# McDowell, North Carolina — #1,139 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 6.53 of 10. FIPS 37111. Population 44,893. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

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.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 7.59 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 6.38 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 7.44 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 7.28 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 3.86 |  |
| Property tax | county | 7.55 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 2.75 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 3.50 |  |
| Government employees | county | 3.55 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 5.33 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #1443 Burke, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37023.md
- #1319 Buncombe, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37021.md
- #904 Yancey, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37199.md
- #441 Avery, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37011.md
- #1694 Rutherford, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37161.md
- #498 Mitchell, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37121.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/37111
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=37111
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy