Cary makes North Carolina’s top 10 on 8 lists
Cary is ranked on 36 lists against the 297 North Carolina towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 8 and the top quarter on 18.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Cary marked.
1 spot from the top 3 for working from home
Lists where Cary sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Cary lands in the top half on 20 of 23 lists
Each dot is Cary’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Cary does best come first.
Fewer seniors than 78% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Cary’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Cary out-ranks 4 of its 5 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Where Cary lands in every NC ranking
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#5
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#3
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#5
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#9
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#11
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#11
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#37 
People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #7
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#157
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#140
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#231
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#107 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#53
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
#40
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#6 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#104 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 La Grange · 1.2 yrs
#287
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#258
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#288
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
#5 
The number on the right is Cary’s spot. All of North Carolina’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every NC list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.