IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Sanford, NC
Sanford is a small city of 31,478 people in Lee County, North Carolina. It's about 27 miles from Pinehurst, NC and 38 miles from Raleigh, NC, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 90°F and winter highs 53°F, with about 2 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $245k and rent runs about $1k a month.
31,478people
$245kTypical home
$1,052/moRent
90° / 53°Summer / winter
2"Snow
249Sunny days
102Rain/snow days
Is Sanford right for you?
Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.
Size & setting
- Small city of 31,478
- Its own small hub, not a suburb
- About 949 people per sq mi
- 38 mi to Raleigh, NC
- 27 mi to Pinehurst, NC
- Has its own stores and services
Money
- Typical home $245k (≈$1,547/mo)
- Median rent $1,052/mo
- Median household income $58k
- Property tax about 0.9% of value
- 4.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 90°F
- Winter highs around 53°F
- Muggy summers (dew point 67°F)
- 249 sunny days a year (103 totally clear)
- 116 cloudy days a year
- 35 of 90 winter days are gray
- 102 days a year with rain or snow
- 2" of snow a year
- Snow days are rare
- 1 day a year over 100°F
- 1 night a year below 10°F
- Usually calm
Safety
- Very low violent crime (53 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (278 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 35
- 39% of households have kids
- 15% are 65 or older
- 22% have a college degree
- Very diverse community
- 5% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 26 min
- 1% walk or take transit to work
- 34 mi to RDU airport
- 34 mi to RDU (major hub)
- 25 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 65% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1985
- 74% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 367 ft
- 111 mi to the ocean
- 79 mi to a big lake
- 17 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 146 mi to the nearest ski area
- 11 mi to the nearest campground
- 36 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 310 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 21 bars within 25 mi
- 65 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 11 museums within 25 mi
- 15 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 23 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 29% of North Carolina districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 2 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 26 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 4 mi to the nearest vet
- 16 mi to the nearest dog park
- 13 congregations per 10k people
- 23 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Lee County: R+18 in 2024
- North Carolina: R+3 in 2024
Natural hazards
- High hurricane risk
- Moderate tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Low drought risk
- Low winter storm risk
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk