State
County
Land Area
58.7 sq mi
Density
2,975.9/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
1.30%
Growth Since 2010
29.23%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Cary is a city located in North Carolina. With a 2020 population of 174,762, it is the 7th largest city in North Carolina and the 153rd largest city in the United States. Cary is currently growing at a rate of 1.30% annually and its population has increased by 29.23% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 135,234 in 2010. Cary reached it's highest population of 174,762 in 2021. Spanning over 60 miles, Cary has a population density of 2,976 people per square mile.
The average household income in Cary is $131,841 with a poverty rate of 4.79%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $1,246 per month, and the median house value is $356,400. The median age in Cary is 39.9 years, 38.9 years for males, and 40.8 years for females. For every 100 females there are 96.4 males.
Cary is an incorporated town located mostly in Wake County with a small portion of the town in Chatham County, North Carolina. It's the third largest town in the Triangle of North Carolina, a region in the Piedmont of North Carolina, behind Raleigh and Durham. Interestingly, Cary is the country's second largest incorporated town after Gilbert, Arizona with a population 162,000 in 2019.
The foreign-born population of Cary is about 21%. Since 2010, the fastest growing demographic in North Carolina, including Greater Raleigh, has been Asian-Americans. North Carolina has one of the country's fastest growing Asian-American populations and the largest communities are in Charlotte and Raleigh, including suburbs like Cary. About 60% of the Asian-American population in North Carolina was born abroad and about half have become naturalized U.S. citizens.
Between 2006 and 2007, Cary was the country's 5th fastest growing municipality although its growth rate has declined since then. Between 2010 and 2017, the population of North Carolina as a whole increased by 738,000, 43% of which was in nine cities and towns like Cary, Raleigh, and Durham. The population of Wake County has experienced significant growth, growing by 171,000 people since 2010. Almost half of this growth has come from people aged 55 and older, many of whom moved to the region to retire, get a new job, or get closer to family.
Cary was originally settled in 1750 by Francis Page, a lumberman and farmer. The town was named for Samuel Fenton Cary, an Ohio prohibitionist and congressman. Due to the inspiration for the town's name, Cary was a dry town without alcohol. For much of its early history, Cary was a farming community growing crops like cotton and tobacco. The region was better known in its early days as Bradford's Ordinary, the name of a popular inn in the town.
The community wasn't linked to a major transportation route for another century when the North Carolina Railroad was constructed through the town. The railroad helped to finally spur growth in the area. By the early 20th century, Cary had one of North Carolina's first public high schools.
Cary modernized with electricity in 1921 and the construction of the Western Wake Highway that made it faster to travel to Raleigh. This gave rise to Cary's popularity as a commuter town. Many suburbs developed around the downtown area in the 1950s and the creation of the Research Triangle Park, a region anchored by North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Duke University, caused the population to double.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Cary was:
Race | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White | 112,127 | 67.44% |
Asian | 31,097 | 18.70% |
Black or African American | 14,169 | 8.52% |
Two or More Races | 4,452 | 2.68% |
Some Other Race | 3,587 | 2.16% |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 695 | 0.42% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 141 | 0.08% |
Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
---|---|---|---|
All | 62,789 | 2.64 | 68.4 |
Married | 38,722 | 3.14 | 80.8 |
Non Family | 16,657 | 1.24 | 48.4 |
Female | 5,282 | 3.22 | 48.2 |
Male | 2,128 | 3.07 | 49.1 |
3.11
Average Family Size
2.64
Average Household Size
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 2,139 | 1.86% |
9th to 12th Grade | 2,049 | 1.78% |
High School Graduate | 11,524 | 10.00% |
Some College | 13,728 | 11.91% |
Associates Degree | 7,667 | 6.65% |
Bachelors Degree | 43,229 | 37.50% |
Graduate Degree | 34,942 | 30.31% |
Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
White | 76,414 | 75,202 | 52,396 |
Asian | 21,162 | 20,179 | 17,546 |
Black | 9,005 | 8,633 | 4,471 |
Hispanic | 6,837 | 5,312 | 2,476 |
Other Race | 2,147 | 1,484 | 462 |
Multiple Races | 1,601 | 1,564 | 1,065 |
Native American | 480 | 384 | 125 |
Islander | 141 | 141 | 90 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100.00%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 82.91%.
$62,862
Average Earnings
$85,005
Average Male
$47,292
Average Female
75.88% of Cary residents speak only English, while 24.12% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Asian and Pacific Island languages, which is spoken by 9.50% of the population.
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
White | 104,113 | 3,646 | 3.50% |
Hispanic | 11,870 | 1,403 | 11.82% |
Black | 14,102 | 1,327 | 9.41% |
Asian | 31,061 | 1,307 | 4.21% |
Other | 3,503 | 327 | 9.33% |
Multiple | 4,444 | 177 | 3.98% |
Native | 695 | 121 | 17.41% |
Islander | 141 | 31 | 21.99% |
4.79%
Overall Poverty Rate
4.26%
Male Poverty Rate
5.30%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Cary is Islander, with 21.99% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Cary is White, with 3.50% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.07%. Among those working part-time, it was 7.28%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 8.68%.
61.8%
Overall Marriage Rate
64.3%
Male Marriage Rate
59.4%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is 45-54, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
---|---|---|
White | 5,915 | 6.86% |
Black | 720 | 7.07% |
Hispanic | 251 | 3.16% |
Asian | 210 | 0.93% |
2 or More | 48 | 2.38% |
Hawaiian | 31 | 21.99% |
Indian | 10 | 1.86% |
3.33%
Veteran Poverty Rate
19.10%
Veteran Disability Rate
70.9%
Labor Force Participation
68.5%
Employment Rate
3.2%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
77.87%
Native Born
22.13%
Foreign Born
10.47%
Non Citizen
11.67%
Naturalized
77.87% of Cary residents were born in the United States, with 28.97% having been born in North Carolina. 10.47% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.
Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 174,762 | 2,240 | 1.30% |
2020 | 172,522 | 2,240 | 1.32% |
2019 | 170,282 | 2,240 | 1.33% |
2018 | 168,042 | 2,115 | 1.27% |
2017 | 165,927 | 3,450 | 2.12% |
2016 | 162,477 | 2,765 | 1.73% |
2015 | 159,712 | 4,273 | 2.75% |
2014 | 155,439 | 4,111 | 2.72% |
2013 | 151,328 | 5,174 | 3.54% |
2012 | 146,154 | 3,945 | 2.77% |
2011 | 142,209 | 5,123 | 3.74% |
2010 | 137,086 | 42,550 | 3.79% |
2000 | 94,536 | 50,678 | 7.98% |
1990 | 43,858 | 22,095 | 7.26% |
1980 | 21,763 | 14,333 | 11.35% |
1970 | 7,430 | 4,074 | 8.27% |
1960 | 3,356 | 2,256 | 5.74% |
1940 | 1,100 | 0.00% |