Largest suburbs of Raleigh, by population
Population, 2020–24 · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24 5-year estimates · updated 2026-11-15
Cary, NC is the largest suburb of Raleigh, with 179,306 residents.
The 10 largest suburbs hold 517,006 residents combined (American Community Survey 2020–24), equal to 32% of the 1,595,720 residents of the metro area (Census estimate, July 2025).
Raleigh itself has 481,031 residents; 14 suburbs have at least 5,000.
Largest suburbs of Raleigh, by population: the 14
| Rank | City or town | Population | Typical home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cary, NC | 179,306 | $613,000 | $134,905 |
| 2 | Apex, NC | 70,630 | $589,000 | $144,135 |
| 3 | Wake Forest, NC | 52,844 | $504,000 | $123,802 |
| 4 | Holly Springs, NC | 45,248 | $573,000 | $135,578 |
| 5 | Fuquay Varina, NC | 40,485 | $435,000 | $115,497 |
| 6 | Garner, NC | 34,473 | $378,000 | $78,756 |
| 7 | Morrisville, NC | 31,422 | $472,000 | $125,396 |
| 8 | Clayton, NC | 29,320 | $361,000 | $78,822 |
| 9 | Knightdale, NC | 20,214 | $361,000 | $103,220 |
| 10 | Wendell, NC | 13,064 | $366,000 | $95,787 |
| 11 | Smithfield, NC | 12,116 | $289,000 | $43,270 |
| 12 | Rolesville, NC | 10,766 | $491,000 | $149,565 |
| 13 | Zebulon, NC | 8,711 | $338,000 | $79,112 |
| 14 | Selma, NC | 6,817 | $272,000 | $41,368 |
- Under 12,000
- 12,000–22,000
- 22,000–34,000
- 34,000–48,000
- 48,000 or more
- Not ranked
More rankings for the Raleigh area
- Cheapest ZIP codes
- Most expensive ZIP codes
- Where home prices are falling
- Where home prices are rising fastest
- Cheapest rent by ZIP code
- Highest rent by ZIP code
- Where rents are rising fastest
- Richest ZIP codes (household income)
- Cheapest suburbs
- Most expensive suburbs
- Richest suburbs (household income)
- Raleigh metro area: all figures
Largest suburbs (population) in other metro areas
- New York, NY
- Los Angeles, CA
- Chicago, IL
- Dallas, TX
- Houston, TX
- Atlanta, GA
- Washington, DC
- Miami, FL
- Philadelphia, PA
- Phoenix, AZ
- Boston, MA
- Riverside, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- Detroit, MI
- Seattle, WA
- Minneapolis, MN
- Tampa, FL
- San Diego, CA
- Denver, CO
- Orlando, FL
- Charlotte, NC
- Baltimore, MD
- St. Louis, MO
- San Antonio, TX
- Austin, TX
- Portland, OR
- Sacramento, CA
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Cincinnati, OH
- Kansas City, MO
- Columbus, OH
- Indianapolis, IN
- Nashville, TN
- Cleveland, OH
- San Jose, CA
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Jacksonville, FL
- Providence, RI
- Milwaukee, WI
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Louisville, KY
- Richmond, VA
- Memphis, TN
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Fresno, CA
- Birmingham, AL
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Buffalo, NY
Source and method
Population: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24 5-year estimates; figures for 2020–24. Cities and towns in the Raleigh area with at least 5,000 residents and a published figure are ranked (14); Raleigh itself is left out. The metro area is the Raleigh-Cary, NC metropolitan statistical area. Place names for ZIP codes are the neighborhood or city the ZIP code mostly covers. Compiled by Home Economics.
Zillow's "typical" home value and rent are index values for the middle of the market (the Zillow Home Value Index and Observed Rent Index), not median sale prices or asking rents. One-year changes are over the 12 months to September 2026. Income and population come from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey and carry sampling error, most of all in small places.