Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,765, settled in 1821. A regional job hub with 6,250 jobs.
Whiteville grades D− overall, 270th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns, mostly because of safety and health. Its police reported 42 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 100% of U.S. towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 86% of the country. What it does well: it is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns. Whiteville’s violent crime rate is 9 per 1,000 residents, against 3.1 in North Carolina’s towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Only 1 of the 153 North Carolina towns we compare have a higher property crime rate than Whiteville.
Where Whiteville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
5,394 counted in 2010 and 4,766 in 2020; an estimated 4,765 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 Whiteville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 372 in 1890, 4,766 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 2 maps from 1955 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Whiteville, 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 Whiteville.
Whiteville draws workers from Wilmington and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of North Carolina (mostly hurricanes) and reports violent crime at about twice the North Carolina rate.
Violent crime runs at 9 per 1,000 residents, about twice the North Carolina rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Property crime runs at 80.5 per 1,000 residents, 4 times the North Carolina rate, most of it theft.
Whiteville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 100% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Whiteville City Schools. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Whiteville High, with 639 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whiteville PrimaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 486 | – |
| Whiteville HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 639 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
6,250 jobs are based in Whiteville, 3.3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
The median household income in Whiteville is $31,000. About one in 4 of Whiteville’s working residents works in town. 21% of residents live below the poverty line in Whiteville.
| Whiteville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $31,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 694 U.S. towns with household incomes like Whiteville’s, it is healthier than 81%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
47% of Whiteville adults have high blood pressure. Whiteville beats the North Carolina average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 17% of Whiteville adults have diabetes.
| Whiteville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Whiteville | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.5% | 14.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.1% | 76.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.5% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 83% of North Carolina towns; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
70.7% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.9% across North Carolina.
The typical Whiteville home is worth about $198,000, up 5.5% in a year, 40% below the North Carolina typical home. Whiteville’s median rent is $773 a month.
| Whiteville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 49% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $773 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Whiteville has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 34° and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Whiteville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.1% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Whiteville Recreation Park | — | 12 |
| 2. West Whiteville Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Whiteville
About 3 of every 100 Whiteville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
Where Whiteville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
16 notable people were born in Whiteville.
City in North Carolina, United States
Whiteville is the county seat of and the most populous city in Columbus County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Whiteville had a population of 4,766.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Whiteville grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #270 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades D for health, D− for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
16 notable people were born here, including Scott Dawson and Archie Randolph Ammons.