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 2026 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 216 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 2026
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 $116,383/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 2026 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 2026
1. Marvin
/10
Population: 6,692
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Values: $1,251,046
More on Marvin: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
2. Weddington
/10
Population: 13,805
Median Income: $190,766
Median Home Values: $1,074,643
More on Weddington: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
3. Davidson
/10
Population: 15,660
Median Income: $166,556
Median Home Values: $655,967
More on Davidson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
4. Southern Shores
/10
5. Wesley Chapel
/10
Population: 9,090
Median Income: $132,188
Median Home Values: $659,095
More on Wesley Chapel: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
6. Oak Ridge
/10
Population: 7,744
Median Income: $155,385
Median Home Values: $599,278
More on Oak Ridge: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
7. Cary
/10
Population: 179,306
Median Income: $134,905
Median Home Values: $626,395
More on Cary: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
8. Waxhaw
/10
Population: 22,275
Median Income: $131,894
Median Home Values: $628,812
More on Waxhaw: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
9. Apex
/10
Population: 70,630
Median Income: $144,135
Median Home Values: $599,084
More on Apex: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
10. St. James
/10
Population: 7,072
Median Income: $116,383
Median Home Values: $694,376
More on St. James: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In North Carolina For 2026
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 2020-2024 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 216 places with more than 3,000 people in North Carolina, we ranked each place from 1 to 216 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 2026.”
The data has been updated for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the wealthiest cities in North Carolina.
You can skip to the end to see the rankings for all 216 places.
Summary: The Wealthiest Places In North Carolina For 2026
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, Southern Shores, Wesley Chapel, Oak Ridge, Cary, Waxhaw, Apex, and St. James.
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: Rockingham
For more North Carolina reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In North Carolina
- Most Dangerous Cities In North Carolina
- Cheapest Places To Live 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 | $1,251,046 |
| 2 | Weddington | 2.0 | $190,766 | $1,074,643 |
| 3 | Davidson | 5.5 | $166,556 | $655,967 |
| 4 | Southern Shores | 8.0 | $131,429 | $803,113 |
| 5 | Wesley Chapel | 9.0 | $132,188 | $659,095 |
| 6 | Oak Ridge | 10.0 | $155,385 | $599,278 |
| 7 | Cary | 11.0 | $134,905 | $626,395 |
| 8 | Waxhaw | 11.5 | $131,894 | $628,812 |
| 9 | Apex | 12.0 | $144,135 | $599,084 |
| 10 | St. James | 12.5 | $116,383 | $694,376 |
| 11 | Holly Springs | 13.0 | $135,578 | $579,090 |
| 12 | Summerfield | 16.0 | $160,275 | $519,609 |
| 13 | Whispering Pines | 18.5 | $126,450 | $529,288 |
| 14 | Huntersville | 18.5 | $120,516 | $550,754 |
| 15 | Rolesville | 19.0 | $149,565 | $497,995 |
| 16 | Harrisburg | 20.0 | $148,254 | $494,883 |
| 17 | Pinehurst | 22.5 | $109,802 | $535,650 |
| 18 | Fuquay-Varina | 23.0 | $115,497 | $525,746 |
| 19 | Wake Forest | 23.0 | $123,802 | $512,160 |
| 20 | Cornelius | 23.5 | $113,767 | $527,117 |
| 21 | Mills River | 25.0 | $105,398 | $530,765 |
| 22 | Morrisville | 25.5 | $125,396 | $480,925 |
| 23 | Kitty Hawk | 26.0 | $94,450 | $645,914 |
| 24 | Nags Head | 26.0 | $91,264 | $720,238 |
| 25 | Emerald Isle | 27.75 | $89,773 | $748,241 |
| 26 | Matthews | 28.0 | $108,611 | $501,847 |
| 27 | Carolina Beach | 29.0 | $94,398 | $606,035 |
| 28 | Fairview | 30.5 | $98,808 | $524,192 |
| 29 | Stallings | 31.0 | $115,974 | $461,632 |
| 30 | Mint Hill | 31.5 | $100,860 | $513,193 |
| 31 | Chapel Hill | 36.5 | $85,989 | $631,166 |
| 32 | Hillsborough | 37.0 | $98,163 | $472,961 |
| 33 | Kill Devil Hills | 39.25 | $89,773 | $521,722 |
| 34 | Indian Trail | 40.5 | $108,483 | $419,102 |
| 35 | Flat Rock | 40.5 | $95,098 | $464,129 |
| 36 | Oak Island | 41.0 | $85,872 | $568,671 |
| 37 | Midland | 42.5 | $101,477 | $424,407 |
| 38 | Stokesdale | 43.5 | $121,071 | $386,451 |
| 39 | Mooresville | 44.0 | $89,647 | $482,315 |
| 40 | Belmont | 45.0 | $94,883 | $432,564 |
| 41 | Unionville | 46.0 | $96,028 | $419,700 |
| 42 | Surf City | 47.0 | $81,433 | $621,961 |
| 43 | Weaverville | 47.5 | $88,221 | $468,960 |
| 44 | Mineral Springs | 47.5 | $91,500 | $432,121 |
| 45 | Lewisville | 48.0 | $100,917 | $404,563 |
| 46 | Southern Pines | 49.0 | $88,535 | $456,115 |
| 47 | Pittsboro | 49.5 | $81,639 | $548,635 |
| 48 | Trent Woods | 50.0 | $107,802 | $383,827 |
| 49 | Jame | 52.0 | $104,844 | $380,540 |
| 50 | Troutman | 52.0 | $98,462 | $396,168 |
| 51 | Swansboro | 55.0 | $114,425 | $351,711 |
| 52 | Knightdale | 55.0 | $103,220 | $370,204 |
| 53 | Raleigh | 56.5 | $85,395 | $433,996 |
| 54 | Carrboro | 57.5 | $85,743 | $429,674 |
| 55 | Southport | 59.5 | $87,641 | $410,515 |
| 56 | Holly Ridge | 60.0 | $104,788 | $344,568 |
| 57 | Wallburg | 60.0 | $88,406 | $400,219 |
| 58 | Wendell | 60.0 | $95,787 | $369,603 |
| 59 | Youngsville | 60.0 | $86,528 | $410,704 |
| 60 | Leland | 61.0 | $91,977 | $376,599 |
| 61 | Sunset Beach | 61.5 | $81,976 | $440,728 |
| 62 | Archer Lodge | 62.0 | $91,188 | $377,861 |
| 63 | Clemmons | 64.0 | $87,655 | $387,813 |
| 64 | Black Mountain | 64.5 | $77,042 | $463,738 |
| 65 | Concord | 67.5 | $86,921 | $382,592 |
| 66 | Fletcher | 69.0 | $75,272 | $446,279 |
| 67 | Mars Hill | 69.5 | $81,429 | $415,654 |
| 68 | Charlotte | 71.0 | $82,068 | $397,125 |
| 69 | Red Oak | 71.5 | $90,214 | $337,135 |
| 70 | Gibsonville | 72.0 | $95,861 | $307,075 |
| 71 | Asheville | 72.0 | $71,102 | $460,993 |
| 72 | Durham | 73.5 | $81,619 | $396,394 |
| 73 | Woodfin | 75.5 | $71,384 | $427,001 |
| 74 | Shallotte | 76.5 | $88,367 | $320,250 |
| 75 | Mebane | 78.5 | $83,174 | $353,220 |
| 76 | Elon | 78.5 | $84,773 | $350,879 |
| 77 | Garner | 79.0 | $78,756 | $384,100 |
| 78 | Locust | 80.0 | $76,504 | $384,686 |
| 79 | Pleasant Garden | 80.0 | $88,204 | $315,482 |
| 80 | Creedmoor | 81.5 | $82,961 | $342,136 |
| 81 | Wilmington | 82.5 | $66,738 | $416,159 |
| 82 | Mount Holly | 83.0 | $79,385 | $360,773 |
| 83 | Clayton | 83.0 | $78,822 | $364,741 |
| 84 | Midway | 84.0 | $83,446 | $319,173 |
| 85 | Bermuda Run | 84.0 | $69,301 | $404,760 |
| 86 | Pineville | 84.5 | $69,354 | $403,663 |
| 87 | Stanley | 87.0 | $75,461 | $364,170 |
| 88 | Zebulon | 88.5 | $79,112 | $341,720 |
| 89 | Aberdeen | 90.5 | $75,078 | $352,796 |
| 90 | Cramerton | 90.5 | $82,160 | $305,443 |
| 91 | Monroe | 91.0 | $72,540 | $356,519 |
| 92 | Brevard | 92.5 | $54,103 | $464,517 |
| 93 | Lake Park | 94.0 | $66,411 | $375,232 |
| 94 | Carolina Shores | 94.0 | $76,087 | $319,365 |
| 95 | Eastover | 94.5 | $85,156 | $281,329 |
| 96 | Trinity | 96.0 | $82,664 | $287,548 |
| 97 | Kernersville | 97.5 | $71,918 | $322,446 |
| 98 | Lillington | 97.5 | $81,760 | $290,909 |
| 99 | Winterville | 98.5 | $83,193 | $278,291 |
| 100 | Maiden | 99.0 | $75,511 | $303,776 |