Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Spencer gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $204K, 2.5 years of the Charlotte metro’s $83K median household income. It grades C overall, 162nd of 286 graded towns in North Carolina. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 78% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Spencer’s average trip to work is 32 minutes, above both the North Carolina town median (24 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 38 of North Carolina’s 451 towns score higher on history.
Where Spencer beats most towns.
Southern Railway Spencer ShopsEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Spencer is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,915 in 1910, 3,308 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1962 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Spencer, 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 Spencer.
Spencer trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and has seen reported crime fall by about half.
Homes are within reach (about $204K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles. At 2.5 years of the Charlotte metro’s $83K median household income, the typical home (about $204K) costs less against local pay than in 95% of North Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
The typical Spencer home is worth about $204,000, down 3.7% in a year, 39% below the North Carolina typical home.
| Spencer | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,000 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 67% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Rowan-Salisbury Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is North Rowan High, with 555 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Rowan MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 649 | D |
| North Rowan HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 555 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
30% of Spencer adults get no exercise outside work. Spencer beats the North Carolina average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 24% of Spencer adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Spencer | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 24% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 19% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Spencer | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 20.6% | 15.2% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 10.9% | 8.1% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 16% | 12.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 73% of U.S. communities. Since 2020, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Spencer.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 76 to 36 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Spencer’s violent crime rate is 0.9 per 1,000 residents. Within North Carolina, it does better than 67% of towns. Spencer’s property crime rate is 9.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Spencer | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.6 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Spencer has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 29° and about 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Spencer for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, Spencer has added 186 jobs, to 1,204 in 2023. The top destinations are Salisbury (24%), Charlotte (13%) and Concord (4%).
| Spencer | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 3% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 13% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Yadkin River Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Spencer. Close and well known come first.
32 mi LakeLake Norman
in town MuseumNorth Carolina Transportation Museum
31 mi Stadium & arenaAllegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium
29 mi MuseumOld Salem
37 mi Zoo & aquariumNorth Carolina Zoo700K visitors a year
29 mi National forestUwharrie National ForestLake Norman: Prince Grobhelm, CC BY-SA 3.0 · North Carolina Transportation Museum: Unknown, Public domain · Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium: BobHWS, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Old Salem: David Bjorgen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · North Carolina Zoo: Diane Villa, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Uwharrie National Forest: U.S. Forest Service, Public domain
4 within 15 miles of the center of Spencer
About 9 of every 100 Spencer residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
4 notable people were born in Spencer.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Spencer is a town in Rowan County, North Carolina, United States, incorporated in 1905. As of the 2020 census, Spencer had a population of 3,308.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Spencer.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer | #162 | C | A | C | C | C− |
| Salisbury | #248 | D | B− | D− | C | C− |
| East Spencer | — | — | A | — | C | D |
East Spencer has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. East Spencer reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Spencer with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Spencer grades C overall, better than 27% of U.S. towns and #162 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades C− for health, C for safety and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 67% of towns.
4 notable people were born here, including Jack Wilson and Earl B. Ruth.
