Population

Kinston

19,576

Lake City

6,032

Median Income

Kinston

$35,250

Lake City

$35,000

Home Value

Kinston

$108,300

Lake City

$133,700

Rent

Kinston

$822

Lake City

$696

Crime Rate

Kinston

9.74

Lake City

18.02

Cost of Living

Kinston

70.6

Lake City

67.8

Avg Temp

Kinston

N/A

Lake City

N/A

Unemployment

Kinston

13.2%

Lake City

6.9%

Loading map…

How Similar Are Kinston & Lake City?

Lake City is Kinston's #15 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Kinston

19,576

vs

Lake City

6,032

Different · 69% difference

Kinston (19,576) is about 3.2x larger than Lake City (6,032).

Violent Crime

Kinston

9.74

vs

Lake City

18.02

Different · 46% difference
🚨

Lake City has a 46% higher violent crime than Kinston.

Property Crime

🔒

Kinston

49.64

vs

Lake City

47.50

Match · 4% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 4% difference.

Political Leaning

Kinston

53.0%

vs

Lake City

53.3%

Match · 1% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 1% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Kinston

13.2%

vs

Lake City

6.9%

Different · 48% difference

Kinston has a 48% higher unemployment than Lake City.

Median Income

Kinston

$35,250

vs

Lake City

$35,000

Match · 1% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 1% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Kinston

$108,300

vs

Lake City

$133,700

Different · 19% difference

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

Education

Kinston

11.0%

vs

Lake City

14.5%

Different · 24% difference
🎓

Lake City has a 24% higher education than Kinston.

Demographics

🌍

Kinston

24.8%

vs

Lake City

23.7%

Match · 4% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 4% difference.

Cost of Living

Kinston

70.6

vs

Lake City

67.8

Match · 4% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Kinston and Lake City share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Kinston

vsof 8

0

Lake City

Lake City leads in 5 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Lake City leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Kinston has a fair market rent (1br) of $732 vs $953 in Lake City (23% lower). Kinston has a fair market rent (2br) of $925 vs $1,117 in Lake City (17% lower). Lake City scores 68.8 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 76.0 in Kinston.

Overall Cost Index

Kinston70.6
Lake City67.8

Housing Index

Kinston76.0
Lake City68.8

Food Index

Kinston76.9
Lake City76.8

Transportation Index

Kinston53.9
Lake City53.5

Healthcare Index

Kinston81.6
Lake City81.4

Utilities Index

Kinston81.4
Lake City79.8

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Kinston$31,063
Lake City$29,820

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Kinston$73,421
Lake City$70,483

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Kinston$732
Lake City$953

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Kinston$925
Lake City$1,117

Housing Market — Lake City leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Lake City has a median property tax of $560 vs $1,201 in Kinston (114% lower). Lake City has a median home value of $133,700 vs $108,300 in Kinston (19% higher). Lake City has a median rent of $696 vs $822 in Kinston (18% lower).

Median Home Value

Kinston$108,300
Lake City$133,700

Median Rent

Kinston$822
Lake City$696

Median Property Tax

Kinston$1,201
Lake City$560

Owner-Occupied

Kinston42.2%
Lake City42.1%

Vacancy Rate

Kinston17.1%
Lake City15.8%

Single-Family Homes

Kinston64.6%
Lake City66.4%

Jobs & Economy — Kinston leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Kinston: 7,838 vs Lake City: 2,860 for labor force. Lake City has a unemployment rate of 6.9% compared to 13.2% in Kinston. Kinston has a private sector of 83.8% compared to 62.0% in Lake City.

Median Household Income

Kinston$35,250
Lake City$35,000

Per Capita Income

Kinston$27,843
Lake City$24,027

Poverty Rate

Kinston28.9%
Lake City24.5%

Unemployment Rate

Kinston13.2%
Lake City6.9%

Labor Force

Kinston7,838
Lake City2,860

Mean Commute

KinstonN/A
Lake CityN/A

Work from Home

Kinston2.1%
Lake City2.5%

Private Sector

Kinston83.8%
Lake City62.0%

Government Sector

Kinston39.0%
Lake City29.1%

Crime & Safety — Lake City leads

Source: FBI UCR

Kinston has a assault rate (per 1k) of 7.77 compared to 16.68 in Lake City. Lake City has a property crime clearance of 17.4% compared to 8.1% in Kinston. Kinston has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 9.74 compared to 18.02 in Lake City.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Kinston9.74
Lake City18.02

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Kinston49.64
Lake City47.50

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Kinston0.21
Lake City0.17

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Kinston0.83
Lake City0.67

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Kinston7.77
Lake City16.68

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Kinston9.95
Lake City8.59

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Kinston37.26
Lake City34.87

Violent Crime Clearance

Kinston48.4%
Lake City39.3%

Property Crime Clearance

Kinston8.1%
Lake City17.4%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

KinstonN/A
Lake CityN/A

Avg Annual High

KinstonN/A
Lake CityN/A

Avg Annual Low

KinstonN/A
Lake CityN/A

Sunny Days per Year

KinstonN/A
Lake CityN/A

Annual Rainfall

KinstonN/A
Lake CityN/A

Annual Snowfall

KinstonN/A
Lake CityN/A

Avg Humidity

KinstonN/A
Lake CityN/A

Schools & Education — Lake City leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Lake City has a bachelor's degree or higher of 14.5% compared to 11.0% in Kinston. Lake City has a high school diploma or higher of 43.6% compared to 34.7% in Kinston.

Public Schools

Kinston0
Lake City0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

KinstonN/A
Lake CityN/A

Colleges & Universities

Kinston0
Lake City0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Kinston11.0%
Lake City14.5%

High School Diploma or Higher

Kinston34.7%
Lake City43.6%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Kinston has a population of 19,576, about 3.2x the size of Lake City (6,032). Kinston skews younger with a median age of 42.9 vs 44.1.

Population

Kinston19,576
Lake City6,032

Median Age

Kinston43
Lake City44

Avg Household Size

Kinston2.1
Lake City2.4

Married Population

Kinston24.9%
Lake City21.0%

Foreign Born

Kinston3.6%
Lake City0.8%

White

Kinston24.8%
Lake City23.7%

Black

Kinston65.9%
Lake City69.1%

Hispanic

Kinston2.8%
Lake City0.8%

Asian

Kinston1.5%
Lake City0.0%

Kinston

Lake City

Healthcare

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Lake City: 5 vs Kinston: 4 for with emergency services. Kinston: 3.0 vs Lake City: 2.6 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Kinston5
Lake City5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Kinston3.0
Lake City2.6

With Emergency Services

Kinston4
Lake City5

Transportation & Commute — Lake City leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Lake City has a public transit of 0.4% compared to 0.2% in Kinston. Lake City has a work from home of 2.5% compared to 2.1% in Kinston. Kinston has a drive alone of 79.7% compared to 75.7% in Lake City.

Mean Commute Time

KinstonN/A
Lake CityN/A

Drive Alone

Kinston79.7%
Lake City75.7%

Public Transit

Kinston0.2%
Lake City0.4%

Bicycle

Kinston0.0%
Lake City0.0%

Work from Home

Kinston2.1%
Lake City2.5%

Airports

Kinston0
Lake 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

Explore These Cities

Compare Different Cities