Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Tabor City grades D− overall, 262nd of 286 graded towns in North Carolina, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $39K, and 33% of residents live below the poverty line. Residents are less healthy than 95% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. One bright spot: it is more walkable than 54% of U.S. towns. 33% of residents live below the poverty line in Tabor City, above both North Carolina’s towns (13%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Tabor City's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 96% of U.S. towns. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top.
2,511 counted in 2010 and 3,781 in 2020; an estimated 3,886 in 2025.
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 Tabor City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 418 in 1910, 3,781 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 3 maps from 1962 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tabor City, 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 Tabor City.
Tabor City draws workers from Whiteville and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of North Carolina (mostly hurricanes).
Against the 2,035 U.S. towns with household incomes like Tabor City’s, it is less healthy than 67%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
23% of adults smoke cigarettes in Tabor City. Among 289 North Carolina towns, just 9 have a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Tabor City. 34% of adults get no exercise outside work in Tabor City.
| Tabor City | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 14% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 19% | 19% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 36% | 35% |
| What stands out | Tabor City | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.4% | 7.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 32.7% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Columbus County Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tabor City SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 598 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
1,749 jobs are based in Tabor City, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 36% of working residents cross a state line to work, Loris among the top destinations.
Most working residents leave Tabor City for work: only 14% work in town. The average trip to work in Tabor City is 34 minutes. Since 2013, Tabor City has added 624 jobs, to 1,749 in 2023.
| Tabor City | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $39,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 82% of North Carolina towns; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1999, 15 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Tabor City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Tabor City home is worth about $198,000, up 7% in a year, 40% below the North Carolina typical home. Tabor City’s median rent is $809 a month.
| Tabor City | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $809 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Within North Carolina, it does better than 65% of towns.
| Tabor City | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.2 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16.2 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Tabor City has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 34° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1 within 15 miles of the center of Tabor City
About 3 of every 100 Tabor City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
Where Tabor City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in Tabor City.
Town in the United States
Tabor City ( TAY-bur) is a town in Columbus County, North Carolina, United States. It is the southernmost town in the county. It is located just north of the North Carolina/South Carolina line, about 39 miles (63 km) north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and is just north of Loris, South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, Tabor City had a population of 3,781.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Tabor City grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #262 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades D for health, C for safety and C+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 65% of towns.
That is 4 years of the area's median household income ($49,442 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
Tabor City was incorporated in 1905 and has 1 place on the National Register of Historic Places. 3 notable people were born here, including Stonewall Jackson and Amanda Dowe.
