Fayetteville has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Fayetteville without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Fayetteville: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Fayetteville for 2026:
What’s the best suburb of Fayetteville? Whispering Pines ranks as the best suburb of Fayetteville for 2026 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Whispering Pines, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Fayetteville ‘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 Fayetteville Suburbs To Live For 2026
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Whispering Pines is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Fayetteville area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Whispering Pines.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $126,450 a year, which is the highest in the Fayetteville region. And only 3.32% are out of work. Homes average more than $529,288 each.
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Population: 18,256
Median Income: $109,802
Unemployment Rate: 5.2%
Poverty Rate: 4.3%
More on Pinehurst: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Pinehurst is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Fayetteville for 2026.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 2.84% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
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Population: 16,420
Median Income: $88,535
Unemployment Rate: 6.7%
Poverty Rate: 9.6%
More on Southern Pines: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Here in Southern Pines, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Fayetteville 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 Southern Pines.
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Population: 9,228
Median Income: $75,078
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%
Poverty Rate: 10.5%
More on Aberdeen: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Aberdeen ranks as the 4th best suburb of Fayetteville for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Aberdeen and the schools are some of the best around.
I moved the Aberdeen to get away from the REAL rednecks. Clearly, you’ve not been to any town in Montgomery County… Seven Lakes is less than 20 minutes from Aberdeen, by the way – and is less” redneck than Pinehurst- Com’on, now.
5. Carthage, NC
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Population: 2,896
Median Income: $82,695
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
Poverty Rate: 14.2%
More on Carthage: Crime | Movers
Coming in as the fifth best is Carthage.
Carthage gets kudos for having the 5th most expensive homes in the Fayetteville area, where houses sell for an average of $339,639. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
6. Lillington, NC
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Population: 4,709
Median Income: $81,760
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Poverty Rate: 4.9%
More on Lillington: Crime | Movers
Lillington 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 3.95%.
According to online reports, Lillington is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Fayetteville area, meaning you need to get in soon.
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Population: 17,939
Median Income: $65,774
Unemployment Rate: 8.2%
Poverty Rate: 14.1%
More on Hope Mills: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Hope Mills.
Hope Mills 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 8.1 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
8. Erwin, NC
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Population: 4,687
Median Income: $50,701
Unemployment Rate: 2.4%
Poverty Rate: 12.2%
More on Erwin: Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Erwin 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 9.82% of people lack insurance, good for 12th in the area.
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Population: 3,666
Median Income: $85,156
Unemployment Rate: 6.9%
Poverty Rate: 13.4%
More on Eastover: Data | Movers
Is ‘Everything Better In Eastover?’
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.
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Population: 8,559
Median Income: $46,830
Unemployment Rate: 3.2%
Poverty Rate: 19.7%
More on Dunn: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Dunn.
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.
Dunn has always been a place that has been “bottom of the barrell” for towns to live in. They have no leaders willing to do what it takes to modernize and bring the town into the 21st century. It’s very sad. I can say something because I was raised in Dunn and still live in the area.
Sherry’s Bakery has the best donuts!
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Fayetteville for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Fayetteville 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 2020-2024 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 Fayetteville.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 15 suburbs to evaluate around Fayetteville.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 15 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 Fayetteville.” We’re lookin’ at you, Whispering Pines.
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 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Fayetteville suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Fayetteville ‘Burbs of 2026
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 Fayetteville are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Fayetteville 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 Fayetteville Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whispering Pines, NC | 5,211 | $126,450 | $529,288 |
| 2 | Pinehurst, NC | 18,256 | $109,802 | $535,650 |
| 3 | Southern Pines, NC | 16,420 | $88,535 | $456,115 |
| 4 | Aberdeen, NC | 9,228 | $75,078 | $352,796 |
| 5 | Carthage, NC | 2,896 | $82,695 | $339,639 |
| 6 | Lillington, NC | 4,709 | $81,760 | $290,909 |
| 7 | Hope Mills, NC | 17,939 | $65,774 | $263,454 |
| 8 | Erwin, NC | 4,687 | $50,701 | $203,550 |
| 9 | Eastover, NC | 3,666 | $85,156 | $281,329 |
| 10 | Dunn, NC | 8,559 | $46,830 | $227,475 |
| 11 | Raeford, NC | 4,552 | $46,494 | $283,114 |
| 12 | Sanford, NC | 31,478 | $57,586 | $291,206 |
| 13 | Spring Lake, NC | 11,573 | $51,958 | $261,167 |
| 14 | St. Pauls, NC | 2,688 | $36,800 | $145,754 |
| 15 | Red Springs, NC | 3,125 | $20,833 | $105,557 |
