{"id":885,"date":"2026-05-20T10:39:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T10:39:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=885"},"modified":"2026-05-20T10:39:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T10:39:30","slug":"these-central-nc-towns-rank-among-the-best-places-to-live-in-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=885","title":{"rendered":"These central NC towns rank among the best places to live in America"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) \u2014\u00a0Two Wake County communities ranked among the top 20 best places to live in the United States, according to a new national report released on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=883\">More than 17,000 under evacuation orders as Southern California wildfire threatens homes<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The annual 2026\u20132027 \u201cBest Places to Live\u201d rankings from U.S. News &amp; World Report evaluated hundreds of cities and towns nationwide, with several North Carolina communities earning spots on the list.<\/p>\n<p>Cary led the state and ranked No. 11 nationally, while Apex followed at No. 20.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCary\u2019s continued recognition as one of the nation\u2019s top communities is especially meaningful because it reflects what people experience here every day,\u201d Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople come here and stay here because Cary offers a rare combination of safety, opportunity, beauty, connection, and service. On behalf of Council, I\u2019m grateful for our residents, community partners, and outstanding staff, whose shared commitment and thoughtful work continue to make Cary one of the best places to live in America.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to the U.S. News &amp; World Report, Cary scored highly for value compared to similarly sized cities and also benefited from shorter-than-average commute times, a strong job market, lower unemployment and higher median household income.<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere in central North Carolina, Pinehurst ranked No. 102 nationally, while Raleigh and Chapel Hill came in at No. 185 and No. 188, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=881\">Residents of Lithuania\u2019s capital told to shelter as drone alarm underlines NATO\u2019s eastern jitters<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In the statewide rankings, Cary, Apex and Pinehurst claimed the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 5 spots. Raleigh and Chapel Hill ranked No. 8 and No. 9.<\/p>\n<p>Other central North Carolina communities included in the statewide rankings were Durham (No. 12), Rocky Mount (No. 17), Goldsboro (No. 21) and Fayetteville (No. 22).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Looking for more positive news in your day? Check out The Bright Side \u2600\ufe0f<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The rankings were based on several factors, including quality of life, affordability, health care access, retiree taxes, desirability and job market strength.<\/p>\n<p>According to the publication, the rankings were determined using a public survey of thousands of U.S. residents, along with data from federal agencies, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.<\/p>\n<p>The recognition comes after Niche.com once again named Cary the best place to live in North Carolina for 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=879\">FRENCH OPEN \u201926: Coco Gauff has a new mindset for title defense and more confidence on her serve<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) \u2014\u00a0Two Wake County communities ranked among the top 20 best places to live in the United States, according to a new national report released on Tuesday. The annual 2026\u20132027 \u201cBest Places to Live\u201d rankings from U.S. News &amp; World Report evaluated hundreds of cities and towns nationwide, with several North Carolina communities [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":884,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>These central NC towns rank among the best places to live in America - Raleigh Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=885\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"These central NC towns rank among the best places to live in America - Raleigh Moving News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"RALEIGH, N.C. 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