These NC towns rank among the nation’s best places to live. Here’s why
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From the mountains to the coast, the North Carolina map is dotted with bustling cities and charming small towns.
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But, where are the best places to call home? To help answer that question, U.S. News & World Report studied job opportunities, affordability and quality of life for destinations in North Carolina and beyond.
On the resulting list, Cary ranks No. 11 and Apex is No. 20. Beyond the top 25, eight other North Carolina locations join the Raleigh-area towns on the nationwide list. Here’s what to know.
To determine the nation’s top 250 places to live, U.S. News said it considered more than 850 locations across the country. It surveyed roughly 500 people to ask about their preferences and studied data from several sources, including government agencies. Then, it considered how each place across these four categories: “quality of life, value, desirability and job market.”
“As prices of everyday goods continue to rise, consumers are considering affordability as a top priority when choosing a place to live,” Erika Giovanetti, consumer lending analyst, said in a Tuesday, May 19 news release. “While U.S. News’ consumer survey indicated that quality of life and affordability were close in importance, cost-of-living concerns resulted in many Americans putting what they can afford above their aspirations.”
Of the North Carolina destinations on the 2026-27 list, Cary and Apex ranked the highest. The western Wake County towns have job markets that are “better than the national average,” with unemployment rates at 3% or lower, U.S. News wrote on its website.
U.S. News also said the two locations offer residents a “better value than similarly sized cities when you compare housing costs to median household income,” adding that both towns have median home prices close to $550,000 and median household incomes over $100,000.
It’s not the first time the Raleigh-area towns have been recognized. Last year, both Cary and Apex landed in the top 10 on U.S. News’ 2025-26 list, The News & Observer previously reported.
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More recently, the ranking website Niche named Cary the state’s No. 1 place to call home after it received high marks in several categories, ranging from outdoor activities to family friendliness.
And Apex recently was named one of the nation’s “most desirable” places to settle down. To create that list, U.S. News studied moving trends and online search interest. It also praised the the suburb for having a “smaller-town feel” while still being near major employers, The N&O previously reported.
This time around, places in the Triangle, Charlotte area and other parts of North Carolina also made their marks on the U.S. News list. Here’s how they fared:
Nationwide, results show the No. 1 place to live was Carmel, Indiana. Here are the other destinations rounding out the top five:
U.S. News didn’t immediately respond to The N&O’s request for additional information.
Questions about life in North Carolina? Or have a tip or story idea you’d like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.
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