Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Valdese gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $248K, 4 years of the Hickory metro’s $63K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 115th of 286 graded towns in North Carolina. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $51K, and 13% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. Only 35 of North Carolina’s 451 towns score higher on the outdoors. Valdese has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Waldensian Presbyterian Church and Valdese Elementary School. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 80% of U.S. towns.
Where Valdese beats most towns.
7.4% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Valdese is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,816 in 1930, 4,689 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1920 and 3 maps from 1956 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Valdese, 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 Valdese.
Valdese is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of North Carolina; it also has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
6.2 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Valdese’s trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 0.2 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Valdese Lakeside Park, at 325 acres with 1.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Valdese | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.4% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Valdese Lakeside Park | 1.6 mi | 325 |
| 2. McGalliard Falls Park | 0.2 mi | 24 |
| 3. Wildcat Trail System | — | 24 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Burke County Schools. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Draughn High School, with 661 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valdese ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 530 | B |
| Draughn High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 661 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 81% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Valdese’s median rent is $665 a month, below both the North Carolina town median ($1,086 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). The typical Valdese home is worth about $249,000, up 0.9% in a year, 25% below the North Carolina typical home.
| Valdese | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $665 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 67% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Adults 18 to 34 are 13% of residents (23% statewide); people 65 and older are 26% of residents (17% statewide). Valdese’s median age is 52.6 years. 37% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across North Carolina.
| Valdese | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 52.6 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 18% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 18% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 29% | 29% |
56% women, 44% men
About 79 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.5 points). Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Valdese | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.8% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.2% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.5% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.7% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.6% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.1% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.5% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13.7% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.5% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.7% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.1% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.4% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.9% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.4% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,700, single groups can be off by several points
The property crime rate in Valdese is 19.7 per 1,000 residents. Within North Carolina, it does better than 69% of towns.
| Valdese | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 19.7 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 28.5°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 81% of North Carolina places with climate records; July afternoons average 88.5°.
Valdese has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Valdese | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 29°F | 31°F | 22°F |
| July high | 89°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here fell from 3,116 in 2013 to 2,364.
Most working residents leave Valdese for work: only 9% work in town. Since 2013, Valdese has lost 752 jobs, to 2,364 in 2023. The top destinations are Morganton (18%), Hickory (13%) and Charlotte (5%).
| Valdese | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.4% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 6,048 U.S. towns with household incomes like Valdese’s, it is healthier than 89%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Valdese beats the North Carolina average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 14% of Valdese adults binge drink.
| Valdese | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 25% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 80% | 79% |
| What stands out | Valdese | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.2% | 12.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.3% | 8.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.7% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Valdese. Close and well known come first.
Big draw39 mi MountainMount Mitchell
23 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
28 mi MountainGrandfather Mountain29 mi Theme parkTweetsie Railroad9 mi Ancient siteJoara
22 mi Park & preserveLinville Gorge WildernessMount Mitchell: Unknown, Public domain · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Grandfather Mountain: Original uploader was KyleAndMelissa22 at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Linville Gorge Wilderness: No machine-readable author provided. Amcbride~commonswiki assumed (based on copy, Public domain
3 within 15 miles of the center of Valdese
About 3 of every 100 Valdese residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
5 places in Valdese on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Valdese.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Valdese ( VAL-dees) is a town in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,689 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area. One of the largest Waldensian congregations in the United States was founded in the town in the late nineteenth century, now known as the Waldensian Presbyterian Church. The town was settled by immigrants from the Cottian Alps in the Piedmont region of Italy.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Valdese.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valdese | #115 | C+ | A | C | B | B− |
| Rutherford College | — | — | A | — | B | B+ |
| Drexel | — | — | A | — | B | C |
Rutherford College and Drexel have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Rutherford College and Drexel report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Valdese with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Valdese grades C+ overall, better than 44% of U.S. towns and #115 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades B− for health, C for safety and B for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 69% of towns.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
6 notable people were born here, including Stanley Pons and George Shuffler.
