Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Williamston earns a D−, ranked 279th of 286 in North Carolina, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its police reported 72 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 99% of U.S. towns. The median household income is $39K, and 36% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, it is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns. 36% of residents live below the poverty line in Williamston, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. On health, just 34 of North Carolina’s 450 towns do worse. Williamston is home to Martin Community College.
Where Williamston beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Martin County Courthouse
Census counts: 616 in 1860, 5,248 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1929 and 2 maps from 1901 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Williamston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Williamston, 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 Williamston.
Williamston draws workers from Greenville and beyond, but it reports violent crime at 4 times the North Carolina rate and carries more natural-hazard risk than most of North Carolina (mostly hurricanes).
Violent crime runs at 14.3 per 1,000 residents, 4 times the North Carolina rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Property crime runs at 62.1 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the North Carolina rate, most of it theft.
Williamston’s violent crime rate is 14.3 per 1,000 residents. Among 153 North Carolina towns, just 4 have a higher property crime rate than Williamston. Williamston reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 99% report less.
| Williamston | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.3 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 62.1 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Martin County Schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamston PrimaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 361 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
At 2.8 years of the county’s $49K median household income, the typical home (about $134K) costs less against local pay than in 91% of North Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its B− for cost of living.
The typical Williamston home is worth about $134,000, up 4.9% in a year, 60% below the North Carolina typical home. 51% of Williamston households own their home.
| Williamston | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $684 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 2,042 U.S. towns with household incomes like Williamston’s, it is less healthy than 66%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
20% of adults have diabetes in Williamston. Among 289 North Carolina towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Williamston. 44% of adults have obesity in Williamston.
| Williamston | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 19% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 9.7% | 15% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 51% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Williamston | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 9.7% | 14.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.7% | 76.7% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 29.4% | 15.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
3,203 jobs are based in Williamston, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 5 of Williamston’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Williamston is 20 minutes. Jobs based in Williamston fell to 3,203 in 2023, 505 fewer than in 2013.
| Williamston | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $39,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 80% of North Carolina towns; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1978, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Williamston.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Williamston has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 32° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gaylord Perry Park | — | 17 |
| 2. Skewarkee Park | — | 6 |
| 3. Williamston Youth Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Williamston
About 1 of every 100 Williamston residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
Where Williamston’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 places in Williamston on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Williamston.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Williamston is a town in and the county seat of Martin County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,248 at the 2020 census. It is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. The closest major city is Greenville, approximately 28 miles (45 km) to the southwest.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Williamston grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #279 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades D for health, D− for safety and D for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.8 years of the area's median household income ($48,578 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 B−.
9 notable people were born here, including Asa Biggs and Jim Perry.
