AreaScoop

Photo: Wikipedia

Wilmington, NC

Find The Best Places To Live
in Wilmington

PRO TIP! You can paste a Zillow or Redfin link.

Quality of Life

Overall Quality Of Life
A
Great

A high quality of life with strong walkability, manageable living costs, healthy neighborhood signals, and solid amenity access.

Quality of Life blends cost of living, nearby amenities, socioeconomic signals, and neighborhood character. City-level scores represent the whole municipality; individual neighborhoods can differ.

The Hood Index™

A metric tracking the socioeconomic signals of the area.

A
Hood Index scan area
Luxury Lean88%
RisksNeutralGrowth
Premium
40
Positive
40
Poor
6
Negative
7

Groceries

7 within 10 miles

0.1mi

Gas

20 within 10 miles

0.3mi

Hospital

4 within 20 miles

1.4mi

Airport

RDU — Raleigh–Durham International

126mi

Post Office

USPS — Wilmington, NC

0.7mi

Critical Amenities

Golf1Nearest 9.1 mi
Camping6Nearest 11.1 mi
Marina1Nearest 5.1 mi
Winery0 
Ice Rink0 
Gun Range0 

Affluence Level

Overall Affluence Grade
C
Average

A middle-class area roughly in line with national averages across income, home values, education, and employment.

Est. Avg Net Worth
$551k
16% below US avg
Avg HH Debt
$20k
9% above US avg

Crime

Overall Crime Grade
D+
Elevated

Higher crime rates than 65% of comparable U.S. locations.

Crime Rate
33.0
Incidents per 1,000 residents
5yr Trend
−9.6%
Overall crime change since 2020

Violent Crime

5yr−22.7%
Homicide
0.07 / 1k Residents19% above state avg
Robbery
0.81 / 1k Residents112% above state avg
Aggravated Assault
2.74 / 1k Residents18% above state avg

Property Crime

5yr+3.5%
Burglary
3.77 / 1k Residents38% above state avg
Larceny-Theft
22.83 / 1k Residents92% above state avg
Motor Vehicle Theft
2.35 / 1k Residents24% above state avg
Source: FBI Crime Data · 2025

Political Climate

Cook PVI: R+7Leans Conservative

District shown is the primary district for this city’s centroid. Cities may span multiple districts.

Presidential Voting Trends for Wilmington, North Carolina
Dem Rep
40%50%60%2000200420082012201620202024

Personal Sovereignty

Personal Sovereignty measures your capacity for self-reliance and independence with minimal government friction. Higher scores mean fewer barriers between you and the way you want to live... but it assumes you have the space you need and good neighbors.

Overall Sovereignty Grade
B
Self-Reliant

Viable for self-reliance. Generally workable, though some barriers may limit total independence.

State Policy

Tax Burden
C+
Weak9.9% of income
Property Rights
C+
FairIJ Grade C+
Firearm Rights
A
GreatFPC Grade A
Homeschooling
D-
PoorHigh regulation

Energy independence: Importer (15% of energy produced in-state)

Personal Liberty

Raw Milk
C+
LimitedHerd shares only
Gambling Laws
B
Broadly OpenTribal · Poker · Sportsbetting
Marijuana Laws
A-
Broadly LegalMedical + Decrim.

Homesteading

Growing Season272 days352 frost-free
Annual Rainfall60.4"
Elevation43 ft

Strategic Assessment

Strategic Assessment grades tactical survivability using Joel Skousen's Strategic Relocation framework. Major population centers, blast zones, natural disasters, and border exposure all drive risk — lower exposure means a more defensible position in a crisis.

Learn more about Strategic Relocation ($)
Overall Strategic Grade
D+
Vulnerable

Multiple tactical vulnerabilities. Population density, target proximity, or disaster risk are likely compounding. A retreat property and exit planning is required.

Strategic Pillars

City Proximity
C-
Weak497 mi to nearest major city
Fallout Danger
B-
Fair7 within ~30 mi
Natural Disaster
F
PoorHurricane, Inland Flooding, Tornado, Coastal Flooding, Lightning
Border / Coast
D
Poorborder 609 mi · coast 1.4 mi
FEMA Expected Loss$257.1M/yrfor the county

* Values derived from national, state, county, city and local statistics and may differ in a specific area.

What your realtor won't tell you!

Find the best place to live

Go beyond the listing to get the inside scoop on any home in the US.

PRO TIP! You can paste a Zillow or Redfin link.