If your city is home to many old tobacco farms and factories, you better believe you house some crazy rich cities. And, yes, we’re talking about you, North Carolina.
Not every city on our top ten wealthiest cities in North Carolina for 2025 can compare to Beverly Hills, CA, but there are a ton of wealthy North Carolina gems with bourgeois Southern charm.
To create this list, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the latest Census and Zillow data on incomes and home prices. We limited the analysis to 214 North Carolina cities with more than 3,000 residents.
Cities on our list like Apex and Cary are the playground of North Carolina’s rich and famous with great parks, schools, and shopping. And if you live in Pinehurst, your friends will think that you are super rich with 20 golf courses to show off within ten minutes of your house.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Richest Places In North Carolina For 2025
What city in North Carolina is the richest? The richest city in North Carolina is Marvin according to the most recent Census data we analyzed.
You need to find a job that pays on average $113,670/year to live in one of these cities.
It’s not lost on us that there are multiple cities on our ten best places to live in North Carolina for 2025 that are also on our wealthiest list.
Wealthy cities tend to have it all.
Rich people not your cup of tea? Feel free to check out some more reading about North Carolina:
The 10 Richest Cities In North Carolina For 2025
1. Marvin
/10
Population: 6,542
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Values: $1,228,093
More on Marvin: Data | Cost Of Living
2. Weddington
/10
Population: 13,468
Median Income: $196,159
Median Home Values: $1,055,377
More on Weddington: Data | Cost Of Living
3. Davidson
/10
Population: 14,852
Median Income: $152,969
Median Home Values: $654,799
More on Davidson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
4. Wesley Chapel
/10
Population: 8,923
Median Income: $129,962
Median Home Values: $645,802
More on Wesley Chapel: Data | Cost Of Living
5. Southern Shores
/10
6. Apex
/10
Population: 67,765
Median Income: $138,442
Median Home Values: $605,133
More on Apex: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
7. Oak Ridge
/10
Population: 7,660
Median Income: $140,583
Median Home Values: $577,411
More on Oak Ridge: Data | Cost Of Living
8. Cary
/10
Population: 176,686
Median Income: $129,399
Median Home Values: $621,069
More on Cary: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
9. St. James
/10
Population: 6,901
Median Income: $113,670
Median Home Values: $698,330
More on St. James: Data | Cost Of Living
10. Waxhaw
/10
Population: 21,565
Median Income: $128,115
Median Home Values: $619,537
More on Waxhaw: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In North Carolina For 2025
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the richest places is simply identifying personal incomes. After all, rich people have really high salaries.
However, we don’t believe that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “richest places.” So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2019-2023 American Community Survey and applied Saturday Night Science:
- Median Home Values
- Median Household Income
Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place is. And home values are a measure of wealth. The two combine to define a “Rich City.”
After we collected the data for all 214 places with more than 3,000 people in North Carolina, we ranked each place from 1 to 214 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the richest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Rich Score,” with the place having the lowest overall Rich Score, Marvin, crowned the “Richest City In North Carolina For 2025.”
The data has been updated for 2025. This is our tenth time ranking the wealthiest cities in North Carolina.
You can skip to the end to see the rankings for all 214 places.
Summary: The Wealthiest Places In North Carolina For 2025
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the richest places in North Carolina, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in North Carolina.
The richest cities in North Carolina are Marvin, Weddington, Davidson, Wesley Chapel, Southern Shores, Apex, Oak Ridge, Cary, St. James, and Waxhaw.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very top of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the poorest cities in North Carolina, according to data:
Poorest: Red Springs
2nd Poorest: Plymouth
3rd Poorest: Wadesboro
For more North Carolina reading, check out:
- Cheapest Places To Live In North Carolina
- Best Places To Raise A Family In North Carolina
- Most Dangerous Cities In North Carolina
Detailed List Of The Richest Cities In North Carolina
| Rank | City | RichScore | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marvin | 1.0 | $250,001 | $1,228,093 |
| 2 | Weddington | 2.0 | $196,159 | $1,055,377 |
| 3 | Davidson | 5.0 | $152,969 | $654,799 |
| 4 | Wesley Chapel | 9.5 | $129,962 | $645,802 |
| 5 | Southern Shores | 10.0 | $116,859 | $802,671 |
| 6 | Apex | 11.0 | $138,442 | $605,133 |
| 7 | Oak Ridge | 12.0 | $140,583 | $577,411 |
| 8 | Cary | 12.0 | $129,399 | $621,069 |
| 9 | St. James | 12.5 | $113,670 | $698,330 |
| 10 | Waxhaw | 13.0 | $128,115 | $619,537 |
| 11 | Holly Springs | 13.0 | $132,435 | $582,531 |
| 12 | Rolesville | 17.0 | $148,250 | $507,009 |
| 13 | Huntersville | 18.0 | $119,951 | $544,472 |
| 14 | Summerfield | 18.0 | $151,131 | $495,986 |
| 15 | Harrisburg | 19.5 | $143,393 | $490,643 |
| 16 | Wake Forest | 21.0 | $120,777 | $518,745 |
| 17 | Whispering Pines | 22.0 | $112,517 | $530,790 |
| 18 | Cornelius | 22.0 | $114,688 | $518,911 |
| 19 | Emerald Isle | 22.5 | $89,432 | $745,320 |
| 20 | Fuquay-Varina | 23.5 | $111,447 | $526,595 |
| 21 | Morrisville | 24.0 | $125,404 | $490,042 |
| 22 | Pinehurst | 25.5 | $104,955 | $531,820 |
| 23 | Kitty Hawk | 26.0 | $88,811 | $643,853 |
| 24 | Nags Head | 27.5 | $87,619 | $717,055 |
| 25 | Matthews | 29.0 | $105,579 | $497,609 |
| 26 | Mint Hill | 30.0 | $99,272 | $505,981 |
| 27 | Carolina Beach | 31.5 | $88,239 | $599,254 |
| 28 | Fairview | 32.0 | $89,417 | $536,438 |
| 29 | Chapel Hill | 32.0 | $85,825 | $634,875 |
| 30 | Stallings | 32.0 | $106,074 | $469,175 |
| 31 | Mills River | 34.0 | $88,359 | $543,826 |
| 32 | Surf City | 34.5 | $84,833 | $631,771 |
| 33 | Hillsborough | 35.5 | $98,467 | $475,582 |
| 34 | Flat Rock | 36.0 | $103,981 | $465,632 |
| 35 | Weaverville | 38.5 | $90,000 | $477,461 |
| 36 | Stokesdale | 39.5 | $135,389 | $379,239 |
| 37 | Mooresville | 40.0 | $88,592 | $479,928 |
| 38 | Oak Island | 41.0 | $83,483 | $564,739 |
| 39 | Kill Devil Hills | 41.5 | $85,747 | $517,747 |
| 40 | Indian Trail | 41.5 | $99,073 | $420,567 |
| 41 | Trent Woods | 44.0 | $109,097 | $387,231 |
| 42 | Unionville | 45.5 | $92,009 | $412,844 |
| 43 | Carrboro | 49.5 | $85,927 | $439,156 |
| 44 | Belmont | 51.0 | $86,442 | $423,854 |
| 45 | Swansboro | 51.5 | $112,382 | $354,659 |
| 46 | Mineral Springs | 52.5 | $88,203 | $409,967 |
| 47 | Sunset Beach | 52.5 | $84,934 | $432,482 |
| 48 | Midland | 53.5 | $85,551 | $423,367 |
| 49 | Southern Pines | 53.5 | $83,681 | $456,422 |
| 50 | Wendell | 55.5 | $93,848 | $374,212 |
| 51 | Archer Lodge | 56.0 | $98,170 | $366,282 |
| 52 | Knightdale | 57.0 | $91,638 | $369,802 |
| 53 | Holly Ridge | 57.0 | $106,230 | $338,728 |
| 54 | Raleigh | 58.0 | $82,424 | $435,712 |
| 55 | Leland | 59.0 | $88,576 | $375,149 |
| 56 | Pittsboro | 61.5 | $64,792 | $547,030 |
| 57 | Southport | 62.0 | $82,792 | $406,919 |
| 58 | Lewisville | 63.0 | $84,424 | $386,875 |
| 59 | Jame | 64.0 | $90,542 | $341,915 |
| 60 | Concord | 65.0 | $84,752 | $378,958 |
| 61 | Fletcher | 66.0 | $75,117 | $448,045 |
| 62 | Clemmons | 66.5 | $84,326 | $378,743 |
| 63 | Gibsonville | 66.5 | $105,981 | $299,083 |
| 64 | Black Mountain | 67.5 | $70,041 | $468,617 |
| 65 | Durham | 68.0 | $79,234 | $399,062 |
| 66 | Asheville | 69.5 | $67,221 | $468,275 |
| 67 | Troutman | 70.0 | $76,389 | $405,486 |
| 68 | Charlotte | 70.0 | $78,438 | $395,529 |
| 69 | Locust | 72.0 | $78,280 | $385,832 |
| 70 | Belville | 72.5 | $86,875 | $332,908 |
| 71 | Mebane | 72.5 | $84,312 | $353,891 |
| 72 | Cramerton | 72.5 | $94,390 | $295,959 |
| 73 | Garner | 73.5 | $77,496 | $383,954 |
| 74 | Wallburg | 74.5 | $78,821 | $375,132 |
| 75 | Lake Park | 75.0 | $76,366 | $382,406 |
| 76 | Pleasant Garden | 75.5 | $88,482 | $304,058 |
| 77 | Elon | 76.5 | $82,717 | $345,385 |
| 78 | Bermuda Run | 81.0 | $66,800 | $397,319 |
| 79 | Red Oak | 81.5 | $81,464 | $333,266 |
| 80 | Mount Holly | 82.0 | $75,928 | $359,800 |
| 81 | Wilmington | 82.0 | $63,900 | $412,376 |
| 82 | Creedmoor | 83.0 | $77,799 | $342,265 |
| 83 | Woodfin | 83.0 | $62,759 | $418,865 |
| 84 | Pineville | 83.5 | $64,257 | $400,594 |
| 85 | Clayton | 84.5 | $73,348 | $365,820 |
| 86 | Stanley | 85.0 | $71,333 | $366,940 |
| 87 | Boiling Springs | 86.5 | $98,796 | $260,269 |
| 88 | Newport | 86.5 | $76,091 | $338,278 |
| 89 | Aberdeen | 88.0 | $72,955 | $345,712 |
| 90 | Eastover | 88.5 | $80,000 | $306,389 |
| 91 | Walke | 90.0 | $80,761 | $296,001 |
| 92 | Shallotte | 90.5 | $75,642 | $318,418 |
| 93 | Monroe | 90.5 | $67,265 | $349,834 |
| 94 | Midway | 90.5 | $75,208 | $320,625 |
| 95 | Carolina Shores | 92.5 | $74,310 | $318,379 |
| 96 | Winterville | 94.0 | $82,783 | $277,048 |
| 97 | Kernersville | 97.5 | $69,923 | $314,145 |
| 98 | Trinity | 100.0 | $80,349 | $273,481 |
| 99 | Morehead City | 100.5 | $53,718 | $408,171 |
| 100 | Benson | 101.5 | $65,614 | $310,987 |