While big cities like Raleigh 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 Raleigh. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Raleigh without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Raleigh 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 Raleigh area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Raleigh for 2025:
What’s the best suburb of Raleigh? Apex ranks as the best suburb of Raleigh 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 Raleigh ‘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 Raleigh 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 Raleigh 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 Raleigh 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 Raleigh for 2025.
It ranks 5th for incomes in the area and only 4.27% of residents lack insurance, good for 3rd best.
/10
Population: 176,686
Median Income: $129,399
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 5.3%
More on Cary: Data
Here in Cary, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Raleigh 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 Cary.
Aside from a handful of very good private schools, Cary doesn’t even have schools that are separate from the system that includes Raleigh, which isn’t on this list. I lived in Cary for several years, and no way should it be put in the same category as cities like Wilson and Burnsville.
/10
Population: 43,429
Median Income: $132,435
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Poverty Rate: 4.4%
More on Holly Springs: Data
Holly Springs ranks as the 4th best suburb of Raleigh for 2025.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Holly Springs and the schools are some of the best around.
/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 Raleigh 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: 21,170
Median Income: $85,927
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Poverty Rate: 11.3%
More on Carrboro: Data
Carrboro 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 3.85%.
According to online reports, Carrboro is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Raleigh area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 37,749
Median Income: $111,447
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 8.8%
More on Fuquay-Varina: Data
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Fuquay-Varina.
Fuquay-Varina 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 18.1 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 51,199
Median Income: $120,777
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 2.9%
More on Wake Forest: Data
Wake Forest 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 5.74% of people lack insurance, good for 9th 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: 11,585
Median Income: $93,848
Unemployment Rate: 1.0%
Poverty Rate: 4.2%
More on Wendell: Data
And rounding out the top ten for 2025 is Wendell.
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 Raleigh for 2025
Figuring out the best suburbs around Raleigh 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 Raleigh.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 27 suburbs to evaluate around Raleigh.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 27 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 Raleigh.” 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 Raleigh suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Raleigh ‘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 Raleigh are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Raleigh 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 Raleigh 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 | Cary, NC | 176,686 | $129,399 | $525,200 |
| 4 | Holly Springs, NC | 43,429 | $132,435 | $485,500 |
| 5 | Rolesville, NC | 10,200 | $148,250 | $467,400 |
| 6 | Carrboro, NC | 21,170 | $85,927 | $507,100 |
| 7 | Fuquay-Varina, NC | 37,749 | $111,447 | $410,600 |
| 8 | Wake Forest, NC | 51,199 | $120,777 | $435,000 |
| 9 | Chapel Hill, NC | 59,889 | $85,825 | $576,500 |
| 10 | Wendell, NC | 11,585 | $93,848 | $316,700 |
| 11 | Knightdale, NC | 19,532 | $91,638 | $331,900 |
| 12 | Clayton, NC | 28,043 | $73,348 | $292,400 |
| 13 | Garner, NC | 32,543 | $77,496 | $320,300 |
| 14 | Durham, NC | 288,465 | $79,234 | $355,300 |
| 15 | Archer Lodge, NC | 5,036 | $98,170 | $285,600 |
| 16 | Youngsville, NC | 2,581 | $61,813 | $404,500 |
| 17 | Creedmoor, NC | 4,957 | $77,799 | $260,000 |
| 18 | Angier, NC | 5,746 | $51,162 | $236,100 |
| 19 | Franklinton, NC | 2,562 | $64,053 | $195,800 |
| 20 | Four Oaks, NC | 2,372 | $69,974 | $222,100 |
| 21 | Selma, NC | 6,611 | $37,440 | $161,100 |
| 22 | Zebulon, NC | 7,961 | $58,940 | $275,400 |
| 23 | Butner, NC | 7,996 | $72,917 | $225,600 |
| 24 | Coats, NC | 2,029 | $38,098 | $116,800 |
| 25 | Smithfield, NC | 11,798 | $37,827 | $217,000 |
| 26 | Louisburg, NC | 3,128 | $31,827 | $217,400 |
| 27 | Wilson’s Mills, NC | 2,652 | $61,677 | $228,700 |