Horn Lake vs Asheboro

Which is the better fit for you?

Horn Lake, MS
53
Area Score
Bottom 29% nationally
Asheboro, NC
53
Area Score
Bottom 29% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

Horn Lake and Asheboro receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Horn Lake to Asheboro

It stays in this browser and is never sent anywhere.

Everyday prices
1% higher
Regional price level 92.9 against 91.9 (US = 100)
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$359 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,042 in Asheboro against $1,400 in Horn Lake.
The median home
10% more
$188,100 in Asheboro against $171,400 in Horn Lake.
The weather you would swap
Winters 4°F colder
Normal January lows are 29°F in Asheboro against 33°F in Horn Lake; July highs are 88°F against 92°F (summers 4°F cooler).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

35 occupations have a published median wage in both places. Start typing, or choose from the list.

Median wages are the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ metro figures for that occupation, not a job offer, and the price level is the regional index; neither includes taxes, benefits or how senior you are.

Signals

Horn Lake
Asheboro
Opportunity: Horn Lake is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
36 · Bottom 12%
vs
31 · Bottom 7%
Growth: Horn Lake is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
51 · Top 48%
vs
41 · Bottom 30%
Climate: Asheboro is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
68 · Bottom 40%
vs
77 · Top 24%
Physical resilience: Asheboro is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
57 · Bottom 49%
vs
59 · Top 49%
Housing affordability: Asheboro is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
66 · Bottom 49%
vs
76 · Top 23%
Schools: Asheboro is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
35 · Bottom 31%
vs
36 · Bottom 33%
Access: Horn Lake is the more favorable of the two.
Access
98 · Top 21%
vs
86 · Bottom 29%
Economic stability: Horn Lake is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
40 · Bottom 21%
vs
39 · Bottom 21%

Measured values

MetricHorn LakeAsheboroSource period
Population26,64727,5802024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$53,311 ±$4,177$47,197 ±$5,0282024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$26,749 ±$1,650$29,259 ±$2,2952024 ACS 5-Year
Population density1,663/sq mi1,412/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$171,400$188,1002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,435$906 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,400$1,042 — more favorableFY2026
Cost of living index91.9 — more favorable92.92023
Homeownership rate58.1%45.5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.5%4.3% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)−1.9% — more favorable−2.6%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher — the two are too close to separate16.5% ±3%19.1% ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate18.4% ±4%19.7% ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)687012 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents2.6 — more favorable2.512 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+3.0%−38.6%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high92°F88°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low33°F29°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation54.9"46.6"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport7 mi — more favorable28 miNASR current cycle
Average commute27.9 min22.4 min — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age33.537.32024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools6152024-25 school year
Students per teacher15.7 — more favorable16.22024-25 school year
Math proficiency37.8%39.8%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency25.9%42.5%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility72.8%78.6%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

4 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Mississippi and North Carolina do not give the same test. Each state writes its own assessment and sets its own passing score, so the two proficiency rows above are not directly comparable — the difference between them partly measures which standard is harder. Students per teacher and the school count are unaffected, and each profile ranks its own proficiency within its own state.

Physical risk tradeoff

Horn Lake

Elevated or high exposure: earthquake.

Asheboro

No hazard reaches elevated exposure.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Horn Lake
—
Horn Lake: Your Score
53
Area Score
Asheboro
—
Asheboro: Your Score
53
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Horn Lake, MS · Asheboro, NC · How this is calculated: methodology