Rank

347of 3,144

Watauga, North Carolina

Score 7.11 / 10· population 54,748

About 54,700 people live in Watauga, North Carolina. It ranks #347 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #2 of 100 in North Carolina. The combined sales tax is 6.75%, higher than in 48% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.42% of a home's value each year, less than in 88% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 97% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 58% of counties. Life expectancy is about 79.3 years, longer than in 86% of counties. Air quality is better than in 82% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 35), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 71% 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