Cary, NC

Census Place

2024 Population

179,306

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

40.2

1.01% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

5.66%

7.16% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$134,905

4.26% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$580,200

Population & Diversity

Cary, NC is home to a population of 179k people, from which 89% are citizens.

As of 2024, 23.8% of Cary, NC residents were born outside of the country (42.6k people).

In 2024, there were 2.79 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (102k people) in Cary, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 36.4k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 13.6k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

89%

2024 Citizenship

88.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 89% of Cary, NC residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Cary, NC was 88.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Cary, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Cary, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
102k ± 2.5k
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
36.4k ± 1.74k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
13.6k ± 1.44k

9.55%

Hispanic Population

17.1k people

9.55% of the people in Cary, NC are hispanic (17.1k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Cary, NC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for North Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
228,441 ± 11,609 people
India
90,815 ± 7,367 people
Honduras
52,061 ± 5,588 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 228,441 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 90,815 and Honduras with 52,061.

Foreign-Born Population

23.8%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

42.6k people

23.6%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

41.8k people

As of 2024, 23.8% of Cary, NC residents (42.6k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Cary, NC was 23.6%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Cary, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,912 ± 357
Gulf War (2001-)
1,621 ± 285
Gulf War (1990s)
1,299 ± 349

Cary, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.18 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Cary, NC.

Economy

The economy of Cary, NC employs 95.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Cary, NC were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (24,137 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (11,230 people), and Manufacturing (9,845 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($170,125), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($126,212), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($118,646).

Employment

Occupations

95.4k

2024 Value

± 2,858

1.98%

1 Year growth

± 4.08%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Cary, NC grew at a rate of 1.98%, from 93.5k employees to 95.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Cary, NC, are Management Occupations (16,044 people), Computer & Mathematical Occupations (14,199 people), and Business & Financial Operations Occupations (9,356 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Cary, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

95.4k

2024 Value

± 2,858

1.98%

1 Year growth

± 4.08%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Cary, NC grew at a rate of 1.98%, from 93.5k employees to 95.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Cary, NC, are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (24,137 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (11,230 people), and Manufacturing (9,845 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Cary, NC, though some of these residents may live in Cary, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$102,296

Median earning men ± $4,115

$60,907

Median earning women ± $2,191

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($135,769), Information ($134,345), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($130,118).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($93,726), Manufacturing ($86,326), and Public Administration ($80,217).

Education

The student population of Cary, NC in 2024 is skewed towards men, with 175 male students and 26 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Cary, NC are White (46 and 86.8%), Hispanic or Latino (5 and 9.43%), Asian (1 and 1.89%), and Black or African American (1 and 1.89%).

The largest universities in Cary, NC by number of degrees awarded are Shepherds Theological Seminary (56 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Cary, NC are Theological Studies (50 and 89.3%) and Divinity & Ministry (6 and 10.7%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 201 students enrolled in Cary, NC, 87.1% men and 12.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 163 records, of which 11.7% were women and 88.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Theological Studies

Most Common

50 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Masters Degree recipients in Cary, NC was Theological Studies with 50 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Masters Degree from schools in Cary, NC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Shepherds Theological Seminary

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

56 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Shepherds Theological Seminary with 56 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 47 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Cary, NC, which is 5.22 times more than the 9 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 46 degrees mean that there were 9.2 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 5 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Cary, NC was $580,200 in 2024, which is 1.74 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $525,200 to $580,200, a 10.5% increase. The homeownership rate in Cary, NC is 66.6%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Cary, NC have an average commute time of 22.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Cary, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$580,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$11,119

$46,439

Median Property Taxes

±$1,529

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Cary, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Cary, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

66.6%

Homeownership

2024

65.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 66.6% of the housing units in Cary, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 66.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Cary, NC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$134,905

Median Household Income

± $3,712

69.7k

Number of Households

± 2,192

In 2024, the median household income of the 69.7k households in Cary, NC grew to $134,905 from the previous year's value of $129,399.

The following chart displays the households in Cary, NC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Cary, NC is from North Carolina.

0.466

2024 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2024, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.466 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.16% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Carolina in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in North Carolina across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (56.3%)
Worked At Home (36.5%)
Carpooled (4.5%)

In 2024, 56.3% of workers in Cary, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (36.5%) and those who carpooled to work (4.5%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

22.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Cary, NC have a shorter commute time (22.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.55% of the workforce in Cary, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Cary, NC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Cary, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Cary, NC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

5.66% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Cary, NC (10.1k out of 179k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 35 - 44, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Cary, NC is White, followed by Hispanic and Black.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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