If your city is home to many old tobacco farms and factories, you better believe you house some crazy rich cities. And, yes, we’re talking about you, North Carolina.
Not every city on our top ten wealthiest cities in North Carolina for 2024 can compare to Beverly Hills, CA, but there are a ton of wealthy North Carolina gems with bourgeois Southern charm.
To create this list, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the latest Census and Zillow data on incomes and home prices. We limited the analysis to 212 North Carolina cities with more than 3,000 residents.
Cities on our list like Apex and Cary are the playground of North Carolina’s rich and famous with great parks, schools, and shopping. And if you live in Pinehurst, your friends will think that you are super rich with 20 golf courses to show off within ten minutes of your house.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Richest Places In North Carolina For 2024
What city in North Carolina is the richest? The richest city in North Carolina is Marvin according to the most recent Census data we analyzed.
You need to find a job that pays on average $112,371/year to live in one of these cities.
It’s not lost on us that there are multiple cities on our ten best places to live in North Carolina for 2024 that are also on our wealthiest list.
Wealthy cities tend to have it all.
Rich people not your cup of tea? Feel free to check out some more reading about North Carolina:
The 10 Richest Cities In North Carolina For 2024
1. Marvin
/10
Population: 6,421
Median Income: $238,875
Median Home Values: $1,073,504
More on Marvin: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
2. Weddington
/10
Population: 13,173
Median Income: $171,810
Median Home Values: $936,823
More on Weddington: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
3. Davidson
/10
Population: 15,199
Median Income: $140,938
Median Home Values: $624,402
More on Davidson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
4. Wesley Chapel
/10
Population: 8,763
Median Income: $133,333
Median Home Values: $595,551
More on Wesley Chapel: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
5. St. James
/10
Population: 6,566
Median Income: $113,507
Median Home Values: $705,540
More on St. James: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
6. Southern Shores
/10
7. Apex
/10
Population: 65,541
Median Income: $129,688
Median Home Values: $591,542
More on Apex: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
8. Cary
/10
Population: 174,880
Median Income: $125,317
Median Home Values: $600,101
More on Cary: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
9. Oak Ridge
/10
Population: 7,637
Median Income: $146,131
Median Home Values: $514,942
More on Oak Ridge: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
10. Holly Springs
/10
Population: 42,023
Median Income: $127,755
Median Home Values: $550,787
More on Holly Springs: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In North Carolina For 2024
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the richest places is simply identifying personal incomes. After all, rich people have really high salaries.
However, we don’t believe that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “richest places.” So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2018-2022 American Community Survey and applied Saturday Night Science:
- Median Home Values
- Median Household Income
Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place is. And home values are a measure of wealth. The two combine to define a “Rich City.”
After we collected the data for all 212 places with more than 3,000 people in North Carolina, we ranked each place from 1 to 212 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the richest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Rich Score,” with the place having the lowest overall Rich Score, Marvin, crowned the “Richest City In North Carolina For 2024.”
The data has been updated for 2024. This is our tenth time ranking the wealthiest cities in North Carolina.
You can skip to the end to see the rankings for all 212 places.
Summary: The Wealthiest Places In North Carolina For 2024
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the richest places in North Carolina, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in North Carolina.
The richest cities in North Carolina are Marvin, Weddington, Davidson, Wesley Chapel, St. James, Southern Shores, Apex, Cary, Oak Ridge, and Holly Springs.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very top of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the poorest cities in North Carolina, according to data:
Poorest: Red Springs
2nd Poorest: Plymouth
3rd Poorest: Wadesboro
For more North Carolina reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In North Carolina
- Most Dangerous Cities In North Carolina
- Best Places To Live In North Carolina
Detailed List Of The Richest Cities In North Carolina
| Rank | City | RichScore | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marvin | 1.0 | $238,875 | $1,073,504 |
| 2 | Weddington | 2.0 | $171,810 | $936,823 |
| 3 | Davidson | 7.0 | $140,938 | $624,402 |
| 4 | Wesley Chapel | 10.0 | $133,333 | $595,551 |
| 5 | St. James | 10.5 | $113,507 | $705,540 |
| 6 | Southern Shores | 11.0 | $112,371 | $783,303 |
| 7 | Apex | 11.0 | $129,688 | $591,542 |
| 8 | Cary | 11.0 | $125,317 | $600,101 |
| 9 | Oak Ridge | 12.0 | $146,131 | $514,942 |
| 10 | Holly Springs | 13.0 | $127,755 | $550,787 |
| 11 | Waxhaw | 13.5 | $124,711 | $561,159 |
| 12 | Rolesville | 15.5 | $145,166 | $497,136 |
| 13 | Wake Forest | 17.5 | $115,159 | $513,842 |
| 14 | Huntersville | 18.0 | $112,893 | $517,476 |
| 15 | Summerfield | 19.0 | $148,182 | $467,749 |
| 16 | Harrisburg | 19.0 | $134,767 | $477,928 |
| 17 | Nags Head | 22.0 | $87,560 | $699,420 |
| 18 | Cornelius | 22.5 | $107,969 | $501,024 |
| 19 | Whispering Pines | 22.5 | $105,707 | $509,958 |
| 20 | Morrisville | 22.5 | $114,075 | $486,190 |
| 21 | Emerald Isle | 23.0 | $85,982 | $713,855 |
| 22 | Surf City | 25.5 | $85,714 | $682,504 |
| 23 | Chapel Hill | 26.5 | $85,940 | $603,034 |
| 24 | Carolina Beach | 26.5 | $87,159 | $582,789 |
| 25 | Pinehurst | 26.5 | $102,917 | $487,605 |
| 26 | Kitty Hawk | 27.0 | $85,700 | $617,492 |
| 27 | Matthews | 28.5 | $103,405 | $468,340 |
| 28 | Fuquay-Varina | 28.5 | $94,142 | $496,644 |
| 29 | Flat Rock | 31.0 | $102,039 | $460,366 |
| 30 | Oak Island | 32.0 | $85,513 | $536,118 |
| 31 | Mint Hill | 32.0 | $92,102 | $471,547 |
| 32 | Fairview | 35.0 | $85,441 | $510,327 |
| 33 | Stallings | 36.0 | $99,451 | $433,914 |
| 34 | Indian Trail | 39.5 | $95,101 | $408,207 |
| 35 | Hillsborough | 41.5 | $86,250 | $440,106 |
| 36 | Mills River | 42.0 | $79,802 | $503,109 |
| 37 | Mooresville | 43.5 | $82,622 | $468,555 |
| 38 | Unionville | 44.0 | $90,904 | $400,244 |
| 39 | Stokesdale | 45.5 | $118,159 | $349,634 |
| 40 | Southern Pines | 46.0 | $81,867 | $460,376 |
| 41 | Mineral Springs | 47.5 | $94,113 | $379,811 |
| 42 | Trent Woods | 47.5 | $112,679 | $352,365 |
| 43 | Midland | 47.5 | $101,220 | $362,790 |
| 44 | Belmont | 50.5 | $84,274 | $403,471 |
| 45 | Sunset Beach | 50.5 | $82,261 | $433,092 |
| 46 | Wendell | 52.0 | $91,316 | $361,432 |
| 47 | Swansboro | 52.5 | $105,779 | $330,216 |
| 48 | Weaverville | 55.0 | $76,310 | $459,685 |
| 49 | Raleigh | 55.5 | $78,631 | $431,992 |
| 50 | Lewisville | 56.0 | $86,641 | $358,604 |
| 51 | Kill Devil Hills | 56.0 | $73,036 | $490,281 |
| 52 | Carrboro | 56.5 | $76,933 | $438,237 |
| 53 | Leland | 57.0 | $82,651 | $383,768 |
| 54 | Black Mountain | 57.5 | $75,310 | $450,375 |
| 55 | Southport | 59.5 | $78,287 | $401,713 |
| 56 | Jame | 59.5 | $85,583 | $356,460 |
| 57 | Fletcher | 60.0 | $74,483 | $435,289 |
| 58 | Concord | 60.5 | $83,480 | $361,879 |
| 59 | Holly Ridge | 60.5 | $90,197 | $328,148 |
| 60 | Pittsboro | 61.0 | $62,513 | $534,931 |
| 61 | Troutman | 63.0 | $74,219 | $412,680 |
| 62 | Knightdale | 64.5 | $79,364 | $363,028 |
| 63 | Durham | 65.0 | $74,710 | $395,610 |
| 64 | Gibsonville | 67.5 | $98,558 | $278,388 |
| 65 | Garner | 67.5 | $77,171 | $374,654 |
| 66 | Asheville | 69.0 | $63,810 | $451,444 |
| 67 | Charlotte | 69.0 | $74,070 | $387,529 |
| 68 | Lake Park | 71.0 | $73,972 | $379,829 |
| 69 | Creedmoor | 71.0 | $78,750 | $343,602 |
| 70 | Cramerton | 71.5 | $89,313 | $282,370 |
| 71 | Belville | 73.0 | $79,875 | $324,743 |
| 72 | Mebane | 74.0 | $78,419 | $339,769 |
| 73 | Clemmons | 74.5 | $75,667 | $353,229 |
| 74 | Red Oak | 76.0 | $80,242 | $317,226 |
| 75 | Clayton | 77.0 | $71,698 | $366,122 |
| 76 | Pleasant Garden | 77.0 | $84,395 | $282,693 |
| 77 | Carolina Shores | 77.0 | $77,259 | $326,360 |
| 78 | Bermuda Run | 77.0 | $71,515 | $378,006 |
| 79 | Wallburg | 78.5 | $80,592 | $300,004 |
| 80 | Newport | 79.0 | $79,109 | $311,477 |
| 81 | Mount Holly | 80.0 | $73,923 | $341,383 |
| 82 | Woodfin | 81.0 | $59,144 | $400,598 |
| 83 | Archer Lodge | 84.5 | $73,750 | $323,187 |
| 84 | Wilmington | 84.5 | $58,908 | $390,034 |
| 85 | Winterville | 84.5 | $82,969 | $271,791 |
| 86 | Elon | 85.5 | $73,597 | $322,868 |
| 87 | Boiling Springs | 85.5 | $90,625 | $251,494 |
| 88 | Shallotte | 90.0 | $71,659 | $318,632 |
| 89 | Eastover | 91.5 | $68,646 | $320,732 |
| 90 | Ranlo | 92.5 | $78,533 | $262,751 |
| 91 | Pineville | 92.5 | $55,450 | $390,836 |
| 92 | Aberdeen | 93.0 | $69,758 | $315,702 |
| 93 | Monroe | 93.5 | $63,982 | $320,941 |
| 94 | Stanley | 94.0 | $61,723 | $332,299 |
| 95 | Wingate | 94.5 | $72,188 | $293,700 |
| 96 | Midway | 96.5 | $72,574 | $277,641 |
| 97 | Kernersville | 97.5 | $66,151 | $302,017 |
| 98 | Hendersonville | 100.0 | $50,198 | $395,150 |
| 99 | Morehead City | 101.0 | $51,716 | $382,949 |
| 100 | Trinity | 104.0 | $70,368 | $268,416 |