The 10 Best Suburbs In North Carolina For 2024


The best suburbs in North Carolina are Davidson and Cary for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Are you sick of being a city slicker?

Do you long for life in suburban North Carolina? Where you can drive an overly-large vehicle to the store for groceries and schlep the kids around to practices and appointments without worrying about a parking space.

We do, too.

If you wanted to move out to the suburbs of Raleigh, where would you go? And how would you decide on the ranking factors to help you pick which North Carolina suburb was best?

No worries. We got it all figured out here using Saturday Night Science.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


These are the 10 best suburbs in the Tar Heel State

  1. Davidson
  2. Cary
  3. Apex
  4. Cornelius
  5. Morrisville
  6. Holly Springs
  7. Pinehurst
  8. Rolesville
  9. Wake Forest
  10. Waxhaw

Davidson is the place to be when it comes to being a soccer mom in suburban North Carolina.

So if you’re thinking of packing up your mini van and making a move to a quiet place to live in North Carolina, we’ve got you covered.

Keep on reading for a detailed methodology. Or, check out the best places to live in North Carolina and the best places to raise a family in North Carolina.

Best Suburbs In North Carolina For 2024

Davidson, NC

Source: Flickr User davidwilson1949 | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 15,199
Median Income: $140,938
Average Home Price: $624,402
More on Davidson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Davidson is located 19 miles north of Charlotte.

Cary, NC

Source: Flickr User James Willamor | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 174,880
Median Income: $125,317
Average Home Price: $600,101
More on Cary: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Cary is located 10 miles west of Raleigh.

Apex, NC

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 65,541
Median Income: $129,688
Average Home Price: $591,542
More on Apex: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Apex is located 14 miles west of Raleigh.

Cornelius, NC

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 31,396
Median Income: $107,969
Average Home Price: $501,024
More on Cornelius: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Cornelius is located 18 miles north of Charlotte.

Morrisville, NC

Source: Town of Morrisville
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 29,756
Median Income: $114,075
Average Home Price: $486,190
More on Morrisville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Morrisville is located 10 miles south of Durham.

Holly Springs, NC

Source: Wikipedia User Jon Harrison | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 42,023
Median Income: $127,755
Average Home Price: $550,787
More on Holly Springs: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Holly Springs is located 16 miles west of Raleigh.

Pinehurst, NC

Source: Wikipedia User Leonard J. DeFrancisci | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 17,653
Median Income: $102,917
Average Home Price: $487,605
More on Pinehurst: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Pinehurst is located 28 miles west of Fayetteville.

Rolesville, NC

Source: Wikipedia User Mkrpowers | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 9,696
Median Income: $145,166
Average Home Price: $497,136
More on Rolesville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Rolesville is located 11 miles east of Raleigh.

Wake Forest, NC

Source: Wikipedia User Ildar Sagdejev (Specious) | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 48,047
Median Income: $115,159
Average Home Price: $513,842
More on Wake Forest: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Wake Forest is located 11 miles north of Raleigh.

Waxhaw, NC

Source: Flickr User MikeKalasnik | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 20,665
Median Income: $124,711
Average Home Price: $561,159
More on Waxhaw: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Waxhaw is located 19 miles south of Charlotte.

Methodology:How we crunched the suburb numbers for the Tar Heel State

We have to use Saturday Night Science and look at several metrics to give you the best suburbs in North Carolina. We want to measure the type of place around major cities that people arguing at a bar would say makes it the “best suburb.”

First, we had to define a suburb. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of North Carolina, we looked at every town with at least 5,000 residents, and within 30 miles of a city that’s over 200,000 people.

In other words, suburbs.

We paid particular attention to the following criteria:

  • Median Home Values
  • Median Income
  • Population Density (Higher is Better)
  • Unemployment Rates
  • Commute Time
  • Education Levels
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Poverty Rates

We ranked each suburb in North Carolina across these criteria from one to 74, with one being the best.

We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the town posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Suburb To Live In North Carolina.”

The result is some of the safest, quietest, and ideal places to live in North Carolina.

Read on to see why Davidson is the ‘burb with the most, while Roxboro is probably not the best place to live in North Carolina.

Summary: There You Have It – The Best Suburbs In North Carolina

If you’re measuring the locations in North Carolina where there are lots to do, and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.

The best suburbs in North Carolina are Davidson, Cary, Apex, Cornelius, Morrisville, Holly Springs, Pinehurst, Rolesville, Wake Forest, and Waxhaw.

Here’s a look at the worst suburbs in North Carolina according to the data:

  1. Roxboro
  2. Smithfield
  3. Zebulon

For more North Carolina reading, check out:

The Best Suburbs In North Carolina

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Price
1 Davidson 15,199 $140,938 $624,402
2 Cary 174,880 $125,317 $600,101
3 Apex 65,541 $129,688 $591,542
4 Cornelius 31,396 $107,969 $501,024
5 Morrisville 29,756 $114,075 $486,190
6 Holly Springs 42,023 $127,755 $550,787
7 Pinehurst 17,653 $102,917 $487,605
8 Rolesville 9,696 $145,166 $497,136
9 Wake Forest 48,047 $115,159 $513,842
10 Waxhaw 20,665 $124,711 $561,159
11 Chapel Hill 58,919 $85,940 $603,034
12 Huntersville 61,202 $112,893 $517,476
13 Gibsonville 8,827 $98,558 $278,388
14 Stallings 16,193 $99,451 $433,914
15 Harrisburg 18,934 $134,767 $477,928
16 Carrboro 21,242 $76,933 $438,237
17 Fuquay-Varina 35,428 $94,142 $496,644
18 Weddington 13,173 $171,810 $936,823
19 Matthews 29,613 $103,405 $468,340
20 Elon 11,161 $73,597 $322,868
21 Mooresville 50,025 $82,622 $468,555
22 Wendell 10,575 $91,316 $361,432
23 Summerfield 10,986 $148,182 $467,749
24 Oak Ridge 7,637 $146,131 $514,942
25 Archdale 11,873 $63,627 $233,051
26 King 7,210 $59,770 $249,231
27 Knightdale 19,127 $79,364 $363,028
28 Stokesdale 5,900 $118,159 $349,634
29 Mint Hill 26,537 $92,102 $471,547
30 Clayton 26,837 $71,698 $366,122
31 Marvin 6,421 $238,875 $1,073,504
32 Concord 105,335 $83,480 $361,879
33 Clemmons 21,281 $75,667 $353,229
34 Garner 31,684 $77,171 $374,654
35 Belmont 14,842 $84,274 $403,471
36 Mebane 17,899 $78,419 $339,769
37 Indian Trail 40,325 $95,101 $408,207
38 Cramerton 5,294 $89,313 $282,370
39 Southern Pines 15,701 $81,867 $460,376
40 Kernersville 27,177 $66,151 $302,017
41 Wesley Chapel 8,763 $133,333 $595,551
42 Hillsborough 9,534 $86,250 $440,106
43 Mount Holly 17,644 $73,923 $341,383
44 Pineville 10,532 $55,450 $390,836
45 Aberdeen 8,674 $69,758 $315,702
46 Lewisville 13,509 $86,641 $358,604
47 Dallas 5,889 $55,979 $255,650
48 Kannapolis 53,314 $66,487 $259,607
49 Unionville 6,694 $90,904 $400,244
50 High Point 114,120 $58,582 $229,659
51 Trinity 7,012 $70,368 $268,416
52 Hope Mills 17,671 $57,864 $227,508
53 Angier 5,348 $54,936 $318,115
54 Thomasville 27,130 $48,457 $214,034
55 Mocksville 5,908 $46,553 $254,179
56 Graham 17,136 $51,482 $259,204
57 Spring Lake 11,710 $44,447 $219,908
58 Gastonia 80,615 $58,047 $275,514
59 Butner 8,374 $68,604 $258,713
60 Burlington 56,951 $52,963 $223,842
61 Asheboro 27,117 $44,405 $229,584
62 Lincolnton 11,225 $41,614 $273,540
63 Sanford 30,373 $52,951 $276,198
64 Eden 15,349 $43,607 $135,635
65 Oxford 8,685 $42,016 $232,049
66 Kings Mountain 11,246 $45,301 $218,463
67 Selma 6,449 $29,325 $260,426
68 Lexington 19,595 $36,868 $243,908
69 Dunn 8,549 $41,843 $213,087
70 Monroe 34,897 $63,982 $320,941
71 Reidsville 14,526 $35,061 $188,591
72 Zebulon 7,421 $50,934 $341,201
73 Smithfield 11,527 $37,000 $283,417
74 Roxboro 8,131 $39,787 $197,436
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.