Rain gardens are gaining ground (literally).
As stormwater runoff worsens and butterflies disappear, cities across the U.S. are rethinking how they manage their landscapes.
Lawn Love ranked 2025’s Best Cities for Rain Gardens using 4 metrics, and the Tar Heel State had a strong showing. We analyzed the 500 largest U.S. cities, looking at average monthly precipitation, supply access, public interest, and groundwater pollution risk.
How do North Carolina’s top 10 cities stack up for rain gardens?
- Wilmington: 8th
- Asheville: 39th
- Raleigh: 43rd
- Durham: 70th
- Greenville: 76th
- Cary: 136th
- Gastonia: 145th
- Charlotte: 146th
- Winston-Salem: 171st
- High Point: 175th
Key insights:
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10 North Carolina cities in the ranking average between 3.6 to 3.8 inches of rain monthly, with 3 additional cities averaging 4 or more. Monthly rain peaks in Wilmington (No. 8), averaging 5 inches.
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Charlotte (No. 146) and Raleigh (No. 43) offer some of the best supply access in the ranking and lead North Carolina in availability, thanks to larger metro populations and well-developed landscaping industries.
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Raleigh (No. 43) and Asheville (No. 39) rank high overall and lead North Carolina for Google search interest in rain gardens.
