Population

Kinston

19,576

Portsmouth

17,919

Median Income

Kinston

$35,250

Portsmouth

$35,319

Home Value

Kinston

$108,300

Portsmouth

$95,000

Rent

Kinston

$822

Portsmouth

$758

Crime Rate

Kinston

9.74

Portsmouth

7.15

Cost of Living

Kinston

70.6

Portsmouth

68.3

Avg Temp

Kinston

N/A

Portsmouth

N/A

Unemployment

Kinston

13.2%

Portsmouth

10.4%

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How Similar Are Kinston & Portsmouth?

Portsmouth is Kinston's #25 most similar city

4/10

4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Kinston

19,576

vs

Portsmouth

17,919

Match · 8% difference

Both cities have similar populations — Kinston at 19,576 and Portsmouth at 17,919.

Violent Crime

Kinston

9.74

vs

Portsmouth

7.15

Different · 27% difference
🚨

Kinston has a 27% higher violent crime than Portsmouth.

Property Crime

🔒

Kinston

49.64

vs

Portsmouth

38.57

Different · 22% difference

Kinston has a 22% higher property crime than Portsmouth.

Political Leaning

Kinston

53.0%

vs

Portsmouth

73.7%

Different · 28% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Republican, but Portsmouth has a stronger Republican lean (28% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Kinston

13.2%

vs

Portsmouth

10.4%

Different · 21% difference

Kinston has a 21% higher unemployment than Portsmouth.

Median Income

Kinston

$35,250

vs

Portsmouth

$35,319

Match · 0% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 0% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Kinston

$108,300

vs

Portsmouth

$95,000

Different · 12% difference

Kinston has a 12% higher home values than Portsmouth.

Education

Kinston

11.0%

vs

Portsmouth

11.9%

Match · 7% difference
🎓

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

Demographics

🌍

Kinston

24.8%

vs

Portsmouth

86.1%

Different · 71% difference

Portsmouth's demographics is significantly higher than Kinston's — 71% difference.

Cost of Living

Kinston

70.6

vs

Portsmouth

68.3

Match · 3% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.

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

At a Glance

0

Kinston

vsof 8

0

Portsmouth

Portsmouth leads in 6 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Portsmouth leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Kinston has a fair market rent (1br) of $732 vs $808 in Portsmouth (9% lower). Portsmouth scores 69.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 76.0 in Kinston. Kinston has a fair market rent (2br) of $925 vs $973 in Portsmouth (5% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Kinston70.6
Portsmouth68.3

Housing Index

Kinston76.0
Portsmouth69.7

Food Index

Kinston76.9
Portsmouth77.0

Transportation Index

Kinston53.9
Portsmouth54.0

Healthcare Index

Kinston81.6
Portsmouth81.6

Utilities Index

Kinston81.4
Portsmouth80.1

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Kinston$31,063
Portsmouth$30,053

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Kinston$73,421
Portsmouth$71,034

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Kinston$732
Portsmouth$808

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Kinston$925
Portsmouth$973

Housing Market — Portsmouth leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Portsmouth has a vacancy rate of 13.9% compared to 17.1% in Kinston. Kinston has a median home value of $108,300 vs $95,000 in Portsmouth (14% higher). Portsmouth has a single-family homes of 72.7% compared to 64.6% in Kinston.

Median Home Value

Kinston$108,300
Portsmouth$95,000

Median Rent

Kinston$822
Portsmouth$758

Median Property Tax

Kinston$1,201
Portsmouth$1,180

Owner-Occupied

Kinston42.2%
Portsmouth46.8%

Vacancy Rate

Kinston17.1%
Portsmouth13.9%

Single-Family Homes

Kinston64.6%
Portsmouth72.7%

Jobs & Economy — Kinston leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Portsmouth has a work from home of 5.4% compared to 2.1% in Kinston. Portsmouth has a unemployment rate of 10.4% compared to 13.2% in Kinston. Kinston has a poverty rate of 28.9% compared to 37.5% in Portsmouth.

Median Household Income

Kinston$35,250
Portsmouth$35,319

Per Capita Income

Kinston$27,843
Portsmouth$23,758

Poverty Rate

Kinston28.9%
Portsmouth37.5%

Unemployment Rate

Kinston13.2%
Portsmouth10.4%

Labor Force

Kinston7,838
Portsmouth6,790

Mean Commute

KinstonN/A
PortsmouthN/A

Work from Home

Kinston2.1%
Portsmouth5.4%

Private Sector

Kinston83.8%
Portsmouth79.9%

Government Sector

Kinston39.0%
Portsmouth37.3%

Crime & Safety — Portsmouth leads

Source: FBI UCR

Portsmouth has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.52 compared to 0.83 in Kinston. Kinston has a violent crime clearance of 48.4% compared to 32.3% in Portsmouth. Portsmouth has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 6.80 compared to 9.95 in Kinston.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Kinston9.74
Portsmouth7.15

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Kinston49.64
Portsmouth38.57

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Kinston0.21
Portsmouth0.17

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Kinston0.83
Portsmouth0.52

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Kinston7.77
Portsmouth5.59

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Kinston9.95
Portsmouth6.80

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Kinston37.26
Portsmouth29.35

Violent Crime Clearance

Kinston48.4%
Portsmouth32.3%

Property Crime Clearance

Kinston8.1%
Portsmouth8.8%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

KinstonN/A
PortsmouthN/A

Avg Annual High

KinstonN/A
PortsmouthN/A

Avg Annual Low

KinstonN/A
PortsmouthN/A

Sunny Days per Year

KinstonN/A
PortsmouthN/A

Annual Rainfall

KinstonN/A
PortsmouthN/A

Annual Snowfall

KinstonN/A
PortsmouthN/A

Avg Humidity

KinstonN/A
PortsmouthN/A

Schools & Education — Portsmouth leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Portsmouth has a bachelor's degree or higher of 11.9% compared to 11.0% in Kinston. Portsmouth has a high school diploma or higher of 35.8% compared to 34.7% in Kinston.

Public Schools

Kinston0
Portsmouth0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

KinstonN/A
PortsmouthN/A

Colleges & Universities

Kinston0
Portsmouth0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Kinston11.0%
Portsmouth11.9%

High School Diploma or Higher

Kinston34.7%
Portsmouth35.8%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Kinston has a population of 19,576, about 1.1x the size of Portsmouth (17,919). Portsmouth skews younger with a median age of 37.1 vs 42.9.

Population

Kinston19,576
Portsmouth17,919

Median Age

Kinston43
Portsmouth37

Avg Household Size

Kinston2.1
Portsmouth2.3

Married Population

Kinston24.9%
Portsmouth28.1%

Foreign Born

Kinston3.6%
Portsmouth2.1%

White

Kinston24.8%
Portsmouth86.1%

Black

Kinston65.9%
Portsmouth4.5%

Hispanic

Kinston2.8%
Portsmouth3.6%

Asian

Kinston1.5%
Portsmouth1.3%

Kinston

Portsmouth

Healthcare — Portsmouth leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Portsmouth: 4.0 vs Kinston: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Portsmouth: 5 vs Kinston: 4 for with emergency services.

Nearby Hospitals

Kinston5
Portsmouth5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Kinston3.0
Portsmouth4.0

With Emergency Services

Kinston4
Portsmouth5

Transportation & Commute — Portsmouth leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Portsmouth has a bicycle of 0.4% compared to 0.0% in Kinston. Portsmouth has a work from home of 5.4% compared to 2.1% in Kinston. Portsmouth has a public transit of 0.3% compared to 0.2% in Kinston.

Mean Commute Time

KinstonN/A
PortsmouthN/A

Drive Alone

Kinston79.7%
Portsmouth78.2%

Public Transit

Kinston0.2%
Portsmouth0.3%

Bicycle

Kinston0.0%
Portsmouth0.4%

Work from Home

Kinston2.1%
Portsmouth5.4%

Airports

Kinston0
Portsmouth0

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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