Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Waynesville grades C− overall, 183rd among North Carolina's 286 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its public schools beat 78% of North Carolina towns on state tests and graduation and it is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns. On the other side, it reports more crime per resident than 90% of U.S. towns, including 46 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Its National Register listings include Haywood County Courthouse and Dr. J. Howell Way House. Among 290 North Carolina towns, just 1 have a lower January low than Waynesville. Waynesville Recreation Park, at 44 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Waynesville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Shelton House
Census counts: 225 in 1880, 10,140 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1878 and 3 maps from 1935 on.
18 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Waynesville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Waynesville. Close and well known come first.
Big draw37 mi Theme parkDollywood3.1M visitors a year
Big draw7 mi National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National Park11.5M visitors a year
4 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
Big draw29 mi MountainKuwohi7 mi Theme parkGhost Town in the Sky
15 mi National forestPisgah National ForestDollywood: Brian Stansberry (photographer), CC BY 2.5 · Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Scott Basford, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Kuwohi: C. Kenneth Dodd, Jr., Public domain · Pisgah National Forest: Ken Thomas, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Waynesville, 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 Waynesville.
Waynesville draws workers from Canton and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of North Carolina.
6,586 jobs are based in Waynesville, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 4 of Waynesville’s working residents works in town. At 20 minutes, Waynesville’s average trip to work is against 24 minutes in North Carolina’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. 16% of residents live below the poverty line in Waynesville.
| Waynesville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Haywood County Schools. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Shining Rock Classical Academy, with 616 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waynesville MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 727 | B+ |
| Shining Rock Classical AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 616 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
At 30.6 per 1,000 residents, Waynesville’s property crime rate is above both North Carolina’s towns (21.8) and U.S. towns (9.9). Waynesville’s violent crime rate is 4.2 per 1,000 residents. Waynesville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 90% report less.
| Waynesville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 30.6 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.2 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
27% of Waynesville residents are 65 or older. Waynesville has grown 8.6% since 2020, to 11,006 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. The median age in Waynesville is 46 years.
| Waynesville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 27% | 18% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 16% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 46 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 29% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.9 points. Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Waynesville | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.2% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.6% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.8% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.2% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.4% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.2% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.6% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.7% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.4% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.3% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.7% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.9% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
January nights average 24.5°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 97% of North Carolina places with climate records; July afternoons average 82.1°.
Among 290 North Carolina towns, just 3 have a lower July high than Waynesville. Waynesville has chilly winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. About 11 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 65% of U.S. communities. Since 1994, 109 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Waynesville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.7 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Waynesville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.1% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Waynesville Recreation Park | 1.2 mi | 44 |
| 2. Hazelwood Recreation Park | 0.1 mi | 4 |
| 3. Waynesville Skate Park | 0.1 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Waynesville home is worth about $353,000, down 3.1% in a year, 6% above the North Carolina typical home.
| Waynesville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,070 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 7,393 U.S. towns with household incomes like Waynesville’s, it is healthier than 78%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Waynesville beats the North Carolina average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8.
| Waynesville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 23% |
| What stands out | Waynesville | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10% | 12.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.9% | 8.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.4% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Waynesville
About 3 of every 100 Waynesville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
Where Waynesville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
18 places in Waynesville on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Waynesville.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Waynesville is a town in and the county seat of Haywood County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest town in North Carolina west of Asheville. Waynesville is located about 30 miles (50 km) southwest of Asheville between the Great Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains. As of the 2020 census, Waynesville had a population of 10,140. The town is located just outside the Pisgah National Forest and is close to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Waynesville and Haywood County are part of the four-county Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area, currently the fifth largest metropolitan area in North Carolina. It is the third largest town in the MSA behind the ci…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Waynesville.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waynesville | #183 | C− | C− | D | A− | B− |
| Lake Junaluska | #84 | B− | C | — | A− | B |
Lake Junaluska reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Waynesville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Waynesville grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #183 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades B− for health, D for safety and A− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 33% of towns.
Yes. That is 5.7 years of the area's median household income ($61,912 across the Waynesville, NC 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−.
14 notable people were born here, including Chuck Edwards and Sam Howell.
