Is Hot Springs, NC a Good Place to Live?
Hot Springs is a small town of 519 in North Carolina, with a median household income of $45,500 and a 3.4% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 96 (US average = 100), which is 4% below the national average.
Strengths: Hot Springs stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, solid school ratings (B+), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Hot Springs is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Hot Springs city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 96.1Hot Springs's overall cost of living index is 96.1, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Hot Springs costs roughly 4% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Hot Springs, NC | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $178,000 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $509 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 49.5% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $45,500 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Very SafeHot Springs's violent crime rate is 46.0 per 100,000 residents — 88% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
Hot Springs is served primarily by Madison County Schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 12.2:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Hot Springs, NC | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | Madison County Schools | — |
| Elementary Schools | 3 | — |
| Middle Schools | 1 | — |
| High Schools | 3 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 12.2:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 28.3% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 98.4% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Hot Springs sees average highs of 48.3°F in January and 87.2°F in July, with 46.7 inches of annual precipitation and 6.1 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Hot Springs, NC |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 48.3°F |
| Average High — July | 87.2°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 46.7" |
| Annual Snowfall | 6.1" |
Demographics
| Metric | Hot Springs, NC | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 519 | — |
| Median Age | 43.9 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 3.4% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 23.1 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 97.1% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 0.0% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 0.0% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 17.9% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 16.8% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Hot Springs
Hot Springs, NC is covered by 1 ZIP code: