Rank

1139of 3,144

McDowell, North Carolina

Score 6.53 / 10· population 44,893

About 44,900 people live in McDowell, North Carolina. It ranks #1,139 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #31 of 100 in North Carolina. The combined sales tax is 6.75%, higher than in 48% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.49% of a home's value each year, less than in 80% of counties. Local government employs a larger share of working residents than in 62% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 72% of counties. Life expectancy is about 73.5 years, shorter than in 71% of counties. Air quality is better than in 76% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 36), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 60% of counties. On this site's state scores, North Carolina gets 7.59 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values