Population

183,582

US Census estimate, July 2025

Median home value

$580,200

Owner-occupied units

Cary, NC

North Carolina · 35.781° N, 78.823° W · 61 sq mi

Cary is a city in North Carolina, with a population of 183,582 and about 3,005 residents per square mile. The median household earns $134,905 a year, and the median home is worth $580,200.

Conditions

Humidity & wind

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UV index

—

Sunrise & sunset

—

Local time

—

Size & density

Land area

61 sq mi

Water excluded

Population density

3,005

People per square mile

Rank by population

#150

Of cities on this site

Rank by area

#184

Of cities on this site

Money & housing

Median household income

$134,905

US median ≈ $78,538

Median gross rent

$1,738

Per month

Homeownership

66.6%

US ≈ 65%

Average commute

22.5 min

One way

People

Median age

40.2

US median 39.1

Bachelor's degree +

70.5%

Age 25 and over

Foreign born

23.9%

Households

69,710

2.57 people each

What people here do for work

Professional & business services 28.5^%

Education & health care 21.5^%

Manufacturing 10.3^%

Retail trade 7.9^%

Top four industries · share of all workers · ACS 2024

Wealthiest person in North Carolina

Name

James Goodnight

Forbes, Apr 2025

Net worth

$9.8B

As of 25 Apr 2025 — not live

Lives in

Cary

Source of wealth

Software

Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified.

Largest employer in North Carolina · private sector

Employer

Atrium Health

Sector

Healthcare

Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified. Government employers are excluded.

Largest public company in North Carolina

Company

Bank of America

Revenue

$192.4B

Fiscal year 2024

Headquarters

Charlotte

Ticker

BAC

Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified.

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State of North Carolina

State bird

Northern Cardinal

State flower

Flowering Dogwood

State capital

Raleigh

Nickname

The Tar Heel State

Compare Cary with

Cary vs RaleighSide by side
Cary vs DurhamSide by side
Cary vs Elk GroveSide by side
Cary vs ApexSide by side
Cary vs Holly SpringsSide by side
Cary vs Newport NewsSide by side

Cities near Cary

Apex, NC5 mi · 80,419
Holly Springs, NC9 mi · 50,288
Raleigh, NC11 mi · 506,306
Durham, NC14 mi · 305,561
Chapel Hill, NC16 mi · 63,565
Wake Forest, NC22 mi · 58,147
Burlington, NC41 mi · 61,496
Fayetteville, NC49 mi · 209,120