Living in Rocky Mount, NC
Small city in North Carolina
Rocky Mount is a small city in North Carolina, home to about 54,000 people, with 167,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, a car is essential. Life moves at a slow, calm pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Rocky Mount a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $187k and rents for $1,550 a month
- Low natural disaster risk: 6 federally declared disasters since 2000
- Mild summers: highs around 86°F
- Strong healthcare: 1 top-rated (4–5★) hospital within 31 mi
👎 Cons
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
- Fewer graduates: 22% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
- No dog parks within 9 mi
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Rocky Mount ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Rocky Mount: common questions
What is the cost of living in Rocky Mount?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $187k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 88, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Rocky Mount?
North Carolina collects about $1,615 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.95% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Rocky Mount safe?
Violent crime is well above the national rate (2.1× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Rocky Mount?
Rocky Mount has mild winters: winter days average around 53°F and summer days around 86°F.
Does Rocky Mount get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from flooding, hurricanes and tornadoes: 6 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.9 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Rocky Mount?
The nearest major airport is RDU, about 55 mi away.
How Rocky Mount scores
Each bar compares Rocky Mount with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Is Rocky Mount right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.