What it's like to live in Concord
Concord is a mid-size city in North Carolina with unemployment below the national average, crime rates well below the national average, a highly educated workforce, and a growing population. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Concord deals with hot summers.
The good
- Low unemployment
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
- Growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Hot summers
How Concord compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Concord
Based on Concord's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,902
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $58,040 a year
- 50% of Concord renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$70,740
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $35,370
- Homes cost 4.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,451/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,451 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices run above average, with a median around $353,700. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $353,700 · 50% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 14% below US
3.7% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.7%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 64% below US
117 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 930/100k · Concord Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
27 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 26.9 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 17% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 90°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 31°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 4.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▲ 14% above US
41% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 41% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
28 public schools inside the boundary
There are 28 public schools inside the boundary and 5 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail (45 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Concord's strongest points are unemployment below the national average and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoff is hot summers. A year of median rent ($1,451/mo) equals 20% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime, remote workers (17% of workers here already work from home), and college-educated professionals.
Other places near Concord
All North Carolina guides →Not sure Concord is the one?
Put it side by side with another city.