Cary, Apex rank among nation’s best places to live in 2026

Cary and Apex landed another round of national bragging rights this week, with U.S. News & World Report ranking Cary No. 11 and Apex No. 20 on its 2026-2027 Best Places to Live list. The rankings drew from more than 850 places and narrowed the field to 250 major cities, using value, desirability, a strong job market and quality of life. For Wake County, the result is more than a plaque-worthy headline: it reinforces how strongly the county’s western suburbs continue to attract buyers, employers and newcomers.

The scores beneath the rankings show why both towns keep drawing attention, and why the price of living there matters. Cary’s overall score was 6.9, with a median home value of $570,890, median rent of $1,564, median household income of $136,700 and an average commute of 21.03 minutes. Apex scored 6.8, with a median home value of $549,424, median rent of $1,658, median household income of $144,481 and an average commute of 23 minutes. Cary also ranked No. 1 in North Carolina, while Apex was No. 2, keeping both towns near the top of the state list.

That top-tier status sits alongside the harder reality of Wake County’s growth. County government says Wake is adding about 66 people a day and has gained more than 103,000 residents since 2020. The Census Bureau estimated the county’s population at 1,257,235 on July 1, 2025, up from 1,129,410 in the 2020 Census. That scale of growth puts pressure on roads, school capacity and housing supply, even as the suburbs continue to score well on the quality-of-life measures that shape these rankings.

Apex’s own housing report helps explain the tension. The town said its median home sales price in June 2025 was $650,750 and average rent was $2,300, a reminder that demand has pushed prices well beyond what many households can comfortably absorb. Cary and Apex were already near the top in the previous year’s ranking, when Cary placed No. 5 and Apex No. 7, and Cary also earned a top-5% job market ranking tied to Research Triangle Park. The latest numbers suggest the appeal remains strong, but so do the tradeoffs that come with being among the country’s fastest-growing suburbs.