Norcross vs Oak Harbor

Which is the better fit for you?

Norcross, GA
63
Area Score
Top 34% nationally
Oak Harbor, WA
62
Area Score
Top 40% nationally

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Norcross receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

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 Norcross to Oak Harbor

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Everyday prices
The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes no regional price index for Oak Harbor, so nothing here is estimated in its place.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Needs a price index for both places.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$151 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,671 in Oak Harbor against $1,822 in Norcross.
The median home
14% more
$461,200 in Oak Harbor against $403,400 in Norcross.
The weather you would swap
Winters 5°F milder
Normal January lows are 38°F in Oak Harbor against 33°F in Norcross; July highs are 69°F against 89°F (summers 20°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.

Signals

Norcross
Oak Harbor
Opportunity: Norcross is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
80 · Top 8%
vs
77 · Top 13%
Growth: Oak Harbor is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
56 · Top 37%
vs
61 · Top 27%
Climate: Norcross is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
78 · Top 21%
vs
74 · Top 35%
Physical resilience: Norcross is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
61 · Top 46%
vs
60 · Top 48%
Housing affordability: Oak Harbor is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
47 · Bottom 18%
vs
51 · Bottom 21%
Schools: Norcross is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
43 · Bottom 42%
vs
39 · Bottom 35%
Access: Norcross is the more favorable of the two.
Access
81 · Bottom 23%
vs
66 · Bottom 9%
Economic stability: Norcross is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
54 · Bottom 43%
vs
52 · Bottom 39%

Measured values

MetricNorcrossOak HarborSource period
Population18,00724,3622024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$75,266 ±$12,193$76,084 ±$2,8032024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$41,434 — more favorable$36,3772024 ACS 5-Year
Population density2,933/sq mi2,521/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$403,400$461,2002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$1,715 ±$52$1,645 ±$652024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,822$1,671 — more favorableFY2026
Homeownership rate59.9%46.7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate3.0% — more favorable3.4%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)+0.8%+2.1% — more favorableJuly 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher40.5% — more favorable28.9%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate14.5%8.4% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)2011912 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents1.14.9 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+400.0%+5.3%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high89°F69°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low33°F38°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation51.4"19.9"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport24 mi — more favorable55 miNASR current cycle
Average commute30.6 min20.2 min — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age36.231.52024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools12122024-25 school year
Students per teacher12.9 — more favorable16.32024-25 school year
Math proficiency37.0%48.0%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency35.3%62.4%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility80.0%43.1%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.

2 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.

Georgia and Washington 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

Norcross

No hazard reaches elevated exposure.

Oak Harbor

Elevated or high exposure: earthquake, coastal flooding.

Your best match

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

Norcross
—
Norcross: Your Score
63
Area Score
Oak Harbor
—
Oak Harbor: Your Score
62
Area Score

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

Full profiles: Norcross, GA · Oak Harbor, WA · How this is calculated: methodology