Best Places to Live

Greensboro, North Carolina

| Overall Score 6.5 / 10
| Overall Score 6.8 / 10
The Carolina Theatre in downtown Greensboro
Center Pointe condominiums in downtown Greensboro
The Carolina Field of Honor
The International Civil Rights Center & Museum
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What's it like to live in Greensboro, NC?

Michele Hartle

Profile written by local expert:

Michele Hartle

Greensboro, North Carolina, is one of those places that's big enough to have everything you need but small enough for you to regularly bump into people you know. People who live here love it and say they have no reason to leave. Those who do leave will often return home to Greensboro to raise their families.

Greensboro is part of the Piedmont Triad (which also includes Winston-Salem and High Point) and is nicknamed the "Gate City" with good reason: It's a short jaunt to and from all the major cities in North Carolina. Spend a day in the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west or head east for a beach weekend.

There is no shortage of arts, entertainment, recreation, shopping and restaurants to keep locals busy. Greensboro is home to the region's largest hospital, and it boasts 170 well-kept public parks and gardens. A broad range of neighborhoods offers a diverse array of homes to satisfy different tastes, and a strong sense of community makes North Carolina's third-largest metro area feel like a small town where the residents are neighborly.

See all the best places to live in North Carolina.

Rankings

U.S. News analyzed 125 metro areas in the United States to find the best places to live based on quality of life and the job market in each metro area, as well as the value of living there and people's desire to live there.

Greensboro, North Carolina is ranked:

#66 in Best Places to Live

#37 in Best Places to Retire

#5 in Best Places to Live in North Carolina

#14 in Most Dangerous Places

6.5

Overall

Scorecard

Best Places to Live

  • Desirability
    6.2
  • Value
    7.2
  • Job Market
    6.0
  • Quality of Life
    6.6
  • Net Migration
    6.3

Read how we rank places

Greensboro, NC Quick Stats

  • 751,590

    Metro Population

  • $43,310

    Average Annual Salary

  • 69.2° / 49.0°

    Avg High/Low Temps

  • 38.8

    Median Age

  • $142,758

    Median Home Price

  • 42.2 inches

    AVG Annual Rainfall

  • 4.1%

    Unemployment Rate

  • $777

    Median Monthly Rent

  • 22.4 minutes

    Avg Commute Time

What is there to do in Greensboro, NC?

Greensboro is bursting with many cultural attractions such as the ACC Hall of Champions, the Greensboro Science Center, the Greensboro Historical Museum and the popular Greensboro Coliseum event complex. The International Civil Rights Center and Museum, where the peaceful sit-in at the former Woolworth store took place, is perhaps the metro area's most famous attraction.

Downtown Greensboro is experiencing a revitalization that's evident when you see its several nightclubs, art galleries, a piano bar, antique shops and upscale lounges, bars and breweries. More than 90 miles of trails are available for hiking, biking and walking. Meanwhile, golf is a favorite activity in Greensboro, and Sedgefield Country Club hosts the Wyndham Championship in August. Beginning in May, families descend upon Greensboro's waterpark, Wet'n Wild Emerald Pointe.

What's the cost of living in Greensboro, NC?

Greensboro's population is growing, and downtown is going through a revitalization. Still, the cost of living here is less than the national average. Greensboro residents pay roughly the same amount as the average American for everyday expenses like groceries and transportation, but housing costs are significantly lower here than they are in other major metro areas.

Value Index

Index Score: 7.2 /10

How we calculate this.

Greensboro offer a better value than similarly sized metro areas when you compare housing costs to median household income.

Housing Costs 2018

Greensboro
$142,758

USA
$227,025

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Housing Costs Over Time

Data sourced from Zillow median home sale price data series. Additional data provided by the Austin Board of Realtors, Houston Association of Realtors, Intermountain MLS, Omaha Area Board of Realtors, San Antonio Board of Realtors, and the Salt Lake Board of Realtors.

Buying or selling a home? Find top real estate agents in Greensboro, NC.

What's the weather like in Greensboro, NC?

Greensboro experiences four distinct seasons, though winters are milder than in cities to the north. Annually, you can expect more than 200 days of sunshine. However, summers can be very hot and humid, so be prepared with sunscreen and mosquito repellant.

Seasonal Temperature (Avgs)

40.9°F


Winter

58.5°F


Spring

76.9°F


Summer

60.0°F


Fall

Seasonal Rainfall (Avgs)

3.1 in


Winter

3.7 in


Spring

4.5 in


Summer

4.2 in


Fall

Monthly High and Low Temperatures (°F)

Data sourced from the National Climatic Data Center.

What's the best way to get around Greensboro, NC?

The overwhelming majority of Greensboro residents rely on their cars to get around. The city is 134 square miles and comprises more than 150 neighborhoods, and public transit is limited.

There is no subway system, but buses provide some public transportation. The historic Amtrak station also serves as the primary bus station. You can get a ride from one end of town on buses run by the Greensboro Transit Authority (GTA), while the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) operates bus routes to neighboring cities in the Triad.

Many who live near their workplace enjoy biking or walking there. The rest of the city isn't as pedestrian-friendly, though there are miles of trails and greenways webbing through Greater Greensboro, which are ideal for walkers, joggers and cyclists. 

For plane travel, the Piedmont Triad International Airport is centered in Greensboro. The city is also serviced by Amtrak.

Commuting in Greensboro, NC

Means of Transportation
Driving
92%
Above national average
Bicycling
0%
Equal to national average
Walking
1%
Equal to national average
Public Transit
1%
Below national average
Average Commute Time

22.4 minutes

4.0 minutes less than national average

Average Commute Times by Zip Code

Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey.

Who lives in Greensboro, NC?

The city center generally attracts millennials and students, while the broader metro area attracts more families. Historic homes are found in neighborhoods such as Fisher Park and Aycock, while upscale condominiums like Center Pointe are centered downtown. Student housing complexes are speckled throughout the area, and single-family homes are spread out in Greensboro's numerous subdivisions.

Less than half of the population is religious, the majority of which identify as Protestant. In terms of education, more than 36 percent of residents age 25 and older possess a bachelor's degree or higher.

Age Distribution

Marital Status Breakdown

About the same number of single people in Greensboro as national average

Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey.

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