Population
Kinston
19,576
Laurel
17,129
Median Income
Kinston
$35,250
Laurel
$37,781
Home Value
Kinston
$108,300
Laurel
$110,200
Rent
Kinston
$822
Laurel
$839
Crime Rate
Kinston
9.74
Laurel
10.52
Cost of Living
Kinston
70.6
Laurel
73.0
Avg Temp
Kinston
N/A
Laurel
N/A
Unemployment
Kinston
13.2%
Laurel
5.5%
How Similar Are Kinston & Laurel?
Laurel is Kinston's #19 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Kinston
19,576
Laurel
17,129
Kinston has a 13% larger population than Laurel.
Violent Crime
Kinston
9.74
Laurel
10.52
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 7% difference.
Property Crime
Kinston
49.64
Laurel
37.88
Kinston has a 24% higher property crime than Laurel.
Political Leaning
Kinston
53.0%
Laurel
73.0%
Both cities lean Republican, but Laurel has a stronger Republican lean (27% difference).
Unemployment
Kinston
13.2%
Laurel
5.5%
Kinston's unemployment is significantly higher than Laurel's — 58% difference.
Median Income
Kinston
$35,250
Laurel
$37,781
Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.
Home Values
Kinston
$108,300
Laurel
$110,200
Both cities have similar home values — just a 2% difference.
Education
Kinston
11.0%
Laurel
13.0%
Laurel has a 15% higher education than Kinston.
Demographics
Kinston
24.8%
Laurel
29.1%
Laurel has a 15% higher demographics than Kinston.
Cost of Living
Kinston
70.6
Laurel
73.0
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Kinston and Laurel share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Kinston
0
Laurel
Laurel leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Kinston leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDKinston scores 53.9 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 57.8 in Laurel. Laurel has a fair market rent (1br) of $699 vs $732 in Kinston (5% lower). Kinston has a living wage (family of 4) of $73,421 vs $75,940 in Laurel.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Laurel leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLaurel has a owner-occupied of 61.1% compared to 42.2% in Kinston. Laurel has a vacancy rate of 14.2% compared to 17.1% in Kinston. Laurel has a single-family homes of 76.1% compared to 64.6% in Kinston.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Laurel leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLaurel has a unemployment rate of 5.5% compared to 13.2% in Kinston. Laurel has a work from home of 4.2% compared to 2.1% in Kinston. Kinston has a poverty rate of 28.9% compared to 31.6% in Laurel.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Kinston leads
Source: FBI UCRLaurel has a property crime clearance of 22.5% compared to 8.1% in Kinston. Kinston has a violent crime clearance of 48.4% compared to 30.3% in Laurel. Laurel has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 7.15 compared to 9.95 in Kinston.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Laurel leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauLaurel has a bachelor's degree or higher of 13.0% compared to 11.0% in Kinston. Laurel has a high school diploma or higher of 36.3% compared to 34.7% in Kinston.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSKinston has a population of 19,576, about 1.1x the size of Laurel (17,129). Laurel skews younger with a median age of 35.6 vs 42.9.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Kinston
Laurel
Healthcare — Kinston leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareKinston: 3.0 vs Laurel: 1.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Laurel leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLaurel has a work from home of 4.2% compared to 2.1% in Kinston. Laurel has a drive alone of 87.3% compared to 79.7% in Kinston.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
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.