CitytisticsShortlist

Fearrington Village, NC vs Laguna Woods, CA

Fearrington Village

North Carolina

vs

Laguna Woods

California

Across 36 directional measures we can compare, Fearrington Village leads on 22 and Laguna Woods on 14. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 50% higher in Fearrington Village, and so is median household income.

Median gross rent
$3,501$2,328
Fearrington Village is 50% higher
Median household income
$86,116$59,269
Fearrington Village is 45% higher
Median home value
$472,600$394,600
Fearrington Village is 20% higher

The Citytistics read

  • After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household has about $45,300 a year left in Fearrington Village and $30,700 in Laguna Woods. Money goes further in Fearrington Village, by about $14,600 a year.
  • A household earning Fearrington Village's median of $86,116 would need about $74,000 in Laguna Woods to keep the same money after rent and local prices.
  • Between the 2020 and 2024 surveys, rent outran pay by 17.8 points a year in Fearrington Village, and pay outran rent by 0.3 points a year in Laguna Woods.

How these are calculated

North CarolinaCaliforniaLaguna Woods, CAFearrington Village, NCFearrington VillageLaguna WoodsFearrington VillageLaguna Woods

Which fits you?

Both start on the Citytistics Index (CTX). Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the score becomes your own mix.

Your weights

Top 1 of 1 matching places. Places in the top 1% show their national rank.

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01Laguna Woods, CAComposite 44.4 / 100
35
5198081813929

CTX is the Citytistics Index: better than that share of the places we rate. It tops out at 99, so the top 1% show their national rank (#1 is best). Change any weight to rank on your own mix. How the CTX is built

Every measure

The dots show where each place sits among the 6,645 places we track. The bar is the median. A small dot after a value marks the better one.

MeasureFearrington VillageLaguna WoodsAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$3,501$2,328
Rent to income148.8%47.1%
Property tax rate10.6%0.7%
Home price to income15.5x6.7x
Prices vs US average297.6113.6
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$1,745$3,057
HUD area median income4$129,900$138,600
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$2,995$2,713
Median home value1$472,600$394,600
Home prices, 1-year change56.0%3.3%
Home prices, 5-year change565.8%53.5%
Homeownership174.5%71.7%
Renters paying 30%+188.6%75.7%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,871$2,196
Vacant homes18.1%12.2%
Median year built119941969
Jobs and income
Median household income1$86,116$59,269
Income per person1$68,907$53,507
Unemployment12.9%7.3%
Average annual pay6$56,422$84,864
Pay growth, 1 year68.8%4.3%
Jobs620,3181,663,220
Poverty rate111.1%14.2%
Mean commute128 min20 min
Works from home123.3%20.8%
Commutes by transit10.0%0.0%
People
Population12,35617,289
Population change since 20207n/a-4.5%
Median age175.974.9
Bachelor's or higher177.5%51.0%
High school or higher198.4%95.8%
Household size11.71.5
Born abroad15.0%32.3%
No health insurance10.0%1.5%
Homes with broadband189.0%89.4%
Moving
Moved here in the past year112.8%6.0%
Moved from another state11.9%2.3%
Net movers per 1,000 people825.4-8.5
Income of households moving in8$137,706$103,959
Income of households moving out8$105,426$96,328
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k914.226.6
Shops per 10k923.831.1
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k93.65.6
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k912.637.4
Child care centers per 10k93.42.0
Parks per 10k1042.42.3
Playgrounds per 10k108.50.0
Grocery stores per 10k100.01.7
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k100.05.2
Libraries per 10k100.00.6
Named paths and bike trails100.00.1
Transit stops per sq mi100.09.0
Nearest National Park Service site11n/a60.6
National Park Service sites within 60 miles11n/a0
National Register listings1258135
Safety
Violent crime per 100k13n/a71
Property crime per 100k13n/a632
Schools
Public schools1424641
Public school students1410,374429,950
Students per teacher1413.723.0
Climate
July average high1590°F83°F
January average low1530°F47°F
Average temperature1560°F65°F
Annual precipitation1546.3 in13.0 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1667.299.8
Hurricane risk1683.30.0
Tornado risk1675.883.7
Wildfire risk1633.099.8
Heat wave risk1672.597.2
Median air quality index174353
Good air days1771.5%37.8%

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: Fearrington Village $140,040, Laguna Woods $93,120 a year.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  12. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  13. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  14. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  15. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  16. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  17. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology.

Keep comparing

Other places people weigh against these two, and each one in full.