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Best places to live in North Carolina (2026)

All 22 ranked places in North Carolina, by all-round score. 4 other places without FBI crime data are on the places list.

Ranked by an all-round score: the average of all 14 quality scores (housing costs, taxes, jobs, healthcare, education, family life, safety, natural disasters, climate and more), weighted equally. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out, since their safety is unknown. Scores are out of 100.

  1. 1Huntersville, NCSuburb · 3-bed $431k · very safe72
  2. 2Cary, NCSuburb · 3-bed $484k · very safe72
  3. 3Wake Forest, NCSuburb · 3-bed $389k · very safe71
  4. 4Apex, NCSuburb · 3-bed $459k · very safe70
  5. 5Holly Springs, NCSuburb · 3-bed $420k · very safe67
  6. 6Concord, NCSuburb · 3-bed $335k · very safe65
  7. 7Raleigh, NCMid-size city · 3-bed $369k · very safe64
  8. 8Durham, NCMid-size city · 3-bed $358k · higher crime61
  9. 9Mooresville, NCSuburb · 3-bed $392k · very safe60
  10. 10Chapel Hill, NCCollege town · 3-bed $536k · very safe60
  11. 11Kannapolis, NCSuburb · 3-bed $293k · safe59
  12. 12Charlotte, NCBig city · 3-bed $352k · higher crime58
  13. 13Asheville, NCSmall city · 3-bed $451k · higher crime55
  14. 14High Point, NCSuburb · 3-bed $249k · higher crime52
  15. 15Greensboro, NCBig city · 3-bed $254k · higher crime52
  16. 16Burlington, NCSmall city · 3-bed $257k · higher crime49
  17. 17Wilson, NCSmall city · 3-bed $224k · moderate crime48
  18. 18Hickory, NCSmall city · 3-bed $290k · moderate crime48
  19. 19Fayetteville, NCMid-size city · 3-bed $204k · higher crime46
  20. 20Wilmington, NCSmall city · 3-bed $390k · moderate crime43
  21. 21Greenville, NCSmall city · 3-bed $237k · moderate crime42
  22. 22Rocky Mount, NCSmall city · 3-bed $187k · higher crime40

Cheapest places to live in North Carolina

Ranked by the typical value of a 3-bedroom home (Zillow), lowest first.

  1. 1Rocky Mount, NCSmall city · rent $1,550/mo · cost of living 88$187k
  2. 2Fayetteville, NCMid-size city · rent $1,670/mo · cost of living 92$204k
  3. 3Wilson, NCSmall city · rent $1,310/mo · cost of living 88$224k
  4. 4Greenville, NCSmall city · rent $1,470/mo · cost of living 88$237k
  5. 5High Point, NCSuburb · rent $1,700/mo · cost of living 93$249k

Safest places to live in North Carolina

Ranked by violent crimes per resident in FBI 2019 data, lowest first. Places missing from the FBI table are left out.

  1. 1Wake Forest, NCSuburb · violent crime 0.1× the US rate52 per 100k
  2. 2Holly Springs, NCSuburb · violent crime 0.2× the US rate65 per 100k
  3. 3Cary, NCSuburb · violent crime 0.2× the US rate66 per 100k
  4. 4Chapel Hill, NCCollege town · violent crime 0.2× the US rate94 per 100k
  5. 5Apex, NCSuburb · violent crime 0.2× the US rate94 per 100k

Safest places from natural disasters in North Carolina

Ranked by our natural disaster score: FEMA's expected deaths, injuries and home damage from 18 hazards, plus federally declared disasters in the county since 2000.

  1. 1Apex, NC5 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding89
  2. 2Hickory, NC4 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, tornadoes89
  3. 3Huntersville, NC4 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding89
  4. 4Charlotte, NC4 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding88
  5. 5Raleigh, NC5 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding88

Best places to live for families in North Carolina

Ranked by a family score: the average of our Kids & family, Safety, Education and Affordable housing scores. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out.

  1. 1Wake Forest, NCSuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $389k84
  2. 2Apex, NCSuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $459k83
  3. 3Holly Springs, NCSuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $420k82
  4. 4Cary, NCSuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $484k80
  5. 5Huntersville, NCSuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $431k79

Best places to live · Cheapest places to live · Safest places to live · Safest places from natural disasters · Best places to live for families

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Data: US Census, Zillow, HUD, BEA, FBI 2019, FEMA, NOAA, NASA, CMS, NCES and others. How scores work.