gary Clark.
