Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Overall it grades B−, 85th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 82% of U.S. towns. 11% of residents are under 18 in Southport, below both the North Carolina town median (22%) and the median of U.S. towns (22%). Of the 290 North Carolina towns we compare, none has a higher January low than Southport. Its National Register listings include Fort Johnston and Brunswick County Courthouse.
Where Southport beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Fort Johnston
Census counts: 810 in 1870, 3,971 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1776 and 3 maps from 1946 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Southport is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Southport, 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 Southport.
Southport draws workers from Boiling Spring Lakes and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of North Carolina (mostly hurricanes) and has homes that cost more against local pay than most of North Carolina.
Southport’s median age is 64.2 years. Southport has grown 11% since 2020, to 4,434 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 37% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Southport.
| Southport | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 64.2 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 29% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.4 points. Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Southport | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.5% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.8% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.1% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.4% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.7% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.9% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.6% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 32% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15.9% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.2% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18.2% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 27.3% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.9% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.9% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.5% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,400, single groups can be off by several points
Its public schools are run by the Brunswick County Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southport ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 413 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
At 7.2 years of the Wilmington metro’s $76K median household income, the typical home (about $549K) costs more against local pay than in 92% of North Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $3,047, against $1,896 across North Carolina, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Southport home is worth about $549,000, up 1.2% in a year, 65% above the North Carolina typical home. The median rent in Southport is $1,426 a month.
| Southport | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 80% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,426 a month | $1,084 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2,497 jobs are based in Southport, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 1,732 in 2013 to 2,497.
Most working residents leave Southport for work: only 15% work in town. Jobs based in Southport grew to 2,497 in 2023, 765 more than in 2013. 6.4% of Southport residents live below the poverty line.
| Southport | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.4% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $88,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Southport | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 19% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lowe-White Memorial Park | — | 7 |
| 2. Franklin Square Park | — | 4 |
| 3. Fort Johnston-Southport Museum & Visitors' Center | 0.1 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 85% of North Carolina towns; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on. 148 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 23 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1981, 148 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Southport.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Among 289 North Carolina towns, just 5 have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Southport. Southport beats the North Carolina average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. Only 9 of the 289 North Carolina towns we compare have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Southport.
| Southport | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 87% | 80% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 33% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Southport | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6% | 12.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.2% | 8.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 14.8% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Southport has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 37° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Southport's reported crime rate is well below North Carolina's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 4 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
| Southport | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 10.7 per 1,000 residents | 24.2 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Southport. Close and well known come first.
6 mi LandmarkFort Fisher
10 mi GardenOrton Plantation
8 mi MuseumBrunswick Town
40 mi LighthouseFrying Pan Shoals Light
37 mi National BattlefieldMoores Creek National Battlefield56K visitors a year22 mi GardenAirlie GardensFort Fisher: Eric T. Gunther, CC BY 3.0 · Orton Plantation: AgnosticPreachersKid., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Brunswick Town: Brunswick1726, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Frying Pan Shoals Light: U.S. Department of Defense, Public domain · Moores Creek National Battlefield: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Southport
About 7 of every 100 Southport residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
2,833 counted in 2010 and 3,971 in 2020; an estimated 4,434 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 10.8% since 2020, after 40.2% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
4 places in Southport on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Southport.
City in North Carolina, United States
Southport is a city in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States, near the mouth of the Cape Fear River. Its population was 3,971 as of the 2020 census. Southport is the location of the North Carolina Fourth of July Festival, which attracts 40,000 to 50,000 visitors annually.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Southport grades B− overall, better than 53% of U.S. towns and #85 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades B+ for health and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 7.2 years of the area's median household income ($76,471 across the Wilmington, NC metro 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.
5 notable people were born here, including Donna McDowell White and Quinton McCracken.
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