New Bern 70 Excellent
New Bern Livability #127 ranked city in North Carolina#7,514 ranked city in the USARanks better than 74% of areas
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Pros and Cons of Living in New Bern

PROS
  • Cost Of Living Cost Of Living

    Taking into account the cost of goods and services like housing, groceries, transportation and utilities, the overall cost of living in this area is well below average.

  • Housing Housing

    High scores in the housing category are a distinguishing feature of this area, possibly driven by a favorable home affordability ratio, higher home values and appreciation rates.

  • Health & Safety Health & Safety

    Good air quality as well as nearby health facilities like hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, fire and police stations all contribute to a higher than average health and safety score.

  • Ratings Ratings

    Based on recent surveys and polls, locals gave high marks in the walkability to local amenities, safety, public transit, friendliness of neighbors and overall sense of community in the area.

CONS
  • Amenities Amenities

    The majority of amenities are not ideally located within walking distance. To access these amenities, residents may be required to rely on a vehicle or public transit.

  • Commute Commute

    A low commute score could be due to longer-than-average work commutes and the limited availability of public transportation in this area.

  • Employment Employment

    In the employment category, a low score could be attributed to low income levels and high unemployment in the area, suggesting potential difficulties in finding lucrative employment.

What's it like Living in New Bern?

New Bern is a moderately-sized city located in the state of North Carolina. The city has a population of 30,984 inhabitants. New Bern is known to be an ethnically diverse city. The two most common races are White (57%) and Black or African American (31%). Not a fan of sitting in traffic during your commute to work? New Bern offers shorter work commutes, with an average one-way commute time taking only 19 minutes, far lower than the national average of 26 minutes.

Are you trying to decide if living in New Bern is the right fit for your lifestyle? To ensure a great experience before relocating to any new city in North Carolina, you will probably want to make sure that you check all of the most important boxes. Several key factors deserve attention. For one, safety is paramount, ensuring that your new area is low in crime is key. Proximity to workplaces or schools minimizes commute times and fosters convenience. Access to essential amenities like parks, grocery stores, food, fitness, shops and healthcare facilities enhances daily life. Efficient public transportation options provide mobility and connectivity. The sense of community creates a welcoming and supportive environment. Lastly, the overall atmosphere, encompassing the vibe, aesthetics, and lifestyle offerings, contributes to a fulfilling living experience. Considering these elements helps identify the ideal neighborhood for your needs and preferences. With useful information like crime, cost of living, employment and other key data points, finding the best places to live in New Bern and in the areas around New Bern is a much easier task.

New Bern, NC receives 69/100 for its livability score; this results in a ranking of #147 in North Carolina and #8,134 in the USA. If we probe a little deeper into each category within the livability score, we see that New Bern has higher than average grades for the following: cost of living (A+) and housing (A). New Bern does not rank well for the following: amenities (F), crime (D-), education (D) and employment (F). It might be a smart idea to take a closer look at each category to find out why.

A healthy real estate market serves as a key economic indicator. It could signify overall local economic strength, stability and reflects consumer confidence in the area. Based on multiple factors including: median home and rental prices, appreciation rates and home affordability, New Bern has received high marks in the housing category. Based on these calculations, the apartment rental and real estate market appears to be very healthy.

Assuming that New Bern meets all of your requirements like low crime rates, good schools and great local amenities, the next most important item to examine is the affordability of real estate in New Bern. Everything else becomes a lot less important if it turns out that home prices in New Bern are simply unattainable. Median real estate prices in New Bern come in at $285,773, which is 1.3% lower than the North Carolina average. The home price to income ratio compares the median home prices to the median household income. In New Bern, the home price to income ratio is 4.5, which is 9.8% higher than the North Carolina average.

Best Places to Live in and Around New Bern

See all the best places to live around New Bern

How Do You Rate The Livability In New Bern?

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      New Bern transportation information

      Statistic New Bern North Carolina National
      Average one way commute19min24min26min
      Workers who drive to work82.5%81.1%76.4%
      Workers who carpool9.9%9.8%9.3%
      Workers who take public transit0.0%1.1%5.1%
      Workers who bicycle0.2%0.2%0.6%
      Workers who walk1.8%1.8%2.8%
      Working from home4.1%4.8%4.6%
      Source: The New Bern, NC data and statistics displayed above are derived from the United States Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) and include 2026 modeled data developed using proprietary methodologies.