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.
$126,450 median income · $529,288 median home price
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 3.3% are out of work. Homes average more than $529,288 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$109,802 median income · $535,650 median home price
Located in
Moore County, North Carolina
Pinehurst is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Fayetteville for 2026.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 2.8% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$88,535 median income · $456,116 median home price
Located in
Moore County, North Carolina
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$75,078 median income · $352,796 median home price
Located in
Moore County, North Carolina
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$82,695 median income · $339,639 median home price
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.
$81,760 median income · $290,910 median home price
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 3.9%.
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.
Data | Movers
$65,774 median income · $263,454 median home price
Located in
Cumberland County, North Carolina
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$50,701 median income · $203,551 median home price
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 9.8% of people lack insurance, good for 12th in the area.
Data | Movers
$85,156 median income · $281,330 median home price
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$46,830 median income · $227,476 median home price
Located in
Harnett County, North Carolina
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.
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
North Carolina statewide median: 4.7%
North Carolina statewide median: 13.0%
On the map
Where the best Fayetteville suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
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.
The full plate
Table: Best Fayetteville Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whispering Pines | 3.00 | 5,211 | $126,450 | $529,288 |
| 2 | Pinehurst | 3.57 | 18,256 | $109,802 | $535,650 |
| 3 | Southern Pines | 5.43 | 16,420 | $88,535 | $456,116 |
| 4 | Aberdeen | 6.00 | 9,228 | $75,078 | $352,796 |
| 5 | Carthage | 6.71 | 2,896 | $82,695 | $339,639 |
| 6 | Lillington | 7.29 | 4,709 | $81,760 | $290,910 |
| 7 | Hope Mills | 7.36 | 17,939 | $65,774 | $263,454 |
| 8 | Erwin | 8.14 | 4,687 | $50,701 | $203,551 |
| 9 | Eastover | 8.64 | 3,666 | $85,156 | $281,330 |
| 10 | Dunn | 8.71 | 8,559 | $46,830 | $227,476 |
| 11 | Raeford | 9.29 | 4,552 | $46,494 | $283,115 |
| 12 | Sanford | 10.00 | 31,478 | $57,586 | $291,206 |
| 13 | Spring Lake | 10.00 | 11,573 | $51,958 | $261,167 |
| 14 | St. Pauls | 12.71 | 2,688 | $36,800 | $145,754 |
| 15 | Red Springs | 13.14 | 3,125 | $20,833 | $105,558 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 15 suburbs within 30 miles of Fayetteville.
Summary
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 Whispering Pines, Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen, Carthage, Lillington, Hope Mills, Erwin, Eastover, and Dunn.
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. Not sold on North Carolina? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Fayetteville FAQs
What is the best suburb of Fayetteville?
Whispering Pines is the best suburb of Fayetteville for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Pinehurst and Southern Pines are next.
What are the best suburbs of Fayetteville?
The best suburbs of Fayetteville are Whispering Pines, Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen, Carthage, Lillington, Hope Mills, Erwin, Eastover, and Dunn. We ranked all 15 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Whispering Pines?
The median household income in Whispering Pines is $126,450 and the median home costs $529,288. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Fayetteville?
Any place within 30 miles of Fayetteville qualifies. 15 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Fayetteville suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Whispering Pines, takes the crown.
