Ranked from official statistics; every city opens its own guide.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Among the 100 largest places in North Carolina, Chapel Hill has the largest share of adults with a bachelor's degree (76.6%), followed by Davidson and Morrisville. Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.
Across the 100 places in North Carolina that we cover, the median is 39.1% and the average 39.4%; the figure runs from 76.6% (Chapel Hill) to 11.9% (Eden). That is a spread of 6.4 times between the two ends. The state figure is 35.6%; 55 of the 100 places are above it and 45 at or below.
The first five are Chapel Hill, Davidson, Morrisville, Cary, Carrboro. A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: read it together with the other measures on the city pages. Use the Compare tab on each city page to see how two places differ across income, rent, commute and education, and check the county page for the local job market.
| # ⇅ | City ⇅ | County ⇅ | Bachelor's degree or higher ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chapel Hill | Orange County | 76.6% | 61,607 | $85,989 | $1,613 |
| 2 | Davidson | Mecklenburg County | 75.8% | 15,660 | $166,556 | $1,652 |
| 3 | Morrisville | Wake County | 72.7% | 31,422 | $125,396 | $1,858 |
| 4 | Cary | Wake County | 70.5% | 179,306 | $134,905 | $1,738 |
| 5 | Carrboro | Orange County | 69.9% | 21,204 | $85,743 | $1,470 |
| 6 | Apex | Wake County | 69.5% | 70,630 | $144,135 | $1,902 |
| 7 | Weddington | Union County | 68.0% | 13,805 | $190,766 | $1,927 |
| 8 | Holly Springs | Wake County | 67.3% | 45,248 | $135,578 | $2,021 |
| 9 | Lake Norman of Iredell (unincorporated) | Iredell County | 67.2% | 12,494 | $173,542 | $1,327 |
| 10 | Cornelius | Mecklenburg County | 62.2% | 32,783 | $113,767 | $1,722 |
| 11 | Rolesville | Wake County | 62.1% | 10,766 | $149,565 | $1,085 |
| 12 | Hillsborough | Orange County | 61.4% | 9,724 | $98,163 | $1,368 |
| 13 | Pinehurst | Moore County | 60.9% | 18,256 | $109,802 | $1,664 |
| 14 | Wake Forest | Wake County | 59.5% | 52,844 | $123,802 | $1,596 |
| 15 | Summerfield | Guilford County | 59.5% | 11,116 | $160,275 | $1,521 |
| 16 | Huntersville | Mecklenburg County | 57.5% | 63,969 | $120,516 | $1,834 |
| 17 | Durham | Durham County | 57.3% | 291,467 | $81,619 | $1,508 |
| 18 | Boone | Watauga County | 56.8% | 20,032 | $30,065 | $1,111 |
| 19 | Harrisburg | Cabarrus County | 56.5% | 19,633 | $148,254 | $2,640 |
| 20 | Matthews | Mecklenburg County | 55.2% | 30,577 | $108,611 | $1,764 |
| 21 | Waxhaw | Union County | 55.0% | 22,275 | $131,894 | $1,840 |
| 22 | Raleigh | Wake County | 54.0% | 481,031 | $85,395 | $1,572 |
| 23 | Fuquay-Varina | Wake County | 54.0% | 40,485 | $115,497 | $1,720 |
| 24 | Stallings | Union County | 53.7% | 16,886 | $115,974 | $1,882 |
| 25 | Asheville | Buncombe County | 53.4% | 94,535 | $71,102 | $1,402 |
| 26 | Southern Pines | Moore County | 53.0% | 16,420 | $88,535 | $1,354 |
| 27 | Elon | Alamance County | 51.5% | 11,032 | $84,773 | $2,080 |
| 28 | Belmont | Gaston County | 51.1% | 15,546 | $94,883 | $1,365 |
| 29 | Clemmons | Forsyth County | 49.4% | 21,871 | $87,655 | $1,269 |
| 30 | Knightdale | Wake County | 48.9% | 20,214 | $103,220 | $1,674 |
| 31 | Charlotte | Mecklenburg County | 48.0% | 903,844 | $82,068 | $1,612 |
| 32 | Lewisville | Forsyth County | 47.8% | 13,828 | $100,917 | $1,095 |
| 33 | Wilmington | New Hanover County | 46.8% | 120,805 | $66,738 | $1,395 |
| 34 | Garner | Wake County | 46.5% | 34,473 | $78,756 | $1,549 |
| 35 | Myrtle Grove (unincorporated) | New Hanover County | 46.4% | 12,637 | $113,463 | $1,463 |
| 36 | Murraysville (unincorporated) | New Hanover County | 45.7% | 16,339 | $81,167 | $1,777 |
| 37 | Mooresville | Iredell County | 45.5% | 52,381 | $89,647 | $1,626 |
| 38 | Pineville | Mecklenburg County | 44.9% | 11,055 | $69,354 | $1,552 |
| 39 | Lake Norman of Catawba (unincorporated) | Catawba County | 44.0% | 9,906 | $112,656 | $1,319 |
| 40 | Leland | Brunswick County | 43.7% | 29,607 | $91,977 | $1,735 |
| 41 | Spout Springs (unincorporated) | Harnett County | 41.4% | 11,242 | $92,402 | $2,010 |
| 42 | Winterville | Pitt County | 41.1% | 10,725 | $83,193 | $1,534 |
| 43 | Greensboro | Guilford County | 41.0% | 301,198 | $61,515 | $1,172 |
| 44 | Concord | Cabarrus County | 40.9% | 108,719 | $86,921 | $1,451 |
| 45 | Mebane | Alamance County | 40.4% | 19,538 | $83,174 | $1,283 |
| 46 | Clayton | Johnston County | 40.4% | 29,320 | $78,822 | $1,661 |
| 47 | Mint Hill | Mecklenburg County | 40.4% | 27,556 | $100,860 | $1,528 |
| 48 | Indian Trail | Union County | 40.2% | 42,036 | $108,483 | $2,077 |
| 49 | Winston-Salem | Forsyth County | 39.5% | 252,037 | $59,268 | $1,087 |
| 50 | Greenville | Pitt County | 39.1% | 92,857 | $49,748 | $1,007 |
| 51 | Wendell | Wake County | 38.2% | 13,064 | $95,787 | $1,457 |
| 52 | Hendersonville | Henderson County | 38.1% | 15,408 | $53,449 | $1,332 |
| 53 | Hickory | Catawba County | 37.0% | 44,258 | $64,576 | $1,063 |
| 54 | Kernersville | Forsyth County | 37.0% | 27,830 | $71,918 | $1,082 |
| 55 | Mount Holly | Gaston County | 36.7% | 18,208 | $79,385 | $1,256 |
| 56 | Morehead City | Carteret County | 35.6% | 9,806 | $56,233 | $1,134 |
| 57 | Anderson Creek (unincorporated) | Harnett County | 35.0% | 13,927 | $87,287 | $1,251 |
| 58 | High Point | Guilford County | 34.0% | 116,245 | $64,561 | $1,116 |
| 59 | Waynesville | Haywood County | 33.0% | 10,502 | $54,923 | $1,070 |
| 60 | Salisbury | Rowan County | 29.9% | 35,825 | $53,716 | $1,071 |
| 61 | Kannapolis | Cabarrus County | 29.7% | 57,890 | $73,836 | $1,319 |
| 62 | Burlington | Alamance County | 29.6% | 59,610 | $56,880 | $1,051 |
| 63 | New Bern | Craven County | 29.4% | 32,734 | $61,031 | $1,081 |
| 64 | Fayetteville | Cumberland County | 29.0% | 210,815 | $58,407 | $1,250 |
| 65 | Elizabeth City | Pasquotank County | 27.2% | 18,871 | $52,141 | $1,117 |
| 66 | Statesville | Iredell County | 26.9% | 29,894 | $52,880 | $1,000 |
| 67 | Smithfield | Johnston County | 26.7% | 12,116 | $43,270 | $658 |
| 68 | Gastonia | Gaston County | 26.6% | 82,884 | $64,059 | $1,204 |
| 69 | Shelby | Cleveland County | 26.6% | 22,100 | $48,376 | $945 |
| 70 | Tarboro | Edgecombe County | 26.6% | 10,770 | $49,796 | $843 |
| 71 | Jacksonville | Onslow County | 26.3% | 71,279 | $57,697 | $1,321 |
| 72 | Morganton | Burke County | 26.1% | 17,646 | $51,355 | $944 |
| 73 | Spring Lake | Cumberland County | 25.2% | 11,573 | $51,958 | $1,351 |
| 74 | Graham | Alamance County | 24.7% | 18,048 | $56,239 | $1,071 |
| 75 | Wilson | Wilson County | 24.5% | 48,370 | $52,485 | $971 |
| 76 | Piney Green (unincorporated) | Onslow County | 24.1% | 14,078 | $72,177 | $1,202 |
| 77 | Monroe | Union County | 24.1% | 36,759 | $72,540 | $1,246 |
| 78 | Lincolnton | Lincoln County | 24.0% | 11,783 | $46,320 | $965 |
| 79 | Washington | Beaufort County | 24.0% | 9,726 | $40,186 | $856 |
| 80 | Hope Mills | Cumberland County | 23.4% | 17,939 | $65,774 | $1,141 |
| 81 | Mount Airy | Surry County | 23.1% | 10,633 | $40,275 | $725 |
| 82 | Rocky Mount | Nash County | 22.9% | 54,297 | $55,534 | $957 |
| 83 | Archdale | Randolph County | 22.9% | 12,087 | $64,757 | $1,034 |
| 84 | Roanoke Rapids | Halifax County | 22.0% | 14,856 | $53,690 | $858 |
| 85 | Reidsville | Rockingham County | 21.9% | 14,585 | $42,921 | $822 |
| 86 | Sanford | Lee County | 21.6% | 31,478 | $57,586 | $1,052 |
| 87 | Lenoir | Caldwell County | 21.2% | 18,299 | $49,910 | $664 |
| 88 | Goldsboro | Wayne County | 21.0% | 34,383 | $48,540 | $971 |
| 89 | Newton | Catawba County | 21.0% | 13,333 | $62,015 | $1,091 |
| 90 | Albemarle | Stanly County | 20.4% | 16,762 | $46,881 | $880 |
| 91 | Laurinburg | Scotland County | 20.1% | 15,087 | $42,170 | $774 |
| 92 | Lumberton | Robeson County | 19.2% | 18,859 | $42,877 | $866 |
| 93 | Asheboro | Randolph County | 19.1% | 27,580 | $47,197 | $906 |
| 94 | Havelock | Craven County | 18.7% | 17,691 | $58,408 | $1,280 |
| 95 | Kings Mountain | Cleveland County | 17.8% | 12,039 | $49,564 | $959 |
| 96 | Kinston | Lenoir County | 16.4% | 19,505 | $36,878 | $867 |
| 97 | Henderson | Vance County | 15.4% | 14,885 | $39,969 | $848 |
| 98 | Thomasville | Davidson County | 15.3% | 27,321 | $60,935 | $879 |
| 99 | Lexington | Davidson County | 12.9% | 19,690 | $43,128 | $893 |
| 100 | Eden | Rockingham County | 11.9% | 15,356 | $47,260 | $799 |
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Unincorporated places are census-designated places: they have no city government but are counted as communities. Figures describe the city itself.
Chapel Hill, with 76.6% (among the 100 largest places; ACS 2020–2024).
The 100 largest places in North Carolina by population.