Weddington, Oak Ridge, Summerfield: These cities aren’t just some of the best places to live in North Carolina. They are also home to some of the richest people in the Tar Heel State.
Weddington in particular houses the richest residents in the state thanks, in part, to a median household income of $133,262 and a ridiculously low poverty rate of 1.9%.
If you’re thinking of moving to one of these towns, you’ll probably need to start saving. The richest places in North Carolina share common characteristics such as having a genius level populous, sky high home prices, and a Pleasantville level of married couples.
How did we come up with these mega wealthy cities? We analyzed Census data from the 2013-2017 American Community Survey for the 132 places in North Carolina with more than 5,000 people.
- Weddington (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Oak Ridge (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Summerfield (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Marvin (Homes For Sale)
- Holly Springs (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Pinehurst (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Davidson (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Apex (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Huntersville (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Cary (Photos | Homes For Sale)
For more on how we calculated the top ten, read on or skip to the end for the full list of the richest cities in North Carolina.
Rich people not your cup of tea? Feel free to check out some more reading about North Carolina:
How We Determined The Richest Places In North Carolina For 2019
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the richest places is to simply identify personal incomes. After all, rich people have really high salaries.
However, we don’t believe that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “richest places”. So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2013-2017 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income
- Unemployment Rate
Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place really is. The unemployment rate tries to capture the prospects for more people to become rich. If more people are employed, the richer the future looks.
After we collected the data for all 132 places with more than 5,000 people in North Carolina, we ranked each place from 1 to 132 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the richest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Rich Score” with the place having the lowest overall Rich Score, Weddington, crowned the “Richest City In North Carolina For 2019”.
You can learn more about the top ten below or skip to the end to see the rankings for all 132 places.
/10
Population: 10,388
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $133,262
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%
Poverty Rate: 1.9%
More on Weddington: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 6,728
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Income: $117,200
Unemployment Rate: 2.4%
Poverty Rate: 2.6%
More on Oak Ridge: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Oak Ridge is a town in northwestern Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 6,185 at the 2010 census, up from 3,988 at the 2000 census. As of 2015 the population had risen to an estimated 6,671. Oak Ridge is 15 miles (24 km) northwest of the center of Greensboro, North Carolina’s third-largest city, and it is a part of the Piedmont Triad urban area.
/10
Population: 10,957
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Income: $103,700
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 2.1%
More on Summerfield: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Summerfield is a town in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,018 at the 2000 census. At the 2010 census, the population had risen to 10,232. The official town limits of Summerfield is entirely located within Guilford County.
/10
Population: 6,174
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Median Income: $170,500
Unemployment Rate: 4.1%
Poverty Rate: 2.4%
More on Marvin: Real Estate | Data
/10
Population: 31,827
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Income: $101,341
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%
Poverty Rate: 4.0%
More on Holly Springs: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Holly Springs is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 24,661, over 2½ times its population in 2000.
/10
Population: 15,580
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Median Income: $81,724
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 2.5%
More on Pinehurst: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Pinehurst is a village in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 13,124. It is home of the historic golf resort, Pinehurst Resort. A large portion of the central village, including the resort complexes, is a National Historic Landmark District, designated in 1996 for its landscape design (by Frederick Law Olmsted) and its significance in the history of golf in the United States.
/10
Population: 12,325
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 3)
Median Income: $120,658
Unemployment Rate: 4.3%
Poverty Rate: 4.9%
More on Davidson: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Davidson is a lakeside town on Lake Norman in northern Mecklenburg County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 10,944 at the 2010 census. It is home to Davidson College. The town is centered on the college from which it takes its name.
/10
Population: 45,899
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 1)
Median Income: $100,305
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Poverty Rate: 5.0%
More on Apex: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Apex is a town in Wake County, North Carolina and a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the town’s population to be 43,907 as of July 1, 2014.
/10
Population: 53,302
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 3)
Median Income: $93,731
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Poverty Rate: 4.7%
More on Huntersville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 159,715
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 2)
Median Income: $97,755
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 5.6%
More on Cary: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Cary /kæri/ is the seventh-largest municipality in North Carolina. Cary is predominantly in Wake, with a small area in Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is the county’s second-largest municipality and the third-largest municipality in The Triangle after Raleigh and Durham. The town’s population was 135,234 as of the 2010 census (an increase of 43.1% since 2000), making it the largest town and seventh-largest municipality statewide. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the town’s population to be 159,769 as of July 1, 2015. Cary is the second most populous incorporated town (behind only Gilbert, Arizona) in the United States.
There You Have It – The Wealthiest Places In North Carolina For 2019
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the richest places in North Carolina, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in North Carolina.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very top of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the poorest cities in North Carolina, according to data:
Poorest: Roxboro
2nd Poorest: Boone
3rd Poorest: Henderson
For more North Carolina reading, check out:
- 10 Safest Cities in North Carolina
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In North Carolina
- These Are The 10 Best Places To Retire In North Carolina
Detailed List Of The Richest Cities In North Carolina
| Rank | City | RichScore |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weddington | 3.0 |
| 2 | Oak Ridge | 3.67 |
| 3 | Summerfield | 5.0 |
| 4 | Marvin | 7.17 |
| 5 | Holly Springs | 8.5 |
| 6 | Pinehurst | 8.83 |
| 7 | Davidson | 11.67 |
| 8 | Apex | 12.33 |
| 9 | Huntersville | 13.33 |
| 10 | Cary | 14.0 |
| 11 | Morrisville | 14.0 |
| 12 | Waxhaw | 17.0 |
| 13 | Matthews | 17.17 |
| 14 | Stallings | 18.17 |
| 15 | Wesley Chapel | 18.67 |
| 16 | Mills River | 22.0 |
| 17 | Cornelius | 22.0 |
| 18 | Lewisville | 22.33 |
| 19 | Knightdale | 22.5 |
| 20 | Clemmons | 23.17 |
| 21 | Fletcher | 24.67 |
| 22 | Winterville | 25.0 |
| 23 | Wake Forest | 25.33 |
| 24 | Mint Hill | 25.33 |
| 25 | King | 25.67 |
| 26 | Unionville | 27.67 |
| 27 | Carolina Beach | 27.83 |
| 28 | Indian Trail | 28.33 |
| 29 | Harrisburg | 28.67 |
| 30 | Stokesdale | 30.67 |
| 31 | Mooresville | 36.33 |
| 32 | Oak Island | 36.67 |
| 33 | Wendell | 39.33 |
| 34 | Rolesville | 40.17 |
| 35 | Raleigh | 40.33 |
| 36 | Garner | 42.0 |
| 37 | Clayton | 42.33 |
| 38 | Aberdeen | 42.67 |
| 39 | Carrboro | 43.0 |
| 40 | Belmont | 43.0 |
| 41 | Boiling Spring Lakes | 43.17 |
| 42 | Mebane | 43.17 |
| 43 | Trinity | 44.0 |
| 44 | Gibsonville | 44.5 |
| 45 | Kernersville | 44.67 |
| 46 | Pineville | 46.17 |
| 47 | Chapel Hill | 46.5 |
| 48 | Asheville | 48.0 |
| 49 | Concord | 48.83 |
| 50 | Elon | 49.0 |
| 51 | Archdale | 49.0 |
| 52 | Durham | 51.17 |
| 53 | Leland | 51.33 |
| 54 | Black Mountain | 51.33 |
| 55 | Hillsborough | 51.67 |
| 56 | Nashville | 51.83 |
| 57 | Mount Holly | 53.0 |
| 58 | Charlotte | 56.33 |
| 59 | Kill Devil Hills | 58.5 |
| 60 | Brevard | 61.17 |
| 61 | Southern Pines | 62.17 |
| 62 | Havelock | 63.67 |
| 63 | Hope Mills | 63.67 |
| 64 | Sawmills | 65.5 |
| 65 | Greensboro | 66.0 |
| 66 | Butner | 66.0 |
| 67 | Kannapolis | 67.17 |
| 68 | Angier | 67.33 |
| 69 | Conover | 70.5 |
| 70 | Hendersonville | 71.67 |
| 71 | Sanford | 72.33 |
| 72 | Hickory | 73.17 |
| 73 | Mount Airy | 74.5 |
| 74 | Cherryville | 76.17 |
| 75 | High Point | 77.5 |
| 76 | Newton | 77.67 |
| 77 | Morehead City | 78.0 |
| 78 | Burlington | 78.33 |
| 79 | Gastonia | 79.0 |
| 80 | Waynesville | 79.33 |
| 81 | Jacksonville | 80.67 |
| 82 | Wilmington | 81.33 |
| 83 | Morganton | 81.5 |
| 84 | Monroe | 83.5 |
| 85 | Mocksville | 83.67 |
| 86 | New Bern | 84.5 |
| 87 | Fayetteville | 85.5 |
| 88 | Tarboro | 86.0 |
| 89 | Wilson | 86.17 |
| 90 | Thomasville | 88.5 |
| 91 | Woodfin | 88.83 |
| 92 | Graham | 89.0 |
| 93 | Spring Lake | 89.5 |
| 94 | Marion | 91.5 |
| 95 | Smithfield | 92.17 |
| 96 | Asheboro | 92.83 |
| 97 | Reidsville | 93.83 |
| 98 | Williamston | 94.33 |
| 99 | Bessemer City | 94.5 |
| 100 | Rocky Mount | 96.0 |
