Raleigh, North Carolina
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Raleigh.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Raleigh compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 470,763City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $82,424Incorporated place (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($78,538)U.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 117ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)17% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $377,800City limits (ACS)25% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,468City limits (ACS)9% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 3.0%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 24 minNear U.S. avg (25 min)U.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 3229% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 255.7annualized per 100k · citywide58% below U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 1783.1annualized per 100k · citywide42% below U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 89°F2.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 33°FNear U.S. avg (34°F)U.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 46.1 in40% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 2477% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Raleigh with another city
About 470,763 people live in Raleigh, NC. Households here report a median income near $82,424; our housing-derived cost index is about 117 (above the national housing-cost baseline). Entry home prices around $377,800 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Piedmont research corridors and coastal storm exposure both matter. Pack for 89°F summer peaks; winter mornings often settle near 33°F. Commutes average near 24 minutes one-way, with walkability near 32/100. A recent county unemployment reading near 3.0% suggests a relatively tight local labor market. Violent-offense rates around 255.7 per 100k are moderate for a large U.S. city, with meaningful variation by neighborhood.
Raleigh sits in that mid-to-large city band where urban and quieter residential pockets often share one municipal boundary. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Raleigh with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Raleigh city, 1600000US3755000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN371830000000003 (Wake County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00013722 RALEIGH DURHAM INTL AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28
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