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Winston-Salem

#3 in Best Places to Live in Forsyth County
  • A-
    Overall Grade
  • City in North Carolina
  • 560 reviews
    A-
    Overall Niche Grade
    How are grades calculated?
    1. Public Schools
      B-
    2. Crime & Safety
      NG
    3. Housing
      B-
    4. Nightlife
      B+
    5. Good for Families
      A-
    6. Diversity
      A+
    7. Jobs
      B
    8. Weather
      B
    9. Cost of Living
      B
    10. Health & Fitness
      B-
    11. Outdoor Activities
      A-
    12. Commute
      A-
    View Full Report Card
    Winston-Salem is a city in North Carolina with a population of 240,193. Winston-Salem is in Forsyth County and is one of the best places to live in North Carolina. Living in Winston-Salem offers residents a dense suburban feel and most residents own their homes. In Winston-Salem there are a lot of parks. Many families and young professionals live in Winston-Salem and residents tend to lean liberal. The public schools in Winston-Salem are above average.
    About Winston-Salem...
    Population
    240,193

    Real Estate

    Median Home Value
    $142,200
    National
    $184,700
    Median Rent
    $765
    National
    $949
    Area Feel
    Dense Suburban
    Rent vs. Own
    • Rent
      46%
    • Own
      54%
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    Winston-Salem Rankings

    Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and millions of reviews.

    Crime & Safety

    Crime & Safety
    NG
    Based on violent and property crime rates.
    Violent Crimes
    • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
    National
    • Assault
      494.8
      282.7
    • Murder
      5.5
      6.1
    • Rape
      32.3
      40.7
    • Robbery
      179.8
      135.5
    Property Crimes
    • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
    National
    • Burglary
      1,564.2
      500.1
    • Theft
      3,556.3
      2,042.8
    • Motor Vehicle Theft
      296.1
      284

    Residents

    Diversity
    A+
    Based on ethnic and economic diversity.
    Age
    • <10 years
      14%
    • 10-17 years
      10%
    • 18-24 years
      12%
    • 25-34 years
      14%
    • 35-44 years
      12%
    • 45-54 years
      12%
    • 55-64 years
      12%
    • 65+ years
      14%
    Education Levels
    National
    • Master's degree or higher
      14%
      12%
    • Bachelor's degree
      20%
      19%
    • Some college or associate's degree
      29%
      29%
    • High school diploma or equivalent
      24%
      28%
    • Less than high school diploma
      13%
      13%
    • Public Schools
    • Private Schools
    • Colleges

    Working in Winston-Salem

    Jobs
    B
    Based on employment rates, job and business growth, and cost of living.
    Median Household Income
    $42,219
    National
    $55,322
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    Winston-Salem Reviews

    560 reviews
    All Categories
    Winston Salem is like New York City for most kids where I'm from. That being because there's nothing to do except in Winston-Salem. Winston Salem has so many culturally diverse restaurants that my friends and I will spend the weekend trying as many as we can. It also has an extremely large mall, which is very exciting for the average teenage girl, such as myself. It houses several different movie theaters as well, which is always good for a date night. The nightlife there is fun too! I've been to Winston Salem's bowling alley and nightclub, and I had a blast at both! But my favorite part of Winston-Salem is it's historic district, Old Salem. People can walk on cobblestone streets around the restored old building, and there's a living (interactive) history museum. Employees dress up in 1700's style clothes and speak in old English. I have very fond memories from it as a child. There is no doubt that Winston-Salem has been a source of my happiness for many years.
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    In Winston-Salem there are so many new businesses coming like Dave and Busters opening at Hanes Mall in April 2019, trampoline parks, restaurants, and revitalization of downtown and North Winston. Over 3,500 apartment units are under construction downtown along with several hotels. Urban parks, green spaces, restaurants, and more shopping are coming. Winston-Salem is turning into a bigger city with most of the roads being developed. Downtown has turned into another city of it's own now we don't have to drive that far for things. Although Winston-Salem is very spread out. At the rate Winston-Salem is growing in ten years it will be completely transformed from medium sized city to BIG city! I am very excited what Winston-Salem's future is.
    I love how everything has just EXPLODED in the last five years, downtown is rapidly expanding, the Innovation Quarter is the fastest growing innovation district in America! There are lots of express ways and boulevards to get you from one place to another. Winston is very car-dependent because it is pretty large in terns of area. Try to avoid i-40, US-52, and Business 40 at rush hour because its just a big mess, but everything else about Winston is 10/10