Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,333, settled in 1847. A regional job hub with 2,831 jobs.
The best of Taylorsville’s subject grades are an A− for walkability and safety; the weakest is a D for incomes. 28% of residents live below the poverty line in Taylorsville, above both the North Carolina town median (13%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 14 of North Carolina’s 190 towns score higher on safety. Taylorsville has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Taylorsville Milling Company Roller Mill and Downtown Taylorsville Historic District. Taylorsville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Taylorsville beats most towns.
Where Taylorsville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Taylorsville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1902.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Taylorsville, 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 Taylorsville.
Most working residents leave Taylorsville for work: only 12% work in town. At $39,000, Taylorsville’s median household income is below both North Carolina’s towns ($69,000) and U.S. towns ($80,000). Taylorsville’s average trip to work is 28 minutes.
| Taylorsville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $39,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Alexander County Schools. Its three schools are below. The largest public high school is Alexander Central High, with 1,254 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taylorsville ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 241 | A− |
| Alexander Central HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,254 | A− |
| Alexander Early CollegeTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 172 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Taylorsville beats the North Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 16% of Taylorsville adults report frequent physical distress.
| Taylorsville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 19% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 24% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Taylorsville | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.2% | 76.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.7% | 7.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The violent crime rate in Taylorsville is 0 per 1,000 residents. Among 154 North Carolina towns, just 6 have a lower property crime rate than Taylorsville. Taylorsville reports less crime per resident than 77% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.
| Taylorsville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.8 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Taylorsville has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 29° and about 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among 278 North Carolina towns, just 2 have a lower median rent than Taylorsville. 54% of households own their home in Taylorsville. Typical home values rose 7.6% in the year to September 2026.
| Taylorsville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $496 a month | $1,085 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 54% | 67% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Taylorsville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.5% | 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. Matheson Park | 0.5 mi | 9 |
| 2. Town Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Taylorsville. Close and well known come first.
27 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
33 mi LakeLake Norman
38 mi MountainGrandfather Mountain32 mi Theme parkTweetsie Railroad31 mi Ancient siteJoara
33 mi MuseumMoses H. Cone Memorial ParkBlue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Lake Norman: Prince Grobhelm, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Grandfather Mountain: Original uploader was KyleAndMelissa22 at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Moses H. Cone Memorial Park: Bill Russ photographer, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Taylorsville
About 4 of every 100 Taylorsville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
2,098 counted in 2010 and 2,320 in 2020; an estimated 2,333 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
7 notable people were born in Taylorsville.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Taylorsville is a town in Alexander County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,320 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Alexander County. Taylorsville is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
7 notable people were born here, including Harry Gant and Onur Tükel.
