Metro Life Score
Raleigh-Cary, NC
Below-median composite Life Score — grade C, 31st percentile of the national corpus.
- 45.4
- Life Score / 100
- C
- Grade (curved)
- #268
- of 387 metros
- 31%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Raleigh-Cary is below-median composite Life Score — #268 of 387 (45.4/100, grade C, 31st percentile). Carried by wages at 71/100; held back most by rent at 17/100.
- 31st
- composite percentile
- #268
- of 387 peers
- 28th
- cost dimension percentile
- 71st
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · LOWER · WAGE-LED · signature cost
Raleigh-Cary: cost pressure is the outlier
Raleigh-Cary is a LOWER-band metro where cost sits only at the 28th percentile (DEAR) — the clearest outlier vs wages at the 71st and composite #268. Rent (17/100) is the main drag; Wages (71/100) keeps the floor. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Raleigh-Cary, NC ranks #268 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #277 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 98.2 (rent-RPP 103.5). BLS median salary $68,693, 725,130 jobs (Retail Salespersons, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Cashiers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,750/mo (studio $1,524).
FBI UCR (NC): 365 violent, 1930 property/100K. NCES: 15.8:1 ratio, 7.6% charter. DOL infant childcare $9,487/yr. EPA: 42 Superfund sites (NC).
Where Raleigh-Cary sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
45 31st percentile higher than 31% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · August 2026
Dimension detail
How Raleigh-Cary scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are NC state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Raleigh-Cary With...
Ranking Context
Raleigh-Cary outranks 31% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #265 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 45.5 | C |
| #266 | Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | 45.5 | C+ |
| #267 | Spartanburg, SC | 45.7 | C+ |
| #268 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | 45.4 | C |
| #269 | Albany, OR | 45.4 | C |
| #270 | Eugene-Springfield, OR | 45.4 | C |
| #271 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 45.4 | C |
NC Metro Scores
Read with Raleigh-Cary
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Raleigh-Cary (LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Albany, OR
ABS(composite) peer at 45.4 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Eugene-Springfield, OR
ABS(composite) peer at 45.4 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
ABS(composite) peer at 45.4 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Traverse City, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 45.4 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Carson City, NV (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 29/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 28/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Raleigh-Cary, NC relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.