Population

Kinston

19,576

Waycross

13,813

Median Income

Kinston

$35,250

Waycross

$37,398

Home Value

Kinston

$108,300

Waycross

$88,600

Rent

Kinston

$822

Waycross

$810

Crime Rate

Kinston

9.74

Waycross

10.41

Cost of Living

Kinston

70.6

Waycross

69.9

Avg Temp

Kinston

N/A

Waycross

N/A

Unemployment

Kinston

13.2%

Waycross

6.2%

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How Similar Are Kinston & Waycross?

Waycross is Kinston's #7 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Kinston

19,576

vs

Waycross

13,813

Different · 29% difference

Kinston has a 29% larger population than Waycross.

Violent Crime

Kinston

9.74

vs

Waycross

10.41

Match · 6% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 6% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Kinston

49.64

vs

Waycross

50.28

Match · 1% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 1% difference.

Political Leaning

Kinston

53.0%

vs

Waycross

71.4%

Different · 26% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Republican, but Waycross has a stronger Republican lean (26% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Kinston

13.2%

vs

Waycross

6.2%

Different · 53% difference

Kinston's unemployment is significantly higher than Waycross's — 53% difference.

Median Income

Kinston

$35,250

vs

Waycross

$37,398

Match · 6% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Kinston

$108,300

vs

Waycross

$88,600

Different · 18% difference

Kinston has a 18% higher home values than Waycross.

Education

Kinston

11.0%

vs

Waycross

10.2%

Match · 8% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 8% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Kinston

24.8%

vs

Waycross

37.9%

Different · 34% difference

Waycross has a 34% higher demographics than Kinston.

Cost of Living

Kinston

70.6

vs

Waycross

69.9

Match · 1% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.

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

At a Glance

0

Kinston

vsof 8

0

Waycross

Kinston leads in 3 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Kinston leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Kinston has a fair market rent (2br) of $925 vs $1,031 in Waycross (10% lower). Waycross scores 70.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 76.0 in Kinston. Kinston has a fair market rent (1br) of $732 vs $786 in Waycross (7% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Kinston70.6
Waycross69.9

Housing Index

Kinston76.0
Waycross70.1

Food Index

Kinston76.9
Waycross78.6

Transportation Index

Kinston53.9
Waycross57.2

Healthcare Index

Kinston81.6
Waycross82.9

Utilities Index

Kinston81.4
Waycross81.2

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Kinston$31,063
Waycross$30,749

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Kinston$73,421
Waycross$72,679

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Kinston$732
Waycross$786

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Kinston$925
Waycross$1,031

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Waycross has a median property tax of $854 vs $1,201 in Kinston (41% lower). Kinston has a vacancy rate of 17.1% compared to 24.5% in Waycross. Kinston has a median home value of $108,300 vs $88,600 in Waycross (22% higher).

Median Home Value

Kinston$108,300
Waycross$88,600

Median Rent

Kinston$822
Waycross$810

Median Property Tax

Kinston$1,201
Waycross$854

Owner-Occupied

Kinston42.2%
Waycross43.7%

Vacancy Rate

Kinston17.1%
Waycross24.5%

Single-Family Homes

Kinston64.6%
Waycross62.7%

Jobs & Economy — Waycross leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Waycross has a unemployment rate of 6.2% compared to 13.2% in Kinston. Kinston: 7,838 vs Waycross: 4,884 for labor force. Waycross has a work from home of 5.0% compared to 2.1% in Kinston.

Median Household Income

Kinston$35,250
Waycross$37,398

Per Capita Income

Kinston$27,843
Waycross$21,147

Poverty Rate

Kinston28.9%
Waycross34.4%

Unemployment Rate

Kinston13.2%
Waycross6.2%

Labor Force

Kinston7,838
Waycross4,884

Mean Commute

KinstonN/A
WaycrossN/A

Work from Home

Kinston2.1%
Waycross5.0%

Private Sector

Kinston83.8%
Waycross92.6%

Government Sector

Kinston39.0%
Waycross42.4%

Crime & Safety — Kinston leads

Source: FBI UCR

Waycross has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.07 compared to 0.21 in Kinston. Waycross has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 5.64 compared to 9.95 in Kinston. Waycross has a property crime clearance of 20.6% compared to 8.1% in Kinston.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Kinston9.74
Waycross10.41

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Kinston49.64
Waycross50.28

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Kinston0.21
Waycross0.07

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Kinston0.83
Waycross1.17

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Kinston7.77
Waycross7.99

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Kinston9.95
Waycross5.64

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Kinston37.26
Waycross41.63

Violent Crime Clearance

Kinston48.4%
Waycross34.5%

Property Crime Clearance

Kinston8.1%
Waycross20.6%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

KinstonN/A
WaycrossN/A

Avg Annual High

KinstonN/A
WaycrossN/A

Avg Annual Low

KinstonN/A
WaycrossN/A

Sunny Days per Year

KinstonN/A
WaycrossN/A

Annual Rainfall

KinstonN/A
WaycrossN/A

Annual Snowfall

KinstonN/A
WaycrossN/A

Avg Humidity

KinstonN/A
WaycrossN/A

Schools & Education — Kinston leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Kinston has a bachelor's degree or higher of 11.0% compared to 10.2% in Waycross. Kinston has a high school diploma or higher of 34.7% compared to 32.3% in Waycross.

Public Schools

Kinston0
Waycross0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

KinstonN/A
WaycrossN/A

Colleges & Universities

Kinston0
Waycross0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Kinston11.0%
Waycross10.2%

High School Diploma or Higher

Kinston34.7%
Waycross32.3%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Kinston has a population of 19,576, about 1.4x the size of Waycross (13,813). Waycross skews younger with a median age of 35.5 vs 42.9.

Population

Kinston19,576
Waycross13,813

Median Age

Kinston43
Waycross36

Avg Household Size

Kinston2.1
Waycross2.6

Married Population

Kinston24.9%
Waycross22.9%

Foreign Born

Kinston3.6%
Waycross2.3%

White

Kinston24.8%
Waycross37.9%

Black

Kinston65.9%
Waycross53.3%

Hispanic

Kinston2.8%
Waycross6.3%

Asian

Kinston1.5%
Waycross0.5%

Kinston

Waycross

Healthcare

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Waycross: 5 vs Kinston: 4 for with emergency services. Kinston: 3.0 vs Waycross: 2.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Kinston5
Waycross5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Kinston3.0
Waycross2.7

With Emergency Services

Kinston4
Waycross5

Transportation & Commute — Waycross leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Kinston has a public transit of 0.2% compared to 0.1% in Waycross. Waycross has a bicycle of 0.3% compared to 0.0% in Kinston. Waycross has a work from home of 5.0% compared to 2.1% in Kinston.

Mean Commute Time

KinstonN/A
WaycrossN/A

Drive Alone

Kinston79.7%
Waycross84.2%

Public Transit

Kinston0.2%
Waycross0.1%

Bicycle

Kinston0.0%
Waycross0.3%

Work from Home

Kinston2.1%
Waycross5.0%

Airports

Kinston0
Waycross0

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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