Best PlacesIredell County, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Iredell County, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The averages hide a wide spread here, so the area matters as much as the address. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Iredell County ranks 159th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. Paychecks stretch further here than almost anywhere else: the median household brings in $90,381, everyday costs sit below the national average, and good schools ranks near the top of the country. The main drawbacks are an overheated housing market, the weather, and noise.
The best neighborhoods in Iredell County
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
The best areas in Iredell County
The parts of Iredell County, ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood, highest scoring first. Each note says how that part differs from the rest of the county.
Mooresville
More households have young kids, fewer homes sit empty, and more adults hold degrees.
Statesville & Troutman
Homes cost less, though local pay stretches less far.
Harmony
Prices have run up less, though incomes run lower.
Stony Point
It is quieter.
Iredell County shows why a single number is not enough. Some neighborhoods score in the bottom 13% of the country and others in the top 1%. Pick the area first, then the home.
Iredell County's strengths and weaknesses
Iredell County ranks where it does because the parts of life that are hardest to change mostly work here. Good schools is the standout, in the top 2% of counties. What local pay buys and a strong job market follow.
The drawbacks are real but narrow. An overheated housing market, the weather, and noise hold the score down. The measures below break that down, and the map shows how much of it holds street by street.
Where Iredell County ranks high
- School gradeA−, better than 98% of counties
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 92% of counties
- Local economyBetter than 90% of counties
- Voter turnoutBetter than 88% of counties
- State fiscal healthBetter than 87% of counties
Where Iredell County ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 10% of counties
- Nice weatherabout 72 pleasant days a year, better than only 25% of counties
- QuietBetter than only 29% of counties
- Cheap childcare$878 a month, better than only 30% of counties
- WalkabilityBetter than only 32% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Iredell County
A household needs to earn about $96,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Iredell County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $90,381; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Iredell County's effective rate of 0.62%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Iredell County
Iredell County's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Iredell County.
Who works in Iredell County, and how
Work in Iredell County centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in Iredell County
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Iredell County.
Is Iredell County growing, and who is moving in?
Iredell County has grown about 24% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from the rest of the Charlotte, NC metro.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Iredell County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Iredell County, month by month
Iredell County sees roughly 72 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 52, with lows near 30. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 40° | 30° |
| April | 74° | 60° | 47° |
| July | 91° | 78° | 69° |
| October | 75° | 61° | 50° |
Flying in and out of Iredell County
The nearest airport, Concord-Padgett Regional, is about 23 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 34 miles away.
The best schools in and around Iredell County
Schools across Iredell County average an A−, better than 98% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Woodland Heights ElementaryA+ · 82% proficient
- Central ElementaryA+ · 78% proficient
- Rocky River ElementaryA+ · 78% proficient
Top middle schools
- The Brawley SchoolA+ · 92% proficient
- Oakwood Middle Ib SchoolA+ · 88% proficient
- Bailey MiddleA+ · 75% proficient
Top high schools
- Collaborative College For TechnologyA+ · 95% proficient
- Crossroads Arts Sciences Early CollegeA+ · 93% proficient
- Agriculture And Science Early CollegeA+ · 88% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Iredell County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Iredell County measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Iredell County against the other 3,143 counties.
Who Iredell County suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 92% of counties, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 14% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Iredell County
Is Iredell County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Iredell County ranks 159th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on good schools, what local pay buys, and a strong job market, and lowest on an overheated housing market and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Iredell County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $375,173. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $90,381 median income, cost of living beats 92% of counties.
Is Iredell County safe?
Yes, Iredell County is safer than 78% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $302 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Iredell County?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 52 with lows near 30. That works out to about 72 pleasant days a year, more than 25% of counties.
What are the best neighborhoods in Iredell County?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are Mooresville, Statesville & Troutman, and Harmony. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Is Iredell County good for families?
Schools beat 98% of counties, crime safety beats 78%, and childcare runs $878 a month.
Is Iredell County good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 92% of counties, and the fastest advertised internet here beats 84% of counties. About 14% of workers already work from home.
Compare Iredell County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Iredell County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Iredell County represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Iredell County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Iredell County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Iredell County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Iredell County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Iredell County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Iredell County detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.