Childhood. This time in people’s lives is most often referred to as the most magical time of life.
Remember stopping by Krispy Kreme on the way home from middle school to get freshly made donuts filled with Cheerwine-flavored jelly? Or maybe you spent your long, hot summer nights chasing fireflies as the heat lightning chased across the sky. Perhaps you spent time studying with an order of Chick-fil-A waffle fries next to your textbooks. Or maybe you set up an Eno under the piers scattered along the beaches. Or, like me, your favorite summer activity was driving up to Boone in the summer for a weekened in the mountains.
If this preamble didn’t bring up fond memories, you may not be from North Carolina, a state that can make childhood truly magical. Why else is North Carolina a great state for families? North Carolina is an affordable state with lots of job prospects and amazing colleges. Vacations are diverse, cheap, and close by. You can live out in the country in North Carolina and live within 15 minutes of a city. You can have houses with a lot of land or live in downtown apartments. You can send your kids to public school, private school, charter school, or even join the NC masses in homeschooling.
No matter where you pick, North Carolina is a great choice for raising your kids. But which cities are the best of the best for the family?
$166,556 median income · 30.8% households with kids
Located in
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$134,905 median income · 34.8% households with kids
Located in
Wake County, North Carolina
Cary 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, 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 in the United States.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$149,565 median income · 49.1% households with kids
Located in
Wake County, North Carolina
Rolesville is a town and suburb in northeastern Wake County, North Carolina, United States, just outside the capital city of Raleigh. It is the second oldest town in Wake County and has been one of the fastest growing towns in the state of North Carolina for the past several years. The population was 6,074 in 2015.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$123,802 median income · 38.8% households with kids
Located in
Wake County, North Carolina
Wake Forest is a town in Franklin and Wake counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina; located almost entirely in Wake County, it lies just north of the state capital, Raleigh. The population was 30,117 at the 2010 census, up from 12,588 at the 2000 census. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the city’s population to be 34,752 as of July 1, 2013. In 2007, the town was listed by Forbes magazine as the 20th fastest growing suburb in America, with a 73.2 percent increase in population between 2000 and 2006. Wake Forest was the original home of Wake Forest University for 122 years before it moved to Winston-Salem in 1956.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$86,921 median income · 38.9% households with kids
Located in
Cabarrus County, North Carolina
Concord is a city in Cabarrus County, in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 79,066, with an estimated population in 2016 of over, 89,891. It is the county seat and the largest city in Cabarrus County. In terms of population, the city of Concord is the second-largest city in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area and is the eleventh largest city in North Carolina.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$131,894 median income · 59.4% households with kids
Located in
Union County, North Carolina
Waxhaw is a town located in Union County, North Carolina. The population was 9,859 according to the 2010 Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$85,989 median income · 23.8% households with kids
Located in
Orange County, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange and Durham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Its population was 57,233 in the 2010 census, making Chapel Hill the 15th-largest city in the state. Chapel Hill, Durham, and the state capital, Raleigh, make up the corners of the Research Triangle, with a total population of 1,998,808.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$115,497 median income · 40.2% households with kids
Located in
Wake County, North Carolina
Fuquay-Varina is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 18,644 in 2012. The population was 17,937 at the 2010 census, up from 7,898 at the 2000 census. The town is a 25-minute drive south of Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina. The hyphenated name attests to the town’s history as two separate towns. Fuquay Springs and Varina merged in 1963 to create the modern town. Economically, the town initially grew due to tobacco trade and agriculture, but has seen recent population growth and real estate development due to its proximity to Research Triangle Park.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$125,396 median income · 36.9% households with kids
Located in
Wake County, North Carolina
Morrisville is a town located in both Wake and Durham counties of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 18,576 at the 2010 census. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the town’s population to be 21,932 as of July 1, 2013. Morrisville is part of the Research Triangle metropolitan region. The regional name originated after the 1959 creation of the Research Triangle Park, located midway between the cities of Raleigh and Durham. The Research Triangle region encompasses the U.S. Census Bureau’s Combined Statistical Area of Raleigh-Durham-Cary. The estimated population of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary CSA was 1,565,223 as of July 1, 2006, with the Raleigh-Cary Metropolitan Statistical Area portion estimated at 994,551 residents. The U.S. headquarters of Chinese multinational Lenovo are located in the municipal limits.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$115,974 median income · 31.6% households with kids
Located in
Union County, North Carolina
Stallings is a suburban town in Union and Mecklenburg counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 13,831 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is North Carolina’s statewide median.
North Carolina statewide median: $72,388
North Carolina statewide median: $336,408
On the map
Where North Carolina’s most family-friendly cities are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which place is best for families in North Carolina anyways?
To give you the places in North Carolina that are best for families, we must look at a handful of metrics. We want to measure the criteria people want in a family-friendly city utilizing Saturday Night Science.
After researching U.S. Census data produced for the state of North Carolina, we looked at the data for every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:
- Crime (Both violent and property)
- Quality of local schools
- Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
- % of households with children
- Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries, and colleges)
We then gave each city a “Family Score.”
The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with over 10,000 people. For North Carolina, that meant a total of 73 cities.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the best cities for families in North Carolina.
The full plate
Best Places For Families In North Carolina
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price | % Households w/ Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Davidson | 15,660 | $166,556 | $655,968 | 30.8% |
| 2 | Cary | 179,306 | $134,905 | $626,396 | 34.8% |
| 3 | Rolesville | 10,766 | $149,565 | $497,996 | 49.1% |
| 4 | Wake Forest | 52,844 | $123,802 | $512,161 | 38.8% |
| 5 | Concord | 108,719 | $86,921 | $382,592 | 38.9% |
| 6 | Waxhaw | 22,275 | $131,894 | $628,812 | 59.4% |
| 7 | Chapel Hill | 61,607 | $85,989 | $631,167 | 23.8% |
| 8 | Fuquay-Varina | 40,485 | $115,497 | $525,746 | 40.2% |
| 9 | Morrisville | 31,422 | $125,396 | $480,926 | 36.9% |
| 10 | Stallings | 16,886 | $115,974 | $461,633 | 31.6% |
| 11 | Elon | 11,032 | $84,773 | $350,880 | 28.4% |
| 12 | Huntersville | 63,969 | $120,516 | $550,755 | 36.1% |
| 13 | Pinehurst | 18,256 | $109,802 | $535,650 | 16.7% |
| 14 | Cornelius | 32,783 | $113,767 | $527,117 | 29.2% |
| 15 | Mooresville | 52,381 | $89,647 | $482,315 | 35.4% |
| 16 | Mint Hill | 27,556 | $100,860 | $513,193 | 28.8% |
| 17 | Winterville | 10,725 | $83,193 | $278,291 | 29.9% |
| 18 | Wendell | 13,064 | $95,787 | $369,603 | 34.3% |
| 19 | Knightdale | 20,214 | $103,220 | $370,204 | 41.5% |
| 20 | Carrboro | 21,204 | $85,743 | $429,675 | 26.4% |
| 21 | Mount Holly | 18,208 | $79,385 | $360,773 | 36.0% |
| 22 | Clayton | 29,320 | $78,822 | $364,742 | 34.4% |
| 23 | Raleigh | 481,031 | $85,395 | $433,996 | 26.3% |
| 24 | High Point | 116,245 | $64,561 | $249,821 | 29.2% |
| 25 | Belmont | 15,546 | $94,883 | $432,565 | 25.1% |
| 26 | Matthews | 30,577 | $108,611 | $501,848 | 28.3% |
| 27 | Hickory | 44,258 | $64,576 | $293,999 | 29.0% |
| 28 | Southern Pines | 16,420 | $88,535 | $456,116 | 23.0% |
| 29 | Wilson | 48,370 | $52,485 | $218,942 | 30.8% |
| 30 | Newton | 13,333 | $62,015 | $256,468 | 31.0% |
| 31 | New Bern | 32,734 | $61,031 | $281,328 | 25.5% |
| 32 | Lincolnton | 11,783 | $46,320 | $296,022 | 30.3% |
| 33 | Durham | 291,467 | $81,619 | $396,395 | 24.9% |
| 34 | Kannapolis | 57,890 | $73,836 | $279,708 | 32.3% |
| 35 | Salisbury | 35,825 | $53,716 | $280,646 | 28.8% |
| 36 | Fayetteville | 210,815 | $58,407 | $225,534 | 29.7% |
| 37 | Smithfield | 12,116 | $43,270 | $293,391 | 25.6% |
| 38 | Winston-Salem | 252,037 | $59,268 | $264,333 | 28.0% |
| 39 | Tarboro | 10,770 | $49,796 | $152,776 | 21.6% |
| 40 | Monroe | 36,759 | $72,540 | $356,520 | 34.3% |
| 41 | Thomasville | 27,321 | $60,935 | $237,157 | 32.1% |
| 42 | Greensboro | 301,198 | $61,515 | $264,428 | 28.4% |
| 43 | Mebane | 19,538 | $83,174 | $353,221 | 35.0% |
| 44 | Asheville | 94,535 | $71,102 | $460,994 | 20.5% |
| 45 | Archdale | 12,087 | $64,757 | $248,494 | 25.0% |
| 46 | Leland | 29,607 | $91,977 | $376,599 | 22.2% |
| 47 | Boone | 20,032 | $30,065 | $483,789 | 9.8% |
| 48 | Graham | 18,048 | $56,239 | $292,521 | 27.9% |
| 49 | Gastonia | 82,884 | $64,059 | $277,331 | 32.8% |
| 50 | Shelby | 22,100 | $48,376 | $209,227 | 27.6% |
| 51 | Eden | 15,356 | $47,260 | $149,286 | 28.9% |
| 52 | Lumberton | 18,859 | $42,877 | $149,733 | 34.7% |
| 53 | Wilmington | 120,805 | $66,738 | $416,159 | 18.8% |
| 54 | Garner | 34,473 | $78,756 | $384,100 | 27.1% |
| 55 | Lexington | 19,690 | $43,128 | $271,913 | 29.6% |
| 56 | Laurinburg | 15,087 | $42,170 | $143,608 | 33.2% |
| 57 | Kernersville | 27,830 | $71,918 | $322,447 | 25.9% |
| 58 | Greenville | 92,857 | $49,748 | $235,821 | 24.5% |
| 59 | Hendersonville | 15,408 | $53,449 | $405,676 | 15.5% |
| 60 | Waynesville | 10,502 | $54,923 | $355,352 | 20.0% |
| 61 | Pineville | 11,055 | $69,354 | $403,663 | 31.1% |
| 62 | Burlington | 59,610 | $56,880 | $256,022 | 28.1% |
| 63 | Henderson | 14,885 | $39,969 | $179,610 | 29.3% |
| 64 | Havelock | 17,691 | $58,408 | $233,896 | 38.9% |
| 65 | Kinston | 19,505 | $36,878 | $148,090 | 26.6% |
| 66 | Roanoke Rapids | 14,856 | $53,690 | $121,329 | 29.5% |
| 67 | Lenoir | 18,299 | $49,910 | $215,174 | 22.0% |
| 68 | Rocky Mount | 54,297 | $55,534 | $185,887 | 25.4% |
| 69 | Spring Lake | 11,573 | $51,958 | $261,167 | 33.1% |
| 70 | Goldsboro | 34,383 | $48,540 | $194,177 | 29.2% |
| 71 | Kings Mountain | 12,039 | $49,564 | $238,720 | 28.7% |
| 72 | Mount Airy | 10,633 | $40,275 | $210,209 | 27.3% |
| 73 | Reidsville | 14,585 | $42,921 | $210,647 | 25.9% |
Source: U.S. Census data via Saturday Night Science. 73 North Carolina cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: The Best Places To Raise A Family In North Carolina
If you’re looking for a breakdown of cities in North Carolina ranked by criteria that most agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.
The best places for families in North Carolina are Davidson, Cary, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Concord, Waxhaw, Chapel Hill, Fuquay-Varina, Morrisville, and Stallings.
