While big cities like Durham offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Durham. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Durham without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Durham are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Durham area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Durham for 2025:
What’s the best suburb of Durham? Apex ranks as the best suburb of Durham for 2025 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Apex, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Durham ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about North Carolina:
The 10 Best Durham Suburbs To Live For 2025
/10
Population: 67,765
Median Income: $138,442
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 2.6%
More on Apex: Data
Apex is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Durham area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Apex.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $138,442 a year, which is the 2nd highest in the Durham region. And only 3.84% are out of work. Homes average more than $514,800 each.
/10
Population: 30,471
Median Income: $125,404
Unemployment Rate: 3.0%
Poverty Rate: 4.8%
More on Morrisville: Data
Morrisville is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Durham for 2025.
It ranks 5th for incomes in the area and only 4.27% of residents lack insurance, good for 4th best.
/10
Population: 43,429
Median Income: $132,435
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Poverty Rate: 4.4%
More on Holly Springs: Data
Here in Holly Springs, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Durham metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Holly Springs.
/10
Population: 176,686
Median Income: $129,399
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 5.3%
More on Cary: Data
Cary ranks as the 4th best suburb of Durham for 2025.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Cary and the schools are some of the best around.
I grew up in Cary and lived there until I moved away for college. It is a town that I would recommend to anyone for any reason. Cary is a place for everyone, great for seniors, great for raising kids, and great for young adults and professionals. The schools are fantastic, there is a great selection of food, activities, and experiences. It was a wonderful place for me to grow up and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for their forever home.
The schools in Cary were excellent, providing high quality education and service to the community. There are also various restaurants catering to different national cuisine. The only issue I’ve had as a young adult going back to Cary is that there is very little nightlife and the young adult population is on the lower end, mostly being kids coming home from college while on breaks. This is not unmanageable, as a city with a bustling nightlife is nearby, about 15 minutes away.
/10
Population: 10,200
Median Income: $148,250
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%
Poverty Rate: 0.9%
More on Rolesville: Data
Coming in as the fifth best is Rolesville.
Rolesville gets kudos for having the 7th most expensive homes in the Durham area, where houses sell for an average of $467,400. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 51,199
Median Income: $120,777
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 2.9%
More on Wake Forest: Data
Wake Forest is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 4.54%.
According to online reports, Wake Forest is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Durham area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 21,170
Median Income: $85,927
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Poverty Rate: 11.3%
More on Carrboro: Data
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Carrboro.
Carrboro schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 11.0 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 37,749
Median Income: $111,447
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 8.8%
More on Fuquay-Varina: Data
Fuquay-Varina is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 5.63% of people lack insurance, good for 10th in the area.
/10
Population: 59,889
Median Income: $85,825
Unemployment Rate: 4.6%
Poverty Rate: 19.6%
More on Chapel Hill: Data
Is ‘Everything Better In Chapel Hill?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 4,640
Median Income: $64,792
Unemployment Rate: 2.1%
Poverty Rate: 10.4%
More on Pittsboro: Data
And rounding out the top ten for 2025 is Pittsboro.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Durham for 2025
Figuring out the best suburbs around Durham was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2019-2023 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Durham.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 25 suburbs to evaluate around Durham.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 25 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Durham.” We’re lookin’ at you, Apex.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2025. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Durham suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Durham ‘Burbs of 2025
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Durham are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Durham but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more North Carolina reading, check out:
- Best Places To Retire In North Carolina
- Richest Cities In North Carolina
- Safest Cities in North Carolina
Table: Best Durham Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apex, NC | 67,765 | $138,442 | $514,800 |
| 2 | Morrisville, NC | 30,471 | $125,404 | $481,800 |
| 3 | Holly Springs, NC | 43,429 | $132,435 | $485,500 |
| 4 | Cary, NC | 176,686 | $129,399 | $525,200 |
| 5 | Rolesville, NC | 10,200 | $148,250 | $467,400 |
| 6 | Wake Forest, NC | 51,199 | $120,777 | $435,000 |
| 7 | Carrboro, NC | 21,170 | $85,927 | $507,100 |
| 8 | Fuquay-Varina, NC | 37,749 | $111,447 | $410,600 |
| 9 | Chapel Hill, NC | 59,889 | $85,825 | $576,500 |
| 10 | Pittsboro, NC | 4,640 | $64,792 | $342,800 |
| 11 | Mebane, NC | 18,899 | $84,312 | $295,600 |
| 12 | Swepsonville, NC | 2,452 | $94,028 | $282,500 |
| 13 | Knightdale, NC | 19,532 | $91,638 | $331,900 |
| 14 | Hillsborough, NC | 9,656 | $98,467 | $430,100 |
| 15 | Raleigh, NC | 470,763 | $82,424 | $377,800 |
| 16 | Garner, NC | 32,543 | $77,496 | $320,300 |
| 17 | Youngsville, NC | 2,581 | $61,813 | $404,500 |
| 18 | Creedmoor, NC | 4,957 | $77,799 | $260,000 |
| 19 | Haw River, NC | 2,581 | $67,366 | $142,200 |
| 20 | Green Level, NC | 3,179 | $54,020 | $164,500 |
| 21 | Franklinton, NC | 2,562 | $64,053 | $195,800 |
| 22 | Graham, NC | 17,537 | $54,783 | $200,600 |
| 23 | Oxford, NC | 8,897 | $48,135 | $177,200 |
| 24 | Butner, NC | 7,996 | $72,917 | $225,600 |
| 25 | Roxboro, NC | 8,144 | $39,283 | $138,700 |