Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 44/100
D
Median home value$415,800
Raleigh $418,400
Median rent$1,572/mo
Raleigh $1,573/mo
Cost-burdened households36%
Raleigh 28%
Raleigh
Wake County481,031 residentsWake County Schools
68
B−
Suburbgrade score
4th of 14 Raleigh suburbs. Strong on amenities and commute & transport, held back by housing & affordability.
68
Raleigh median 64
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Raleigh yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 68 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Raleigh is like to live in, by category
Bars show Raleigh against Raleigh. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 74/100
B
Within-state proficiency75th pct
Raleigh median 75th pct
Student–teacher ratio14.7
Raleigh median 16.0
Graduation rate90%
Raleigh median 90%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 75/100
B
Housing cost index98
Raleigh 100
Eff. tax rate0.72%
Raleigh 0.68%
Local sales tax7.00%
Raleigh median 7.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 80/100
B+
Mean commute23.0 min
Raleigh 26.8 min
Under 30 minutes71%
Raleigh 60%
Transit stops / sq mi12
Raleigh median 1.7 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 87/100
A−
Restaurants & cafés121
Raleigh median 55 · within 2 miles
Groceries12
Raleigh median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks58
Raleigh median 34 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 58/100
C
Median household income$85,395
Raleigh $100,103
Unemployment4.4%
Raleigh 4.1%
Professional occupations54%
Raleigh 55%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Raleigh yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Raleigh on housing & affordability
Raleigh's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Apex15 mi from RaleighB− 70 B− Holly Springs17 mi from RaleighB− 66 C+ Cary11 mi from RaleighC+ 74 B Wake Forest12 mi from RaleighC 66 C+ Fuquay-Varina17 mi from RaleighC 64 C+ Morrisville11 mi from RaleighC 71 B− Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Raleigh
Is Raleigh, NC a good place to live?
Raleigh scores 68 out of 100, 4th of 14 Raleigh suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Raleigh expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $415,800, 1% below the Raleigh median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.72%. $1,572/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Raleigh?
Schools grade B. The districts serving Raleigh sit at the 75th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 90% graduation rate and a 14.7 student–teacher ratio. Raleigh is served by Wake County Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Raleigh?
The mean commute is 23.0 min, with 71% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 26% working from home. Transit density is 12 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Raleigh?
Within two miles there are 12 groceries, 121 restaurants and cafés and 58 parks, which grades A− on amenities.
Are the homes in Raleigh old or new?
The median home in Raleigh was built in 1997 — close to the Raleigh median of 2000. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 58% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.