Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Southern Pines grades C+ overall, 128th of 286 graded towns in North Carolina, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Residents are healthier than 86% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and it has 31 miles of trail. On the other side, its crime rate is higher than 78% of U.S. towns, with 66 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Southern Pines’ trail density is 1.7 miles per square mile, above both the North Carolina town median (0.2) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Southern Pines is home to Sandhills Community College.
Where Southern Pines beats most towns.
12,334 counted in 2010 and 15,545 in 2020; an estimated 17,357 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 11.2% since 2020, after 26% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Southern Pines is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 517 in 1900, 15,545 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1914 and 4 maps from 1948 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Southern Pines, 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 Southern Pines.
Southern Pines draws workers from Pinehurst and beyond, but it has seen reported crime rise beyond ordinary swings.
For Southern Pines, that is above both North Carolina’s towns (3.4%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is Reservoir Park, 184 acres with 2.4 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Reservoir Park | 2.4 mi | 184 |
| 2. Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve | — | 114 |
| 3. Memorial Park | — | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Moore County Schools. Three of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Pinecrest High, with 2,290 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDeeds Creek ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 707 | A |
| Pinecrest HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,290 | A |
| Moore Montessori Community SchoolTop results in townGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 259 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
10,231 jobs are based in Southern Pines, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Southern Pines for work: only 19% work in town. Jobs based in Southern Pines grew to 10,231 in 2023, 1,775 more than in 2013. Southern Pines’ median household income is $89,000.
| Southern Pines | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $89,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 14% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
14% of adults report frequent mental distress in Southern Pines. Southern Pines beats the North Carolina average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 9.5% of adults smoke cigarettes in Southern Pines.
| Southern Pines | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 33% |
| What stands out | Southern Pines | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.9% | 15.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8% | 12.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.1% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes rose from 358 to 429 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Southern Pines is 3.8 per 1,000 residents. Southern Pines reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 78% report less. The property crime rate in Southern Pines is 20.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Southern Pines | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20.9 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Southern Pines home is worth about $451,000, about the same as a year ago, 36% above the North Carolina typical home. 57% of Southern Pines households own their home.
| Southern Pines | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,354 a month | $1,084 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 2016, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Southern Pines.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Southern Pines has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 32° and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1 within 15 miles of the center of Southern Pines
About 5 of every 100 Southern Pines residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
7 places in Southern Pines on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Southern Pines.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Southern Pines is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 15,545 as of the 2020 census, up from 12,334 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Southern Pines.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C+; Aberdeen (B−) is closest.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Pines | #128 | C+ | C− | C− | B+ | A |
| Aberdeen | #92 | B− | B | C− | B+ | A− |
| Carthage | #8 | A | A+ | — | B+ | B− |
| Pinehurst | #23 | A− | C− | A | B+ | A |
| Whispering Pines | #15 | A− | C | A+ | B+ | A+ |
Carthage reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Southern Pines with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Southern Pines grades C+ overall, better than 41% of U.S. towns and #128 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades A for health, C− for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 54% of towns.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
7 notable people were born here, including Armelia McQueen and Toni Lynn Washington.
