Population

Kinston

19,576

Forrest City

12,826

Median Income

Kinston

$35,250

Forrest City

$33,522

Home Value

Kinston

$108,300

Forrest City

$87,800

Rent

Kinston

$822

Forrest City

$795

Crime Rate

Kinston

9.74

Forrest City

11.76

Cost of Living

Kinston

70.6

Forrest City

66.1

Avg Temp

Kinston

N/A

Forrest City

N/A

Unemployment

Kinston

13.2%

Forrest City

10.6%

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How Similar Are Kinston & Forrest City?

Forrest City is Kinston's #23 most similar city

4/10

4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Kinston

19,576

vs

Forrest City

12,826

Different · 34% difference

Kinston has a 34% larger population than Forrest City.

Violent Crime

Kinston

9.74

vs

Forrest City

11.76

Different · 17% difference
🚨

Forrest City has a 17% higher violent crime than Kinston.

Property Crime

🔒

Kinston

49.64

vs

Forrest City

28.54

Different · 43% difference

Kinston has a 43% higher property crime than Forrest City.

Political Leaning

Kinston

53.0%

vs

Forrest City

48.6%

Match · 8% difference
🗳️

Kinston leans Republican while Forrest City leans Democratic.

Unemployment

💼

Kinston

13.2%

vs

Forrest City

10.6%

Different · 20% difference

Kinston has a 20% higher unemployment than Forrest City.

Median Income

Kinston

$35,250

vs

Forrest City

$33,522

Match · 5% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 5% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Kinston

$108,300

vs

Forrest City

$87,800

Different · 19% difference

Kinston has a 19% higher home values than Forrest City.

Education

Kinston

11.0%

vs

Forrest City

8.1%

Different · 27% difference
🎓

Kinston has a 27% higher education than Forrest City.

Demographics

🌍

Kinston

24.8%

vs

Forrest City

23.2%

Match · 7% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 7% difference.

Cost of Living

Kinston

70.6

vs

Forrest City

66.1

Match · 6% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 6% difference.

4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Kinston and Forrest City share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Kinston

vsof 8

0

Forrest City

Forrest City leads in 3 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Forrest City leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Forrest City scores 67.0 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 76.0 in Kinston. Forrest City scores 66.1 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 70.6 in Kinston. Forrest City has a living wage (family of 4) of $68,755 vs $73,421 in Kinston (7% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Kinston70.6
Forrest City66.1

Housing Index

Kinston76.0
Forrest City67.0

Food Index

Kinston76.9
Forrest City75.6

Transportation Index

Kinston53.9
Forrest City51.2

Healthcare Index

Kinston81.6
Forrest City80.5

Utilities Index

Kinston81.4
Forrest City78.8

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Kinston$31,063
Forrest City$29,089

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Kinston$73,421
Forrest City$68,755

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Kinston$732
Forrest City$703

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Kinston$925
Forrest City$923

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Forrest City has a median property tax of $483 vs $1,201 in Kinston (149% lower). Kinston has a median home value of $108,300 vs $87,800 in Forrest City (23% higher). Forrest City has a vacancy rate of 15.3% compared to 17.1% in Kinston.

Median Home Value

Kinston$108,300
Forrest City$87,800

Median Rent

Kinston$822
Forrest City$795

Median Property Tax

Kinston$1,201
Forrest City$483

Owner-Occupied

Kinston42.2%
Forrest City38.0%

Vacancy Rate

Kinston17.1%
Forrest City15.3%

Single-Family Homes

Kinston64.6%
Forrest City64.2%

Jobs & Economy — Kinston leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Kinston: 7,838 vs Forrest City: 4,028 for labor force. Kinston has a per capita income of $27,843 vs $17,056 in Forrest City (63% higher). Forrest City has a unemployment rate of 10.6% compared to 13.2% in Kinston.

Median Household Income

Kinston$35,250
Forrest City$33,522

Per Capita Income

Kinston$27,843
Forrest City$17,056

Poverty Rate

Kinston28.9%
Forrest City36.1%

Unemployment Rate

Kinston13.2%
Forrest City10.6%

Labor Force

Kinston7,838
Forrest City4,028

Mean Commute

KinstonN/A
Forrest CityN/A

Work from Home

Kinston2.1%
Forrest City2.6%

Private Sector

Kinston83.8%
Forrest City78.5%

Government Sector

Kinston39.0%
Forrest City33.6%

Crime & Safety — Forrest City leads

Source: FBI UCR

Forrest City has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.24 compared to 0.83 in Kinston. Forrest City has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 4.30 compared to 9.95 in Kinston. Kinston has a violent crime clearance of 48.4% compared to 26.2% in Forrest City.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Kinston9.74
Forrest City11.76

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Kinston49.64
Forrest City28.54

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Kinston0.21
Forrest City0.41

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Kinston0.83
Forrest City0.24

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Kinston7.77
Forrest City10.54

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Kinston9.95
Forrest City4.30

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Kinston37.26
Forrest City20.27

Violent Crime Clearance

Kinston48.4%
Forrest City26.2%

Property Crime Clearance

Kinston8.1%
Forrest City14.5%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

KinstonN/A
Forrest CityN/A

Avg Annual High

KinstonN/A
Forrest CityN/A

Avg Annual Low

KinstonN/A
Forrest CityN/A

Sunny Days per Year

KinstonN/A
Forrest CityN/A

Annual Rainfall

KinstonN/A
Forrest CityN/A

Annual Snowfall

KinstonN/A
Forrest CityN/A

Avg Humidity

KinstonN/A
Forrest CityN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Kinston has a bachelor's degree or higher of 11.0% compared to 8.1% in Forrest City. Forrest City has a high school diploma or higher of 38.0% compared to 34.7% in Kinston.

Public Schools

Kinston0
Forrest City0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

KinstonN/A
Forrest CityN/A

Colleges & Universities

Kinston0
Forrest City0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Kinston11.0%
Forrest City8.1%

High School Diploma or Higher

Kinston34.7%
Forrest City38.0%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Kinston has a population of 19,576, about 1.5x the size of Forrest City (12,826). Forrest City skews younger with a median age of 36.2 vs 42.9.

Population

Kinston19,576
Forrest City12,826

Median Age

Kinston43
Forrest City36

Avg Household Size

Kinston2.1
Forrest City2.6

Married Population

Kinston24.9%
Forrest City23.5%

Foreign Born

Kinston3.6%
Forrest City2.9%

White

Kinston24.8%
Forrest City23.2%

Black

Kinston65.9%
Forrest City73.9%

Hispanic

Kinston2.8%
Forrest City4.1%

Asian

Kinston1.5%
Forrest City0.1%

Kinston

Forrest City

Healthcare — Kinston leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Kinston: 3.0 vs Forrest City: 2.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Kinston5
Forrest City5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Kinston3.0
Forrest City2.5

With Emergency Services

Kinston4
Forrest City4

Transportation & Commute — Forrest City leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Kinston has a public transit of 0.2% compared to 0.0% in Forrest City. Forrest City has a work from home of 2.6% compared to 2.1% in Kinston. Forrest City has a drive alone of 81.2% compared to 79.7% in Kinston.

Mean Commute Time

KinstonN/A
Forrest CityN/A

Drive Alone

Kinston79.7%
Forrest City81.2%

Public Transit

Kinston0.2%
Forrest City0.0%

Bicycle

Kinston0.0%
Forrest City0.0%

Work from Home

Kinston2.1%
Forrest City2.6%

Airports

Kinston0
Forrest City0

Cities Similar to Kinston, NC

Compare Kinston against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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