HomeNorth CarolinaWake CountyCary
Cary, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Cary is a Census town of 179,306 people across 60.97 square miles of land, lying across Wake County and Chatham County. Median household income is $134,905, 66.6 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 222 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $146.4 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Cary
What Cary is
- Census place typetown
- Land area60.97 sq mi
- Water area1.11 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land2,941
- County holding the largest share of its areaWake County, 96.6 percent
- Counties this place lies inWake County 96.6 percent, Chatham County 3.3 percent
Cary crosses a county line. The split above is measured from the Census boundary of the place against the county boundaries, by area, so it says where the ground is and not where the town hall is.
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Cary
How many people live in Cary
- Population179,306
- Median age40.2
- Population under 1841,999
- Share under 1823.4 percent
- Population 65 and over25,341
- Share 65 and over14.1 percent
- Households69,710
- Family households49,075
- Share of households that are families70.4 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Cary
Income and work in Cary
- Median household income$134,905
- Per capita income$67,409
- Civilian labor force98,795
- Employed95,385
- Unemployed3,410
- Unemployment rate3.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over124,185
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher96.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher70.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree33.7 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Cary
Housing in Cary
- Housing units73,795
- Occupied units69,710
- Vacant units4,085
- Vacancy rate5.5 percent
- Owner occupied46,439
- Renter occupied23,271
- Ownership rate66.6 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$580,200
- Median gross rent, monthly$1,738
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.5 percent
- Single family units54,024
- Share single family73.2 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more19,051
- Share in buildings of two or more25.8 percent
- Mobile homes634 plus or minus 203
- Median year structure built1999
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Cary
How Cary gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute59,677
- Commuting under 15 minutes14,168
- Share commuting under 15 minutes23.7 percent
- Commuting 30 minutes or more15,443
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more25.9 percent
- Drove alone56.3 percent
- Carpooled4.5 percent plus or minus 0.9
- Public transport0.3 percent plus or minus 0.1
- Walked1.0 percent plus or minus 0.3
- Worked from home36.5 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Cary
SBA loans in Cary (7(a))
- Approvals222
- Gross approval$146,377,100
- Average approval$659,356
- Median approval$290,000
- Ninetieth percentile approval$1,834,800
- Largest approval$5,000,000
- Jobs supported2,743
- Jobs per approval12.4
- Loans with a final outcome40
- Paid in full36
- Charged off4
- Charge-off rate over resolved loans10.0 percent
- Median term120 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more7.7 percent
- Share to franchises33.8 percent
- Distinct lenders61
- Distinct industries by NAICS101
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Cary, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cary
SBA loans in Cary (504)
- Approvals28
- Gross approval$19,122,000
- Average approval$682,929
- Median approval$301,500
- Largest approval$4,915,000
- Jobs supported239
- Loans with a final outcome14
- Charged off0
- Median term240 months
- Distinct CDCs4
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Cary, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 14 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cary
Flood risk in Cary
- NFIP communityTown of Cary
- NFIP community number370238
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classClass 7
- Currently effective map date07/19/22
The Town of Cary participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 370238 and carries Community Rating System class 7, a flood insurance premium discount for policies written there.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Wake County, not Cary
Wake County context, not Cary figures
- Establishments in Wake County33,873
- Covered employment, Wake County653,153
- Average annual pay, Wake County$76,807
- Housing units permitted, Wake County15,248
Every figure in this section is published for Wake County as a whole and is not a measurement of Cary.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Common questions
Cary questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Cary, North Carolina?
179,306, in 69,710 households. Cary town covers 60.97 square miles of land, which is 2,941 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Cary in?
Cary lies in more than one. By area it is 96.6 percent in Wake County, 3.3 percent in Chatham County. This page sits under Wake County because that county holds the largest share. The split is measured from the Census boundary of the place against the county boundaries.
What is the median household income in Cary?
$134,905. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $580,200. Median gross rent is $1,738 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Cary businesses?
222 7(a) approvals totaling $146.4 m since FY2020, across 61 lenders, median approval $290,000, plus 28 504 approvals worth $19.1 m since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Cary, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Cary borrowers get paid back?
Of the 40 loans that have reached a final outcome, 36 were paid in full and 4 charged off, a charge off rate of 10.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
Is Cary in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Cary appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Cary, town of, community 370238, carrying Community Rating System class 7, which is a premium discount for exceeding the program minimum. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page Cary figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Wake County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of Cary.
Is zoning published for Cary?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.