Forest City, NC
Census place 3724080 · pop 7,363
Sales & income are statewide.
The breakdown — worst first
U.S. median $67,857 · worse than most cities
$35,524 median household income · Median household income — a proxy for local economic health.
U.S. median 12.1% · worse than most cities
32.1% live in poverty · Share of residents living below the federal poverty line.
U.S. median 14.6% · worse than most cities
21.0% of adults · Share of adults who currently smoke.
U.S. median 90.0% · worse than most cities
83.1% of homes have broadband · Share of households with a broadband internet subscription.
U.S. median 24.3% · worse than most cities
14.7% have a bachelor's degree or higher · Share of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
U.S. median 36.5% · worse than most cities
42.7% of adults · Share of adults with obesity (BMI ≥ 30).
U.S. median 67.2% · worse than most cities
45.4% own their home · Share of occupied homes that are owner-occupied.
U.S. median 0.43 · worse than most cities
Gini 0.51 (0 = equal, 1 = unequal) · Gini index of household income (0 = equal, 1 = unequal).
U.S. median 26.5% · worse than most cities
34.8% of adults · Adults with no leisure-time physical activity.
U.S. median 17.4% · worse than most cities
19.9% of adults · Adults reporting frequent poor mental health (14+ days a month).
U.S. median 3.6% · worse than most cities
4.7% unemployment · Share of the labor force out of work. Published by county, not city — every city in the county shares this figure.
U.S. median 9.3% · worse than most cities
15.0% of adults · Adults 18–64 without health insurance.
U.S. median 24 min · worse than most cities
26 min average one-way commute · Average one-way commute to work, in minutes.
U.S. median +2.4% · better than most cities
+2.9% population change (5yr) · 5-year population change — are people moving in, or fleeing?
U.S. median 0.99% · better than most cities
0.71% of home value paid in property tax · Median real-estate taxes paid as a share of home value.
U.S. median $214,900 · better than most cities
$160,800 median home value · Median home value — how expensive it is to buy in. Higher = less affordable.
U.S. median 77/100 · better than most cities
59/100 FEMA risk (higher = riskier) · FEMA National Risk Index — wildfire, flood, earthquake, heat and more. Published by county, not city — every city in the county shares this figure.
Not measured for Forest City: Crime, Air, Bad air, Property crime, Rent. Not every public source covers every city — EPA air monitors and Zillow rent only reach some places, and national crime data is still being added.
Frequently asked
- Is Forest City, NC a good place to live?
- By the numbers, Forest City scores 29/100 — a F (Bad) on Shcity, which ranks U.S. cities on public data across 17 metrics like crime, cost, jobs and health. Its strongest area is natural disaster risk and its weakest is median household income. North Carolina overall ranks #16 of 50 states. Whether it's "good" depends on what you value — re-weight the factors to score it your way.
- Is Forest City, NC expensive to live in?
- Forest City has a median home value of $160,800 — more affordable than most U.S. cities.
- What's the biggest downside of living in Forest City, NC?
- Its weakest measured area is median household income ($35,524) — 1/100, worse than most U.S. cities.
- What is Forest City, NC best at?
- Its strongest measured area is natural disaster risk (59/100) — 84/100, better than most U.S. cities. (A county-level figure.)
Sources: U.S. Census (ACS), CDC PLACES, FBI Crime Data Explorer, BLS, EPA AirData, FEMA National Risk Index, and Zillow.