There are all types when it comes to being a snob in North Carolina. You’ve got your Wine Snobs, Book Snobs, and, of course, Clothes Snobs. Then there are the Technology Snobs, Car Snobs, and yes, even City Snobsas in, I’m better than you because I live in (insert snooty city here).
How can we tell which North Carolina cities are the snobbiest? By measuring snobby things, that’s how.
We used Saturday Night Science to look at things like expensive homes, high incomes, and overly educated populations by city in North Carolina. These are the criteria you’d argue with a friend over a foodie dinner about who’s snobbier.
After analyzing 132 of the state’s most populous areas over 5,000 people, we came up with this ranking of the ten snobbiest places in the state of North Carolina.
The North Carolinian in these places aren’t snobby, they just know they’re better than you.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Snobbiest Places In North Carolina
Don’t freak out.
What’s the snobbiest place in North Carolina? The snobbiest place in North Carolina is Marvin based on the data. If we had their wealth and lifestyle, we’d probably be a little snobby, too.
The most laid back? That would be Hamlet.
We’re not so full of ourselves as to make this ranking up from nowhere. So here’s a look at the top ten and more on how we did it. And if you’re curious, North Carolina is the 23rd snobbiest in the United States.
For more North Carolina reading, check out:
The 10 Snobbiest Places In North Carolina For 2024
/10
% Highly Educated: 75.0%
Median Income: $238,875
Median Home Price: $1,073,504
More on Marvin: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 74.0%
Median Income: $140,938
Median Home Price: $624,402
More on Davidson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 65.0%
Median Income: $171,810
Median Home Price: $936,823
More on Weddington: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 70.0%
Median Income: $125,317
Median Home Price: $600,101
More on Cary: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 65.0%
Median Income: $129,688
Median Home Price: $591,542
More on Apex: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 66.0%
Median Income: $113,507
Median Home Price: $705,540
More on St. James: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 67.0%
Median Income: $145,166
Median Home Price: $497,136
More on Rolesville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 65.0%
Median Income: $127,755
Median Home Price: $550,787
More on Holly Springs: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 78.0%
Median Income: $85,940
Median Home Price: $603,034
More on Chapel Hill: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 74.0%
Median Income: $114,075
Median Home Price: $486,190
More on Morrisville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Methodology: How we determined the snobbiest cities in the Tar Heel State
Do you think wed just come up with this list willy-nilly? Not a chance – we only use Saturday Night Science around here.
We gathered up all of the places in North Carolina with populations of 5,000 people or more. This left us with a total of 132 places. Then, we looked at each place in terms of these snoot-er-iffic criteria (And no, its not a word. English snob.):
- Median home price (Higher is snobbier)
- Median household income (Higher is snobbier)
- Percent of population with a college degree (Higher is snobbier)
Incomes and college education levels come from the American Community Survey. Home prices come from Zillow.
Turned out this simple criteria was much better at sniffing out the snobby places then more snobby criteria like:
- Libaries per capita (Higher is snobbier)
- Museums per capita (Higher is snobbier)
- Private schools per capita (Higher is snobbier)
From there, we ranked each of our 132 places in each category with scores from one to 132. We then averaged each places ranking into one overall score, where the lowest score went to the snobbiest place in North Carolina. So lets all flip a table in honor of Marvin (with our pinkies up, of course.)
Before you get upset and ruin your blowout or something drastic here, lets remember that this is all in good fun. Would we live in one of these 10 places if we had the chance? Of course, we would.
And it’s not like your real estate agent would ever point out how snobby the town you’re moving to is. We’re here to keep you grounded, even if you’re wearing a monocle.
There You Have It – Now That You’re On Your High Horse
When it comes to snobbery, these places in North Carolina are heading ever upward. Residents in these communities are well educated, well paid, and appear to have all the sophisticated culture and entertainment of an Ernst Lubitsch film right at their fingertips.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
The snobbiest cities in North Carolina are Marvin, Davidson, Weddington, Cary, Apex, St. James, Rolesville, Holly Springs, Chapel Hill, and Morrisville.
If you’re also curious enough, here are the most laid back places in North Carolina, according to science:
- Hamlet
- Wadesboro
- Kinston
For more North Carolina reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In North Carolina
- Cheapest Places To Live In North Carolina
- Most Dangerous Cities In North Carolina
- Richest Cities In North Carolina
- Safest Cities in North Carolina
- Worst Places To Live In North Carolina
- Most Expensive Places To Live In North Carolina
Table: The Snobbiest Cities In North Carolina For 2024
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Adult Highly Educated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marvin, NC | 6,421 | $238,875 | $1,073,504 | 75.0% |
| 2 | Davidson, NC | 15,199 | $140,938 | $624,402 | 74.0% |
| 3 | Weddington, NC | 13,173 | $171,810 | $936,823 | 65.0% |
| 4 | Cary, NC | 174,880 | $125,317 | $600,101 | 70.0% |
| 5 | Apex, NC | 65,541 | $129,688 | $591,542 | 65.0% |
| 6 | St. James, NC | 6,566 | $113,507 | $705,540 | 66.0% |
| 7 | Rolesville, NC | 9,696 | $145,166 | $497,136 | 67.0% |
| 8 | Holly Springs, NC | 42,023 | $127,755 | $550,787 | 65.0% |
| 9 | Chapel Hill, NC | 58,919 | $85,940 | $603,034 | 78.0% |
| 10 | Morrisville, NC | 29,756 | $114,075 | $486,190 | 74.0% |
| 11 | Waxhaw, NC | 20,665 | $124,711 | $561,159 | 54.0% |
| 12 | Wake Forest, NC | 48,047 | $115,159 | $513,842 | 59.0% |
| 13 | Summerfield, NC | 10,986 | $148,182 | $467,749 | 58.0% |
| 14 | Huntersville, NC | 61,202 | $112,893 | $517,476 | 56.0% |
| 15 | Cornelius, NC | 31,396 | $107,969 | $501,024 | 59.0% |
| 16 | Oak Ridge, NC | 7,637 | $146,131 | $514,942 | 46.0% |
| 17 | Pinehurst, NC | 17,653 | $102,917 | $487,605 | 62.0% |
| 18 | Harrisburg, NC | 18,934 | $134,767 | $477,928 | 51.0% |
| 19 | Wesley Chapel, NC | 8,763 | $133,333 | $595,551 | 40.0% |
| 20 | Matthews, NC | 29,613 | $103,405 | $468,340 | 52.0% |
| 21 | Fuquay-Varina, NC | 35,428 | $94,142 | $496,644 | 50.0% |
| 22 | Carolina Beach, NC | 6,583 | $87,159 | $582,789 | 45.0% |
| 23 | Hillsborough, NC | 9,534 | $86,250 | $440,106 | 58.0% |
| 24 | Stallings, NC | 16,193 | $99,451 | $433,914 | 51.0% |
| 25 | Carrboro, NC | 21,242 | $76,933 | $438,237 | 70.0% |
| 26 | Southern Pines, NC | 15,701 | $81,867 | $460,376 | 53.0% |
| 27 | Oak Island, NC | 8,564 | $85,513 | $536,118 | 41.0% |
| 28 | Black Mountain, NC | 8,430 | $75,310 | $450,375 | 59.0% |
| 29 | Mills River, NC | 7,100 | $79,802 | $503,109 | 44.0% |
| 30 | Raleigh, NC | 465,517 | $78,631 | $431,992 | 54.0% |
| 31 | Mooresville, NC | 50,025 | $82,622 | $468,555 | 44.0% |
| 32 | Mint Hill, NC | 26,537 | $92,102 | $471,547 | 39.0% |
| 33 | Belmont, NC | 14,842 | $84,274 | $403,471 | 46.0% |
| 34 | Indian Trail, NC | 40,325 | $95,101 | $408,207 | 41.0% |
| 35 | Durham, NC | 284,094 | $74,710 | $395,610 | 53.0% |
| 36 | Stokesdale, NC | 5,900 | $118,159 | $349,634 | 42.0% |
| 37 | Asheville, NC | 93,695 | $63,810 | $451,444 | 52.0% |
| 38 | Kill Devil Hills, NC | 7,658 | $73,036 | $490,281 | 42.0% |
| 39 | Lewisville, NC | 13,509 | $86,641 | $358,604 | 45.0% |
| 40 | Garner, NC | 31,684 | $77,171 | $374,654 | 45.0% |
| 41 | Charlotte, NC | 875,045 | $74,070 | $387,529 | 46.0% |
| 42 | Clemmons, NC | 21,281 | $75,667 | $353,229 | 49.0% |
| 43 | Knightdale, NC | 19,127 | $79,364 | $363,028 | 43.0% |
| 44 | Concord, NC | 105,335 | $83,480 | $361,879 | 41.0% |
| 45 | Leland, NC | 24,473 | $82,651 | $383,768 | 40.0% |
| 46 | Wendell, NC | 10,575 | $91,316 | $361,432 | 37.0% |
| 47 | Elon, NC | 11,161 | $73,597 | $322,868 | 51.0% |
| 48 | Cramerton, NC | 5,294 | $89,313 | $282,370 | 42.0% |
| 49 | Gibsonville, NC | 8,827 | $98,558 | $278,388 | 38.0% |
| 50 | Fletcher, NC | 8,000 | $74,483 | $435,289 | 35.0% |
| 51 | Unionville, NC | 6,694 | $90,904 | $400,244 | 25.0% |
| 52 | Wilmington, NC | 116,933 | $58,908 | $390,034 | 43.0% |
| 53 | Winterville, NC | 10,510 | $82,969 | $271,791 | 41.0% |
| 54 | Mebane, NC | 17,899 | $78,419 | $339,769 | 38.0% |
| 55 | Pineville, NC | 10,532 | $55,450 | $390,836 | 44.0% |
| 56 | Woodfin, NC | 7,901 | $59,144 | $400,598 | 38.0% |
| 57 | Mount Holly, NC | 17,644 | $73,923 | $341,383 | 38.0% |
| 58 | Clayton, NC | 26,837 | $71,698 | $366,122 | 33.0% |
| 59 | Aberdeen, NC | 8,674 | $69,758 | $315,702 | 31.0% |
| 60 | Kernersville, NC | 27,177 | $66,151 | $302,017 | 35.0% |
| 61 | Hendersonville, NC | 15,102 | $50,198 | $395,150 | 38.0% |
| 62 | Boone, NC | 19,368 | $28,242 | $458,456 | 46.0% |
| 63 | Hickory, NC | 43,352 | $58,251 | $277,464 | 37.0% |
| 64 | Kannapolis, NC | 53,314 | $66,487 | $259,607 | 29.0% |
| 65 | Brevard, NC | 7,777 | $42,843 | $431,629 | 36.0% |
| 66 | Greensboro, NC | 297,202 | $55,051 | $248,523 | 40.0% |
| 67 | Gastonia, NC | 80,615 | $58,047 | $275,514 | 26.0% |
| 68 | Angier, NC | 5,348 | $54,936 | $318,115 | 26.0% |
| 69 | New Bern, NC | 31,373 | $55,673 | $262,377 | 28.0% |
| 70 | Waynesville, NC | 10,307 | $44,920 | $355,984 | 31.0% |
| 71 | Monroe, NC | 34,897 | $63,982 | $320,941 | 20.0% |
| 72 | Statesville, NC | 28,576 | $51,784 | $276,418 | 27.0% |
| 73 | High Point, NC | 114,120 | $58,582 | $229,659 | 34.0% |
| 74 | Winston-Salem, NC | 249,571 | $54,416 | $241,673 | 36.0% |
| 75 | Zebulon, NC | 7,421 | $50,934 | $341,201 | 23.0% |
| 76 | Nashville, NC | 5,624 | $61,513 | $245,007 | 24.0% |
| 77 | King, NC | 7,210 | $59,770 | $249,231 | 22.0% |
| 78 | Trinity, NC | 7,012 | $70,368 | $268,416 | 18.0% |
| 79 | Salisbury, NC | 35,437 | $48,888 | $259,125 | 27.0% |
| 80 | Cherryville, NC | 6,113 | $57,137 | $231,051 | 26.0% |
| 81 | Greenville, NC | 87,894 | $47,485 | $229,462 | 40.0% |
| 82 | Butner, NC | 8,374 | $68,604 | $258,713 | 19.0% |
| 83 | Burlington, NC | 56,951 | $52,963 | $223,842 | 28.0% |
| 84 | Sanford, NC | 30,373 | $52,951 | $276,198 | 21.0% |
| 85 | Newton, NC | 13,173 | $57,918 | $237,137 | 21.0% |
| 86 | Archdale, NC | 11,873 | $63,627 | $233,051 | 20.0% |
| 87 | Mocksville, NC | 5,908 | $46,553 | $254,179 | 26.0% |
| 88 | Fayetteville, NC | 208,697 | $53,424 | $198,110 | 29.0% |
| 89 | Jacksonville, NC | 71,908 | $50,185 | $233,373 | 25.0% |
| 90 | Hope Mills, NC | 17,671 | $57,864 | $227,508 | 23.0% |
| 91 | Boiling Spring Lakes, NC | 6,032 | $57,969 | $309,998 | 13.0% |
| 92 | Graham, NC | 17,136 | $51,482 | $259,204 | 21.0% |
| 93 | Conover, NC | 8,457 | $49,978 | $254,865 | 23.0% |
| 94 | Morganton, NC | 17,457 | $47,715 | $233,341 | 24.0% |
| 95 | Smithfield, NC | 11,527 | $37,000 | $283,417 | 24.0% |
| 96 | Dallas, NC | 5,889 | $55,979 | $255,650 | 17.0% |
| 97 | Spring Lake, NC | 11,710 | $44,447 | $219,908 | 27.0% |
| 98 | Albemarle, NC | 16,444 | $51,673 | $230,975 | 21.0% |
| 99 | Sawmills, NC | 5,026 | $63,388 | $206,732 | 15.0% |
| 100 | Oxford, NC | 8,685 | $42,016 | $232,049 | 23.0% |
Would it be snobby to point out that it’s Davidson College, not Davidson University? And if it would, do you think I care?
This article is very critical and judgmental. And extremely off-base. It begins with Davidson and claiming to base the opinion on cold, hard facts? What kind of facts prove that Davidson is a snobby place to live? Income? House size? These aren’t facts that constitute snobbiness. Did you take into account the charitable giving per family? The time donated to serving on charities? What about the families in Davidson who host orphans in their homes? Interesting to make such an assumption based on figures alone. Without knowing the heart of a person, you can’t possibly claim to have proof they are a snob. On any given day in Davidson, you will find a community of loving people who serve each other both inside and outside this community graciously. I believe you owe and apology to all of these communities as this is a very shallow article meant to shame and belittle people you have never taken the time to know. As for the other communities, I’m sure they are full of wonderful people as well.
Oh please……KDH snobbery? Median home? There are multimillion dollar structures along the ocean front owned by LLC’s posing as homes but are really structured tax deals for some wealth non-residents. Lots of private schools? Please name one. And finally, locals are too busy working or are too laid back to even contemplate being snobs. If being a snob is looking down on others then KDH is only snobbish when we compare ourselves to the misguided people at roadsnack. Humble pie….you first.
hey, Charlie. I agree. Most of the snobs I know are actually from up North. Private schools? My sister owns a preschool. Haha. My family has lived there forever. Just wait for September and the tourons go home.
Proud to b born and raised in Davidson…never thought of snobbery, perhaps cultured…ppl care about how they live, low crime, small village settings, u no ur neighbors name, never had any racial issues, that I was aware of. I love Davidson.
Just a correction here… I do not live in Kill Devil Hills, however I have lived on the Outer Banks My whole life..
Kill Devil Hills has absolutely no private schools, actually on the entire Outer Banks there are only 2; The Wanchese Christian Academy which on average kindergarten to 12th grade has only 13 students in it’s entirety and a Montessori school in Kitty Hawk. Also.. Nags Head has a lot of art galleries.. On Gallery Row which are all various forms of art by local artists. The majority of us living on the Outer Banks are working middle class living paycheck to paycheck.
I am a snob. I am very good at my snobbery. I will tell you this article is very accurate. I do have a couple of suggestions to tweak the results:
Chapel Hill – Born and Raised – we are snobs because we lived in ShangriLa, however….it has turned into a bad bedroom community of Raleigh. It is also infiltrated with Yankees. 40 years ago, it was a great “town”. Now it sucks….except for the Heels!
Carrborro – The place is a dump. The people are not snobs at all. They are gay, and maybe snobbish in the gay community, however not relevant to anyone else. People in Chapel Hill do not even go to Carrboro….ever.
Asheville – I have also lived here….I was the snobbiest. They are not big snobs.
Blowing Rock – Need to add this one…….serious snobs. Toy stores that don’t let kids touch the toys type of snobs. Many Yankees cause this.
Weddington – you can get a lot of house for very little money in this farm field. They are not snobs and trust me, no bankers live in Weddington.
Oak Ridge – is there a prison there?
Wake Forest – see Weddington comment.
KDH – give me a break. I echo the comments above. Good people, down to earth.
Final point….add Winston Salem. There are a lot of snobs there. Especially the ones who went to Wake. Swiss snobbery.
So money and education now equates to snobbery? First, Davdson is a college, not a university. Second, snobbery is not a natural consequence of social status. To determine a place’s snobbery, you’d need to research attitudes and opinions, not just property values.
Then again, that would require more than just sitting down with Google for a few hours, wouldn’t it? You might risk crossing the line into actual journalism, instead of cheap-shot clickbait infotainment.
Well, I think you can consider that bullet well and truly dodged.
If this idiot who wrote this pice of fiction says one more word about Asheville I’m gonna take my snooby foot and bury it in his big ass
To the person or persons who wrote this crap wuy don’t you come to Asheville and say that to our face if you got the guts you jerk stupid article
I’m pretty sure you forgot Durham… Since you seem to be snobby enough to look down on every other town
I live north of asheville but work in asheville in high end homes and would have to agree with the article. Snotty people here but keeps us working that have always lived here. Catch 22 I guess.
Great article. Ha! I’ve only driven through the Carolinas, but I’ve traveled a lot and see where the author is going with the typing of people. Marketing people have to know their “types.” Let’s say the artsy fartsy intellectual urban types make a town or city snobby. . My definition would be something like a college professor type who would not date someone who never went to college, a person who would not invite a trucker or cop over for dinner, one who makes fun of people who live in mobile homes, one who looks down on honest hard-working people, especially people who go to church. The other would be the yoga, Whole Foods, StarBucks type who talks about climate change all day long but drives around in a Volvo or SUV and eats beef even though they -ride themselves on knowledge and know damn well that cows are one of the biggest contributers to climate change. Then, there is the hipster who has to keep up with every new trend. The cousin to the hipster is the hipster “nerd” who is usually an “IT specialist” and looks who cannot miss a year of going to Comic Con and spends a lot of money on the most expensive microbrewery beers. Artsy Fartsy – there’s even snobs and humble people in the art world. The plein air painters are more down-to-earth and connect with Nature while modern artists tend to make art based on social commentaries and their personal opinions (ego-driven) and to sum it up, snobs are everywhere. Some places have more than others.
Charlotte wishes it was snobby enough to be on the list!