Here Are The 10 Poorest Places In North Carolina

While the general idea of North Carolina is a beautiful state (it is) with amazing mountains, sweeping greenery, and pristine coastline, at the same time no state is free of poverty. In general, North Carolina ranks 39th in America for ‘richest states’ with the median household income at $43,916. While Charlotte is a financial hub, the mountains see plenty of retirees, and living on the coast is anything but cheap – throughout the state you find an expanse of rich and poor. Using data compiled by Road Snacks that takes in to consideration poverty level, population, and unemployment, here are the 10 poorest cities in North Carolina.

This list is in no way demeaning to these places or their beauty and culture; it is merely tidbits of information for our North Carolina readers.

Flickr / Malcolm K.

Not too far from the state capitol of Raleigh, Selma is a very 'in-and-out' type of town. The population is only 6,172 with an unemployment rate at 22.4% and poverty at 38.1%. One amazing thing about Selma is the antique selection!

Flickr / Jimmy Smith

Plymouth is a charming 'small town USA' type of place. The population is at 3,782 with 37.8% of those living in poverty. The unemployment rate is at 23.0%

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Flickr / Ron Reiring

While the gorgeous, historic, and charming riverside town of Edenton has made plenty of our 'best of' lists, it's also a town that has suffered from poverty and crime. Out of the 4,979 residents 41.1% of those live in poverty with the unemployment rate at 22.4%

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Flickr / Gerry Dincher

With only 2,699 residents, it's hard to believe the poverty rate is almost half that at 46.4% and unemployment at 19.4%. Like many smaller towns in North Carolina, it's harder for small businesses to survive and many residents rely on farming as their income.

Flickr / Gerry Dincher

Maxton seems like a pretty cool place for a visit, with a charming Main Street, and it's among the more lesser known towns on the list. The population is a low 2,431 with the poverty level at 40.1% and unemployment at 21.1%

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Flickr / sheffieldb

Trust me, I was shocked by this one too! I think the only real reason this charming college town made the list is at the a lot of the population consists of college students, upping the unemployment rate to 18.5% what is even more shocking is that, the poverty level exceeds half (yet again, thinking this has to do with the fact that out of 17,802 residents, a lot of those are college students) at 69.9%

Flickr / Phillip Barron

Roxboro has lots of small town charm, but the population to poverty rate has this town at number four. Out of 8,330, the poverty is almost half that at 47.8%, yet the unemployment is only 21.6%

Flickr / Mike Kalasnick

In the foothills, North Wilkesboro is a charming place but ranks third with the poverty level almost half the population, at 45.5%. Out of the 4,262 residents the unemployment rate is only 22.4%

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Flickr / Jim Dollar

Yanceyville is a charming small town but the low population at 2,025 paired with poverty at 39.4% puts it at number two. Luckily, the unemployment rate is slightly lower at only 25%

Flickr / Malcolm k.

In Halifax County, Enfield ranks number one on our list. Their current population is 2,282 with poverty rates almost half at 43,2% and unemployment at 34.2%

One trend I find in a lot of this is the number of small businesses closed and also the amount of once large industrial or factory hubs that have moved elsewhere. What do you think about this list? What do you consider some of the poorest places in North Carolina? Even when you enter cities like Charlotte or Raleigh, there’s still poverty. Sadly, it’s something in America that is hard to escape and hopefully we can help and improve the quality of life for all.

If you’re looking for something a little different, these 10 places in North Carolina are amazing to live in, have that wow factor, but are also extremely affordable.