How serious are America’s mayors? · Incorporated city
Winston-Salem, NC
255,769 people, 2024 · Census GEOID 3775000 · Census profile · mayors: being verified
Overall in 2023, Winston-Salem ranked #138 of 340 cities and 6th of 14 in its peer group, on 9 of 9 measures. Weigh the measures yourself · how ranks are made
Its peer group is Winston-Salem and the 13 cities most like it in 2005 (size, income, poverty, industry, growth, density, place), fixed since: Greensboro NC, Augusta GA, Fort Wayne IN, Little Rock AR, Montgomery AL, Columbus GA, Fayetteville NC, Durham NC, Lexington KY, Rockford IL, Chattanooga TN, Akron OH, Lubbock TX · on the map, and why
| Topline | 2005–2024 | Latest rank | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rankamong all cities with a score that year | #138 of 340 cities · 6th of 14 in its peer group · 2023 | #155 | #121 | #50 | #156 | #99 | #113 | #165 | #154 | #173 | #164 | #157 | #179 | #80 | #176 | #178 | #200 | #183 | #178 | #138 | #148 | |
| people · size, not ranked | 213,310 | 217,820 | 221,958 | 225,690 | 228,293 | 230,022 | 231,867 | 233,867 | 235,728 | 238,478 | 239,755 | 241,776 | 244,501 | 246,535 | 247,945 | 249,231 | 250,397 | 251,411 | 253,332 | 255,769 | ||
| net movers per 100 residents · estimate · higher is better | #59 of 340 cities · 3rd of 14 in its peer group | +0.7 | +1.2 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.4 | — | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.4 | -0.1 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.3 | |
| new homes per 1,000 residents · higher is better | #44 of 271 cities with data · 1st of 6 in its peer group with data | 7.4 | 7.8 | 7.7 | 5.1 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 2.9 | — | 8.0 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 6.3 | 4.3 | 10.8 | 8.5 | 8.3 | |
| rent as % of income · lower is better | #241 of 340 cities · 12th of 14 in its peer group | 19.4% | 19.0% | 19.6% | 18.4% | 19.4% | 19.9% | 22.1% | 21.7% | 22.7% | 21.5% | 21.5% | 21.0% | 21.0% | 20.8% | 22.6% | — | 19.4% | 22.4% | 22.6% | 26.4% | |
| per 100,000 residents · lower is better | #238 of 304 cities with data · 3rd of 14 in its peer group | 7.5 | 9.2 | — | 8.4 | 6.6 | 4.8 | 6.0 | 2.6 | 6.4 | 5.5 | 4.2 | 9.5 | — | 9.3 | 11.7 | 12.0 | 15.2 | 12.7 | 17.0 | 11.3 | |
| per 100,000 residents · lower is better | #260 of 295 cities with data · 10th of 13 in its peer group with data | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 324.3 | 331.3 | 233.7 | 202.1 | |
| jobs · size, not ranked | 149,247 | 152,789 | 155,944 | 155,249 | 149,043 | 145,557 | 144,771 | 143,308 | 143,706 | 144,665 | 149,165 | 150,020 | 154,243 | 155,765 | 161,247 | 154,742 | 154,051 | 155,073 | 159,464 | — | ||
| points ahead of the metro · higher is better | #142 of 329 cities with data · 5th of 14 in its peer group · 2023 | -1.2 | +0.7 | +4.0 | -1.4 | +1.4 | -0.6 | -2.0 | -2.5 | -0.6 | +0.4 | +0.8 | -1.0 | +1.3 | -0.1 | +1.1 | -0.3 | -1.7 | -0.8 | +0.3 | — | |
| people · size, not ranked | — | — | — | — | — | — | 99,469 | 100,549 | 105,117 | 105,146 | 107,542 | 107,849 | 111,441 | 110,786 | 113,767 | — | 115,183 | 113,577 | 118,809 | 121,576 | ||
| % of workforce · lower is better | #109 of 340 cities · 6th of 14 in its peer group | — | — | — | — | — | — | 13.7% | 13.6% | 8.9% | 12.0% | 8.2% | 6.6% | 4.7% | 5.8% | 4.8% | — | 6.3% | 5.9% | 4.5% | 4.2% | |
| % of promises funded · not ranked: 38 cities report | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| surplus as % of revenue · higher is better | #86 of 314 cities with data · 4th of 14 in its peer group | 28% | 28% | 16% | 18% | 17% | 26% | 30% | 18% | 26% | 23% | 19% | 23% | 12% | 22% | 23% | 20% | 25% | 35% | 33% | 32% | |
| dollars per resident · lower is better | #184 of 314 cities with data · 9th of 14 in its peer group | $3,658 | $3,625 | $3,770 | $3,693 | $3,438 | $4,156 | $4,527 | $4,251 | $3,943 | $3,914 | $3,962 | $3,958 | $4,077 | $4,382 | $4,028 | $3,759 | $3,654 | $3,517 | $3,398 | $3,045 |
Click a row for its source and its rank in every year. 1st is best whichever way the measure points. A rank is out of all 340 cities, or out of its peer group of 14; where some had no value that year it says “with data” and counts only those. An em dash is a year the source does not hold for Winston-Salem. A greyed homicide figure is a year the FBI holds as a transition year for this department. What each row is, and is not, is on the main page, with a link to every source in Sources.