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CITY

Cary

North Carolina · 183,582 residents (2025 est.) · 60.128 sq mi
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Notable rankings
#113Most work-from-homeof 6,82636.5%#145Largest by populationof 4,896183,582
The short version

Cary is significantly wealthier than the US average, with a median household income of $134,905. The city has grown rapidly, with population up 90% since 2000. 71% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, well above the national rate of 36%. Median home value has roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $580,200. Poverty is rare here, at 5.7% of residents. It ranks in the top 5% of US cities for household income.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.2
US median: 38.9
More educated
71% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 65%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
179,306
+90%since 2000
from 94,536 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
2,982 / sq mi
+47%since 2009
from 2,024 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
40.2
+19%since 2000
from 33.7 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:183,582 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
30K71K112K152K193K1990201020202024Cary
2024179K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.2%(9,261)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.6%(11,768)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.9%(12,349)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.8%(12,256)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.3%(9,487)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3411.8%(21,244)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4415.1%(27,159)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5415.4%(27,616)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.7%(22,825)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 748.5%(15,271)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.4%(7,846)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.2%(2,224)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$134,905
−1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $75,122 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$67,409
+104%since 2000
from $32,974 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
73.1%
+15.7 ptssince 2009
from 57.4% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
5.7%
+2.2 ptssince 2000
from 3.4% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.427
+2%since 2010
from 0.419 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade10.3%
US avg: 9.9%
Information7.9%
US avg: 10.8%
Other services7.8%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration6.1%
US avg: 4.8%
Wholesale trade3.7%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance2.8%
US avg: 5.9%
Arts, entertainment, food2.5%
US avg: 1.9%
Professional, scientific, technical2.3%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing1.8%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.4%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$580,200
+65%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $193,000 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,738
+16%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $826 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
66.6%
−6.2 ptssince 2000
from 72.8% in 2000
33.4% rent
Vacancy rate
5.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 5.4% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
15.4%
−3.7 ptssince 2009
from 19.1% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
36.9%
+2.4 ptssince 2009
from 34.6% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
4.3
+38%since 2009
from 3.1 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
65
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Cary on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic79.7%(75,299)
Black6.1%(5,744)
Hispanic / Latino4.3%(4,047)
Asian8.1%(7,636)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic56.7%(101,742)
Black7.6%(13,603)
Hispanic / Latino9.5%(17,117)
Asian20.3%(36,439)
Other5.8%(10,405)
Diversity Score
77
+42%since 2009
from 54 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican3.1%(5,522)
South American1.9%(3,412)
Central American1.8%(3,255)
Puerto Rican0.9%(1,674)
Guatemalan0.9%(1,598)
Colombian0.7%(1,247)
Dominican0.5%(966)
Salvadoran0.5%(920)
Cuban0.3%(626)
Ecuadorian0.3%(591)
Venezuelan0.3%(552)
Spaniard0.3%(474)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Honduran0.2%(292)
Argentine0.2%(290)
Peruvian0.2%(283)
Chilean0.1%(253)
Panamanian0.1%(174)
Costa Rican0.1%(166)
Nicaraguan0.1%(105)
Bolivian0%(69)
Uruguayan0%(27)
Asian origin
Asian Indian12.1%(21,628)
Chinese3.6%(6,504)
Korean1.2%(2,067)
Bangladeshi0.5%(975)
Vietnamese0.5%(901)
Nepalese0.5%(814)
Japanese0.3%(616)
Filipino0.3%(477)
Pakistani0.2%(393)
Taiwanese0.2%(328)
Sri Lankan0.2%(269)
Cambodian0.1%(189)
+ 8 more asian origin groups with data
Kazakh0%(56)
Laotian0%(47)
Thai0%(46)
Malaysian0%(18)
Uzbek0%(18)
Hmong0%(12)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.1%(155)
Chamorro0%(55)
Ancestry
English14.3%(25,662)
German11.7%(20,986)
Irish8.2%(14,694)
Italian5.7%(10,189)
American4.9%(8,839)
Scottish2.8%(5,083)
Polish2.4%(4,362)
French2%(3,512)
Scotch-Irish1.4%(2,511)
Arab1.2%(2,100)
Dutch1.1%(1,971)
+ 47 more ancestry groups with data
Swedish0.9%(1,657)
Russian0.8%(1,493)
British0.7%(1,301)
Welsh0.7%(1,265)
Norwegian0.7%(1,241)
West Indian0.6%(1,157)
Czech0.6%(1,019)
Hungarian0.5%(864)
Greek0.5%(856)
Portuguese0.4%(747)
Lebanese0.4%(680)
Ukrainian0.4%(672)
Nigerian0.4%(641)
Canadian0.3%(602)
Somali0.3%(552)
Ghanaian0.3%(548)
Danish0.3%(522)
Swiss0.3%(450)
Romanian0.2%(448)
Austrian0.2%(393)
Ethiopian0.2%(387)
Slovak0.2%(382)
Jamaican0.2%(372)
Haitian0.2%(369)
Jordanian0.2%(357)
Brazilian0.2%(333)
Egyptian0.2%(306)
Iranian0.1%(268)
Palestinian0.1%(264)
Croatian0.1%(249)
Lithuanian0.1%(220)
Serbian0.1%(192)
Turkish0.1%(182)
Moroccan0.1%(165)
Israeli0.1%(143)
Finnish0.1%(123)
Bulgarian0.1%(118)
Iraqi0.1%(109)
Kenyan0.1%(100)
Syrian0.1%(96)
Slovene0.1%(96)
Belgian0%(76)
Armenian0%(69)
Guyanese0%(42)
RANKED:Largest English population · Largest Asian Indian population · Largest German population · Largest Irish population · Largest Italian population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
70.5%
+9.8 ptssince 2000
from 60.7% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
96.3%
+1.3 ptssince 2000
from 95.1% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
33.7%
+10.8 ptssince 2000
from 23.0% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
22.5 min
+63%since 2000
from 13.8 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
56.3%
−25.1 ptssince 2009
from 81.3% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
4.5%
−3.2 ptssince 2009
from 7.7% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.3%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 0.6% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
36.5%
+29.1 ptssince 2009
from 7.4% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.0%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 1.3% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
3.2%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 2.0% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.5%
−1.3 ptssince 2011
from 4.8% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
69.1%
−4.1 ptssince 2011
from 73.2% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
10.8%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 10.8% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
68.2%
−10.8 ptssince 2009
from 79.0% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.4%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 48.9% in 2009
Female
50.6%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 51.1% in 2009
Foreign born
23.9%
+7.6 ptssince 2009
from 16.3% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
4.6%
−43.2 ptssince 2009
from 47.8% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
7.9%
+1.8 ptssince 2012
from 6.1% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
4.9%
−85.1 ptssince 2013
from 90.0% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
96.6%
+3.1 ptssince 2017
from 93.5% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
73.4%
−4.3 ptssince 2016
from 77.7% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
5.8%
−0.2 ptssince 2016
from 6.0% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married27.6%(19,587)
Married64.7%(45,859)
Widowed1.7%(1,191)
Divorced6%(4,254)
Women 15+
Never married25.7%(19,300)
Married59.5%(44,647)
Widowed5.6%(4,180)
Divorced9.2%(6,910)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Drill deeper

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Pop 122,588
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Head to head

Compare Cary to nearby cities

CARY VS
Morrisville
Income$125,396−7%
Home value$518,800−11%
Population32,466−82%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CARY VS
Apex
Income$144,135+7%
Home value$576,100−1%
Population80,419−56%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CARY VS
Holly Springs
Income$135,578same
Home value$535,800−8%
Population50,288−73%
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CARY VS
Raleigh
Income$85,395−37%
Home value$415,800−28%
Population506,306+176%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Cary, North Carolina?

Cary, North Carolina has about 179,306 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Cary, North Carolina?

The typical household in Cary, North Carolina earns about $134,905 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Cary, North Carolina expensive?

In Cary, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $580,200, and the typical rent is about $1,738 a month.

How educated are people in Cary, North Carolina?

About 70.5% of adults age 25 and over in Cary, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Cary, North Carolina?

About 5.7% of people in Cary, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Cary, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Cary, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 135,448 residents, a change of about 309 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →