Several North Carolina cities are among the worst in the country for money management, according to a new survey.

Sorry Raeford friends, it seems that you – along with many other North Carolina cities – may not be so good at money management.

According to the latest survey from our friends at WalletHub.com, Raeford comes in next to last in the country for money management. Only the good folks in Willis, Texas might be worse at in fact, as Raeford came in ranked No. 2,571 on the list.

WalletHub ranked 2,572 U.S. cities on money management, based on 10 key indicators. Those included things like average credit scores, late mortgage payments, and debt-to-income ratios.

Raeford was done in on the rankings by exceptionally bad credit card debt-to-ratio rankings, at 7.75 percent.

But Fayetteville, don’t get too excited. We didn’t do much better here, coming in at No. 2,503 on the list, the third percentile. And Hope Mills, you’re not in the clear either, coming in at No. 2,546 on the list.

Among North Carolina cities, Cary came out best overall, ranked at No. 96 in the country, a whopping 2,475 spots better than Raeford at money management. We ranked all the North Carolina cities below.

“A survey of consumer financial literacy reflects a growing need for financial instruction in U.S. households. Only 57% of adults, for instance, give their knowledge of personal finance high marks, and 47% maintain a budget and keep an eye on their spending,” WalletHub said in their release. “Good money management skills are more important now than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Some experts think a lack of education at even the high school level contributes to some of this problem.

“Financial skills should be taught as a mandatory part of the high school curriculum,” said Dorris Perryman, Adjunct Associate Professor of Accounting at Bristol Community College. “Many students are working evenings, weekends, spring, and summer breaks. Financial skills will help students understand money management. Financial knowledge will help break the poverty cycle because students will garner a better understanding of how money, credit cards, insurance, and other tools work.”

Here’s where every North Carolina city ranks on the list, as well as the top cities in the United States, led by Scarsdale, New York and Cupertino, California (the home of Google):

  • No. 96 - Cary

    96th percentile, median credit score of 763

  • No. 288 - Morrisville

    89th percentile, median credit score of 744

  • No. 299 - Apex

    88th percentile, median credit score of 760

  • No. 329 - Chapel Hill

    Chapel Hill

    Chapel Hill

    87th percentile, median credit score of 758

  • No. 352 - Cornelius

    86th percentile, median credit score of 751

  • No. 390 - Holly Springs

    85th percentile, median credit score of 755

  • No. 416 - Waxhaw

    84th percentile, median credit score of 753

  • No. 732 - Hendersonville

    72nd percentile, median credit score of 733

  • No. 762 - Matthews

    70th percentile, median credit score of 742

  • No. 792 - Huntersville

    69th percentile, median credit score of 741

  • No. 811 - Clemmons

    68th percentile, median credit score of 758

  • No. 850 - Taylorsville

    67th percentile, median credit score of 693

  • No. 897 - Hillsborough

    65th percentile, median credit score of 749

  • No. 931 - Fuquay-Varina

    Fuquay-Varina

    Fuquay-Varina

    64th percentile, median credit score of 736

  • No. 937 - Albermarle

    64th percentile, median credit score of 671

  • No. 938 - Belmont

    64th percentile, median credit score of 722

  • No. 1068 - Indian Trail

    58th percentile, median credit score of 719

  • No. 1092 - Raleigh

    58th percentile, median credit score of 717

  • No. 1103 - Mount Airy

    57th percentile, median credit score of 673

  • No. 1116 - Wake Forest

    57th percentile, median credit score of 744

  • No. 1129 - Kannapolis

    56th percentile, median credit score of 662

  • No. 1133 - Lenoir

    56th percentile, median credit score of 662

  • No. 1164 - Newton

    55th percentile, median credit score of 678

  • No. 1205 - Morganton

    53rd percentile, median credit score of 674

  • No. 1208 - Hickory

    Hickory

    Hickory, NC

    53rd percentile, median credit score of 695

  • No. 1236 - Marion

    52nd percentile, median credit score of 663

  • No. 1244 - Kernersville

    52nd percentile, median credit score of 716

  • No. 1290 - Eden

    50th percentile, median credit score of 654

  • No. 1304 - Waynesville

    49th percentile, median credit score of 700

  • No. 1320 - Asheville

    49th percentile, median credit score of 722

  • No. 1338 - Durham

    48th percentile, median credit score of 705

  • No. 1366 - Leland

    47th percentile, median credit score of 728

  • No. 1368 - Oxford

    47th percentile, median credit score of 668

  • No. 1389 - Concord

    46th percentile, median credit score of 690

  • No. 1412 - Mocksville

    45th percentile, median credit score of 700

  • No. 1460 - Knightdale

    43rd percentile, median credit score of 682

  • No. 1473 - Conover

    43rd percentile, median credit score of 684

  • No. 1503 - Salisbury

    42nd percentile, median credit score of 671

  • No. 1506 - Wilmington

    Wilmington

    Wilmington, NC

    41st percentile, median credit score of 705

  • No. 1557 - Mooresville

    39th percentile, median credit score of 728

  • No. 1587 - Burlington

    38th percentile, median credit score of 673

  • No. 1596 - Wilson

    38th percentile, median credit score of 659

  • No. 1610 - Shelby

    37th percentile, median credit score of 659

  • No. 1627 - Winston-Salem

    37th percentile, median credit score of 675

  • No. 1632 - Charlotte

    37th percentile, median credit score of 678

  • No. 1637 - Asheboro

    36th percentile, median credit score of 675

  • No. 1658 - Winterville

    36th percentile, median credit score of 697

  • No. 1662 - Franklin

    35th percentile, median credit score of 715

  • No. 1672 - Gastonia

    35th percentile, median credit score of 660

  • No. 1682 - Graham

    35th percentile, median credit score of 681

  • No. 1686 - High Point

    34th percentile, median credit score of 674

  • No. 1696 - Lincolnton

    34th percentile, median credit score of 675

  • No. 1728 - Mebane

    33rd percentile, median credit score of 702

  • No. 1749 - Garner

    32nd percentile, median credit score of 693

  • No. 1763 - Thomasville

    31st percentile, median credit score of 667

  • No. 1765 - Greensboro

    Greensboro

    Greensboro, NC

    31st percentile, median credit score of 675

  • No. 1793 - Boone

    30th percentile, median credit score of 719

  • No. 1840 - Greenville

    28th percentile, median credit score of 661

  • No. 1881 - Statesville

    27th percentile, median credit score of 675

  • No. 1908 - Rockingham

    26th percentile, median credit score of 636

  • No. 1915 - Sanford

    26th percentile, median credit score of 676

  • No. 2004 - Kings Mountain

    22nd percentile, median credit score of 664

  • No. 2025 - Kinston

    21st percentile, median credit score of 633

  • No 2028 - New Bern

    21st percentile, median credit score of 700

  • No. 2038 - Rocky Mount

    21st percentile, median credit score of 656

  • No. 2057 - Washington

    20th percentile, median credit score of 674

  • No. 2096 - Monroe

    Monroe, NC

    Monroe, NC

    19th percentile, median credit score of 677

  • No. 2121 - Reidsville

    18th percentile, median credit score of 671

  • No. 2208 - Clinton

    14th percentile, median credit score of 650

  • No. 2257 - Lumberton

    12th percentile, median credit score of 638

  • No. 2291 - Clayton

    11th percentile, median credit score of 707

  • No. 2294 - Laurinburg

    11th percentile, median credit score of 635

  • No. 2299 - Roxboro

    11th percentile, median credit score of 666

  • No. 2307 - Lexington

    10th percentile, median credit score of 684

  • No. 2355 - Elizabeth City

    8th percentile, median credit score of 664

  • No. 2374 - Roanoke Rapids

    8th percentile, median credit score of 646

  • No. 2385 - Goldsboro

    7th percentile, median credit score of 659

  • No. 2419 - Henderson

    6th percentile, median credit score of 643

  • No. 2439 - Dunn

    5th percentile, median credit score of 658

  • No. 2503 - Fayetteville

    3rd percentile, median credit score of 662

  • No. 2546 - Hope Mills

    1st percentile, median credit score of 675

  • No. 2549 - Jacksonville

    1st percentile, median credit score of 668

  • No. 2571 - Raeford

    1st percentile, median credit score of 665

  • National No. 1 - Scarsdale, NY

    Scarsdale, NY

    Scarsdale, New York

    99th percentile, median credit score of 768

  • National No. 2 - Cupertino, Ca.

    99th percentile, median credit score of 776

  • National No. 3 - Los Altos, Ca.

    99th percentile, median credit score of 785

  • National No. 4 - Bronxville, NY

    99th percentile, median credit score of 765

  • National No. 5 - Saratoga, Ca.

    99th percentile, median credit score of 765

  • National No. 6 - Princeton, NJ

    Princeton, New Jersey

    Princeton, New Jersey

    99th percentile, median credit score of 765

  • National No. 7 - Mountain View, Ca.

    99th percentile, median credit score of 766

  • National No. 8 - Palo Alto, Ca.

    99th percentile, median credit score of 768

  • National No. 9 - Sunnyvale, Ca.

    99th percentile, median credit score of 762

  • National No. 10 - Lexington, Mass.

    99th percentile, median credit score of 782

Sign me up for the 96.5 JACK FM email newsletter!

You'll be in the know on music and entertainment news, exclusive giveaways, and what's happening in right here in Fayetteville.

*
By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.