This North Carolina City Is One Of the Worst Places To Live in the U.S.

Author JD Diva

July 27th, 2023 2:25 PM

Two cities in North Carolina rank among the safest large cities in the U.S., based on recent crime cost per capita figures. (Photo by rarrarorro/Getty Images)

No matter what state you live in, some towns and cities make it extremely hard to find work, stay safe or just enjoy life.

While the Tar Heel State is home to countless incredible places to call home, it still has some pretty not-so-incredible options as well.

24/7 Wall St. has created a weighted index of over two dozen metrics to identify the worst place to live in each state. It considered all boroughs, census-designated areas, cities, towns, and villages with at least 8,000 residents.

So where is the worst place to live in the state of North Carolina? According to 24/7 Wall St., that would be Lexington.

Lexington is the county seat of Davidson County, which is located in central North Carolina, 20 miles south of Winston-Salem. 19,516 residents currently call the city home.

So what is it that makes this city a bad option when choosing a place to live? Well, the poverty rate, for one. The typical household in Lexington earns less than $30,000 a year, over $20,000 less than the median household income across the state as a whole. Additionally, 31% of residents live below the poverty line making Lexington poorer than 90% of American cities.

Joblessness is also a major problem here. Over the last five years, employment in the city has declined by 8.1%. According to Census estimates, 7.8% of workers in Lexington are unemployed, compared to just 4.4% of workers statewide.

While living in a top-rated city by no means guarantees happiness, conditions like poverty, crime, and a lack of employment opportunities can detract majorly from your quality of life. To check out the full list of worst places to call home in the country, click here.

Janine “JD” Davis: JD The Diva is the spicy, bold, and highly energetic radio and TV personality you hear hosting the midday shift (10 am till 3 pm) each weekday at V 101.9. An award-winning 30-year radio and news journalist, Janine brings her unique style of delivering entertainment, news, and inspiration to the airwaves. From her quick-witted ‘dirt’ on celebrities to the live Facebook mix show featuring JD and her best dance moves to JD’s Inspirational Moments where she shares personal battles and triumphs, JD keeps listeners engaged and entertained. When she’s not on air, you can find JD getting involved in the community and embracing Black-owned businesses and stories online. She enjoys writing about small Black-owned businesses, our HBCUs as a grad herself, and all things supporting women.

North Carolina City Has One Of The Nation's Highest Homicide Rates

This is not a list you want to see anywhere close to you included on. But unfortunately, one North Carolina city did rank in the top 10 for the highest homicide rates. Homicide rates have been increasing nationwide, and this problem seems to be the worst in major cities. You most likely have heard about the numerous shootings that occur seemingly every weekend in Chicago. And even living here in Charlotte and scouring news sites daily as I do, it seems there has been at least one a day for weeks now. Something has to be done to combat this problem, unfortunately, I don’t think anyone truly knows how to fix this. But it shouldn’t be that hard to just not kill someone. Just don’t do it. But what do I know?

This data come to us from our friends over at WalletHub who compared the largest 45 cities in the US to determine which have the biggest homicide problems. They looked at the number of homicides per capita in Q1 of this year. Additionally, they compared that data to the same time period in 2021 and 2022. From there they ranked each of those 45 cities, which is the information you’ll find below. I’ve included the top 5 cities nationwide as well as where the three North Carolina cities included ranked for homicide rates. The cities are Charlotte, Raleigh, and Durham. Think you know where they ranked? Find out below. Want to read the full study and methodology? You can read that via WalletHub here.

The Top 5
Memphis, TN

New Orleans, LA

Richmond, VA

Washington, DC

Detroit, MI
6. Durham, NC
SeanPavonePhoto

I have found my visits to Durham to be enjoyable. But the city does have a bit of a reputation, and in this case, well the data backs that reputation. Here are the stats Durham has accumulated through Q1 of 2023.

Homicide Cases Per Capita: 4.66 (Calculated per 100,000 residents) This is 14th overall

Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita: 1.79, this ranked third nationally indicated Durham has seen a large increase in homicides in 2023 compared to 2022.
30. Charlotte, NC

Kruck20

After the recent trends, I expect Charlotte will move up significantly higher when these statistics are pulled after Q2. It seems like we are hearing about homicides and shootings daily. But according to Q1 data, Charlotte ranked 30th.

Homicide Cases Per Capita: 1.97 (Calculated per 100,000 residents) This is 30th overall

Change In Homicide Cases Per Capita: -.23, this ranked 27th nationally indicating Charlotte actually saw a slight decrease in homicides.

Another interesting fact is ranked right above Charlotte- Anchorage Alaska. I’m not sure what that really says but it did stand out as interesting to me.
41. Raleigh, NC
Mark Howard

Coming in 11 spots behind Charlotte, is our state’s capital city. Only 45 cities were ranked in this study, so Raleigh came out pretty well. They had just .87 homicides per capita in Q1, which was a -1.51 decrease. Not bad Raleigh, keep it up. Let’s get that number all the way down to zero where it should be for every city in the country.
US News Ranks These Two North Carolina Cities Among The Nation's 10 Best Places To Live
We love a friendly rivalry between cities. And we love to see who comes out on top in those rivalries when publications put together different lists. This time it’s the Best Places To Live. And this list comes from a reputable source- US News and World Report. As North Carolina residents we know there are plenty of fantastic places to call home in North Carolina. Whether it’s the beaches the Piedmont, or the mountains. There is something for everyone. Each year US News ranks the best places to live in the US, and this year not one but two North Carolina cities made the top 10. Yes, the top 10 for the entire country. That’s big! And yes, it comes down to the two cities you’d expect Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham.

I know people have strong feelings about both, but I’ve called the two cities home though Charlotte for much more of my life, and love them both. I’ll give you a hint one city ranked number 3 and the other came in at number 8 on this list. You can read all the information on the methodology US News uses in ranking cities here. Below you’ll find the top 7 places to live in North Carolina. Why seven? It’s the cities that are among the nation’s 150 most populous. You’ll also see where they stack up overall against the rest of the United States. And below that, you’ll find the top places to live in the US.

You can read the full list from US News & World Report here.
7. Fayetteville
#135 Best Places To Live

Overall Score: 5.7

Quality of Life: 6.0

Value: 6.8
6. Greensboro
#72 Best Places To Live

Overall Score: 5.7

Quality of Life: 6.5

Value: 7.5
5. Winston-Salem
#41 Best Places To Live

Overall Score: 6.4

Quality of Life: 6.7

Value: 7.7

Kruck20
4. Asheville
#29 Overall Best Places To Live

Overall Score: 6.5

Quality of Life: 6.8

Value: 7.0

Kruck20
3. Hickory
#25 Overall Best Places To Live

Overall Score: 6.5

Quality of Life: 6.4

Value: 8.6

Jeff Yount
2. Charlotte
#8 Overall Best Places To Live

Overall Score: 6.7

Quality of Life: 6.4

Value: 7.0

Sean Pavone
1. Raleigh & Durham
#3 Best Places To Live Overall

Overall Score: 6.9

Quality of Life: 6.4

Value: 7.0

Sean Pavone