Best places to live in North Carolina
3 North Carolina metros scored on the default family weighting — schools and safety heaviest, then affordability, climate, college pipeline and jobs. Change the weights on the ranking engine to see your own order.
Who lives in North Carolina
Population-weighted racial and ethnic composition across the 3 tracked North Carolina metros, from Census ACS table B03002.
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 56.5%
- Hispanic or Latino
- 12.6%
- Black (non-Hispanic)
- 20.9%
- Asian (non-Hispanic)
- 5.3%
- Other or two or more
- 4.8%
Diversity index 77/100 — how evenly the population is spread across these groups. It is descriptive, not a judgement: weight it up, down or to zero on the ranking engine.
| # | Metro | Score | US rank | Typical home | Schools | Safety | Climate | Diversity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raleigh | 69.1 | #2 of 103 | $428k | 72 | 40 | 31° / 89° | 77 |
| 2 | Durham-Chapel Hill | 66.7 | #3 of 103 | $402k | 54 | 40 | 31° / 89° | 80 |
| 3 | Charlotte | 56.9 | #29 of 103 | $381k | 51 | 40 | 32° / 89° | 76 |
Figures are compiled estimates. Methodology and sources.