Cary is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, home to about 179,306 people across 59 square miles. Its ZIP codes are 27511, 27513, 27518 and 27519, and parts of 27523, 27539, 27560, 27606 and 27607 are in Cary too.
Homes sold for a median of $262 per square foot across 4 ZIP codes in the three months ending August 2026, and all of them were seller’s markets.
Mostly Apex; part is in Cary
Mostly Apex; part is in Cary
Mostly Morrisville; part is in Cary
Mostly Raleigh; part is in Cary
Mostly Raleigh; part is in Cary
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Cary. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Cary’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)7 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Raleigh, NC11 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Philadelphia, PA354 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Cary; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Cary had 174,721 residents in the 2020 census, up 85% since 2000.
It’s the 7th largest of 771 towns in North Carolina by population.
Wake County grew from 54,626 residents in 1900 to 1,129,410 in 2020.
Wake County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 89°F in summer, and winter lows average 31°F. About 48.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 5 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Apex, NC weather station (3 miles away).
556,250 jobs at 33,873 businesses in Wake County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
2,903 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Cary’s ZIP codes.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 248 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 291 |
| Dentists | 216 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 496 |
| Mental health providers | 939 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 579 |
| Optometrists | 53 |
| Chiropractors | 81 |
| Pharmacies | 80 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (95 nearby)
Grocery stores (47 nearby)
Pharmacies (21 nearby)
Libraries (3 nearby)
Museums
Theaters and performance venues (4 nearby)
Counts are within about 5 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Established in 1750.
Sports teams
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Wake County Schools, Cardinal Charter, Triangle Math and Science Academy. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams ElementaryCary | Pre-K–5 | 655 | Public | 3.1 mi |
| Alston Ridge ElementaryCary | Pre-K–5 | 917 | Public | 7.1 mi |
| Briarcliff ElementaryCary | Pre-K–5 | 486 | Public | 1.9 mi |
| Carpenter ElementaryCary | Pre-K–5 | 604 | Public | 3.6 mi |
| Cary ElementaryCary | Pre-K–5 | 477 | Public | 2.0 mi |
| Farmington Woods ElementaryCary | Pre-K–5 | 648 | Public | 2.8 mi |
| Green Hope ElementaryCary | Pre-K–5 | 548 | Public | 2.9 mi |
| Highcroft ElementaryCary | Pre-K–5 | 698 | Public | 4.0 mi |
| Hortons Creek ElementaryCary | Pre-K–5 | 739 | Public | 6.6 mi |
| Kingswood ElementaryCary | Pre-K–5 | 427 | Public | 2.3 mi |
| Mills Park ElementaryCary | Pre-K–5 | 594 | Public | 4.9 mi |
| Northwoods ElementaryCary | Pre-K–5 | 579 | Public | 1.8 mi |
| Turner Creek ElementaryCary | Pre-K–5 | 638 | Public | 3.3 mi |
| Weatherstone ElementaryCary | Pre-K–5 | 730 | Public | 0.9 mi |
| Cardinal Charter AcademyCary | K–8 | 584 | Charter | 2.5 mi |
| Davis Drive ElementaryCary | K–5 | 794 | Public | 1.9 mi |
| Penny Road ElementaryCary | K–5 | 509 | Public | 4.5 mi |
| Reedy Creek ElementaryCary | K–5 | 605 | Public | 3.6 mi |
| Triangle Math and Science AcademyCary | K–12 | 1,904 | Charter | 3.3 mi |
| Alston Ridge MiddleCary | 6–8 | 1,494 | Public | 7.1 mi |
| Connections AcademyCary | 6–8 | 8 | Alternative Education | 4.3 mi |
| Davis Drive MiddleCary | 6–8 | 992 | Public | 1.9 mi |
| East Cary MiddleCary | 6–8 | 597 | Public | 2.9 mi |
| Mills Park MiddleCary | 6–8 | 1,632 | Public | 5.0 mi |
| Reedy Creek MiddleCary | 6–8 | 805 | Public | 3.5 mi |
| West Cary MiddleCary | 6–8 | 824 | Public | 2.0 mi |
| Cary HighCary | 9–12 | 2,044 | Public | 2.9 mi |
| Crossroads FLEXCary | 9–12 | 139 | Public | 4.8 mi |
| Green Hope HighCary | 9–12 | 2,304 | Public | 3.3 mi |
| Green Level HighCary | 9–12 | 2,283 | Public | 4.7 mi |
And 3 more.
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chesterbrook Academy-Preschool and ElementaryCary | Pre-K–8 | 193 | Nonsectarian | 1.2 mi |
| Lucy Daniels SchoolCary | Pre-K–5 | 16 | Nonsectarian | 3.5 mi |
| Renaissance Montessori School of CaryCary | Pre-K–K | 39 | Nonsectarian | 4.2 mi |
| Resurrection Lutheran SchoolCary | Pre-K–8 | 165 | Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod | 4.1 mi |
| St Michael the Archangel Catholic SchoolCary | Pre-K–8 | 476 | Roman Catholic | 0.5 mi |
| Triangle Montessori AcademyCary | Pre-K–6 | 76 | Nonsectarian | 2.8 mi |
| The Grove School of CaryCary | TK | 11 | Nonsectarian | 1.2 mi |
| Cary Christian SchoolCary | K–12 | 844 | Christian (no specific denomination) | 0.6 mi |
| Knowledge Beginnings SchoolCary | K | 10 | Nonsectarian | 1.8 mi |
| Mariposa SchoolCary | 4–12 | 14 | Nonsectarian | 3.1 mi |
| Cary AcademyCary | 6–12 | 789 | Nonsectarian | 3.8 mi |
| True Abalities Lrng. Academy LlcCary | Ungraded | 19 | Nonsectarian | 2.2 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Raleigh, Morrisville, Apex, Holly Springs, Durham and Fuquay-Varina.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.