Map the Block › Places › North Carolina › Rutherford County
Rutherford County, North Carolina in numbers: crime, income, hazards
FBI reports put Rutherford County at 2.3 violent crimes per 1,000 people a year over 2021-2025, 40% lower than the rate for North Carolina (3.8). Median household income is $51,410 and the unemployment rate was 4.1% in August 2026. Population: about 64,930 (Census, 2020-2024).
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2021-2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Unemployment: BLS August 2026. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income · hazard risk · Superfund · dams
What is the crime rate in Rutherford County?
From 2021 through 2025, Rutherford County averaged 143 reported violent crimes a year, along with 1,026 property crimes. Per 1,000 residents, the violent-crime rate works out to 2.3: 40% lower than the North Carolina rate (3.8), and 37% lower than the national rate (3.7). Burglary, theft and car theft together come to 16.7 per 1,000 residents, compared with 20.0 across North Carolina. Aggravated assaults make up 75% of the violent total. CDC death records show about 3 homicide deaths a year in the county (4.1 per 100,000), a count that includes cases police may classify differently.
| Offense (yearly average, 2021-2025) | Rutherford County | Per 1,000 | North Carolina per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 143 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 3.7 |
| Murder | 3 | 0.05 | 0.08 | 0.06 |
| Rape | 24 | 0.39 | 0.29 | 0.40 |
| Robbery | 10 | 0.16 | 0.51 | 0.62 |
| Aggravated assault | 107 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 2.6 |
| Property crime | 1,026 | 16.7 | 20.0 | 18.1 |
| Burglary | 305 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 2.4 |
| Larceny-theft | 647 | 10.5 | 14.2 | 13.0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 74 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 2.6 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. County figures add up the city police and sheriff reports in the county (4 agencies; 95% of residents covered).
What is the median household income in Rutherford County?
The median household in Rutherford County earns $51,410 a year, 29% lower than the North Carolina median ($72,388). The typical owner-occupied home is valued at $201,800 by its owners; renters pay a median $783. 19.5% of households received SNAP benefits in the past year (state: 12.8%). The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 4.1% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 1,055 people out of work and looking.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Rutherford County | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 64,930 | 10,730,404 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $51,410 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $201,800 | $288,900 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $783 | $1,228 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 6.3% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 16.8% | 13.0% | 12.5% |
| Households receiving SNAP (food stamps) | 19.5% | 12.8% | 12.1% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 21.5% | 35.7% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 73.9% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 45.3 | 39.1 | 38.9 |
| Households with broadband internet | 82.9% | 90.1% | 91.0% |
| People without health insurance | 12.0% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
What natural hazards and environmental sites are in Rutherford County?
Rutherford County carries a “Relatively Low” overall rating in FEMA's National Risk Index. None of the seven hazards on our map (floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat, earthquakes, hurricanes) is rated above “Relatively Moderate” here. The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Superfund sites
EPA lists no Superfund site in Rutherford County, active or completed (October 2026).
High-hazard dams
The National Inventory of Dams lists 25 high-hazard dams in Rutherford County. 7 are rated Poor or Unsatisfactory in condition, 18 Satisfactory or Fair. Tallest on the list: Lake Lure Dam (124 ft) and 2nd Broad River Watershed Dam #16 (64 ft). “High hazard” describes what lies downstream (people would probably die if the dam failed), not how likely the dam is to fail.
Industrial chemical releases
6 facilities in the county filed Toxics Release Inventory reports for 2024, together reporting 13,708,256 pounds of listed chemicals released on site. Reported releases are legal permitted amounts in most cases.
Disasters, air and water
Rutherford County was covered by 2 federal major disaster declarations from 2016 through 2025 (Tropical Storm 1, Severe Storm 1), not counting COVID-19. Of 15 community water systems, 1 had an open health-based drinking-water violation in EPA's records (September 2026). EPA puts the county in radon zone 2 (moderate). NHTSA counted 16 traffic deaths in the county in 2024, including 2 pedestrians.
Is there road construction in Rutherford County?
Rutherford County had 2 highway work zones in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (1 active that day). Listed roads include US 221 ALT. The map's construction layer is refreshed every morning.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in Rutherford County?
Federal school lists show 20 public and 3 private schools in the county. 5 nursing homes are certified by Medicare or Medicaid here; star ratings for each are on the map and on Medicare's Care Compare. USGS mapping shows 21 fire or EMS stations and 5 police or sheriff stations. 1 state park or recreation area: Chimney Rock State Park.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Rutherford County
Gun shops
4 gun shops with a public storefront are on the map in Rutherford County (3 from the ATF licensee list, 1 from OpenStreetMap), plus 8 more licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown). 2 of them are pawnshops licensed to sell guns. On the ATF list: Butlers Jewelry & Loan (Forest City), Walmart #1036 (Forest City) and West Main Trading Post LLC (Forest City).
Liquor stores
3 liquor stores are on the map in Rutherford County: ABC Store (Rutherfordton), Forest City ABC and Lake Lure ABC (Lake Lure). North Carolina has no complete public liquor licence list we can use, so this count also draws on OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps and may miss some stores or include closed ones.
Planned Parenthood
There is no Planned Parenthood health center in Rutherford County on the map.
See them on the map: gun shops · liquor stores →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official; partial in some states); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in Rutherford County?
Rutherford County averaged 143 reported violent crimes a year in 2021-2025, or 2.3 per 1,000 residents, 40% lower than the North Carolina rate (3.8). The property-crime rate was 16.7 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in Rutherford County?
$51,410 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average), compared with $72,388 for North Carolina and $80,734 nationally.
What is the unemployment rate in Rutherford County?
The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 4.1% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 1,055 people out of work and looking.
What natural hazards affect Rutherford County?
Rutherford County carries a “Relatively Low” overall rating in FEMA's National Risk Index. None of the seven hazards on our map (floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat, earthquakes, hurricanes) is rated above “Relatively Moderate” here.
Is there road construction in Rutherford County right now?
Rutherford County had 2 highway work zones in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (1 active that day). Listed roads include US 221 ALT.
How many nursing homes are in Rutherford County?
5 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes (CMS provider data, September 2026).
How does Rutherford County compare with neighboring counties?
| County | Population | Violent crimes per 1,000 (2021-25) | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buncombe County | 274,360 | 3.6 | $74,436 |
| Burke County | 87,795 | 2.4 | $58,592 |
| Cherokee County, SC | 56,647 | 2.9 | $50,288 |
| Cleveland County | 100,991 | 4.5 | $58,534 |
| Henderson County | 118,484 | 1.4 | $68,187 |
| McDowell County | 44,817 | 1.6 | $57,168 |
| Polk County | 19,891 | 1.3 | $67,758 |
| Spartanburg County, SC | 347,852 | 5.6 | $66,234 |
More: North Carolina statewide numbers · Sex-offender registry search (U.S. Justice Department, NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting 2021-2025 (agency level, Return A), averaged and summed by county by Map the Block; Census population; state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes 2021-2025.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables.
- Monthly unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), county data, not seasonally adjusted. Public domain.
- Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores; disasters: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026). Chemical releases: U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory, reporting year 2024 (basic data file).
- Air and water: U.S. EPA AirData, annual AQI by county 2024; EPA Air Quality Design Values 2023-2025 (June 2026); U.S. EPA SDWIS via ECHO drinking-water download (September 30, 2026). Traffic deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024; Census population.
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026). Stations: U.S. Geological Survey, National Structures Dataset (Fire Stations/EMS Stations), October 2026 pull.
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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