Population
Cary
176,686
Centennial
107,386
Median Income
Cary
$129,399
Centennial
$128,167
Home Value
Cary
$525,200
Centennial
$626,700
Rent
Cary
$1,621
Centennial
$2,061
Crime Rate
Cary
0.72
Centennial
1.73
Cost of Living
Cary
184.1
Centennial
188.8
Avg Temp
Cary
N/A
Centennial
N/A
Unemployment
Cary
3.4%
Centennial
3.6%
How Similar Are Cary & Centennial?
Centennial is Cary's #14 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Cary
176,686
Centennial
107,386
Cary has a 39% larger population than Centennial.
Violent Crime
Cary
0.72
Centennial
1.73
Centennial's violent crime is significantly higher than Cary's — 59% difference.
Property Crime
Cary
13.17
Centennial
17.09
Centennial has a 23% higher property crime than Cary.
Political Leaning
Cary
36.4%
Centennial
38.5%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 6% difference.
Unemployment
Cary
3.4%
Centennial
3.6%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 8% difference.
Median Income
Cary
$129,399
Centennial
$128,167
Both cities have similar median income — just a 1% difference.
Home Values
Cary
$525,200
Centennial
$626,700
Centennial has a 16% higher home values than Cary.
Education
Cary
48.2%
Centennial
44.4%
Both cities have similar education — just a 8% difference.
Demographics
Cary
60.1%
Centennial
79.3%
Centennial has a 24% higher demographics than Cary.
Cost of Living
Cary
184.1
Centennial
188.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Cary and Centennial share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Cary
0
Centennial
Cary leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Cary leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDCentennial scores 130.8 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 197.8 in Cary. Cary scores 209.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 251.2 in Centennial. Cary has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,750 vs $2,089 in Centennial (16% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Centennial leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCentennial has a vacancy rate of 2.3% compared to 6.4% in Cary. Cary has a median rent of $1,621 vs $2,061 in Centennial (21% lower). Centennial has a owner-occupied of 81.3% compared to 66.3% in Cary.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Cary leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCentennial has a poverty rate of 3.1% compared to 5.3% in Cary. Cary: 96,944 vs Centennial: 60,210 for labor force. Cary has a work from home of 32.4% compared to 24.7% in Centennial.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Cary leads
Source: FBI UCRCary has a property crime clearance of 15.2% compared to 7.6% in Centennial. Cary has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.89 compared to 2.82 in Centennial. Cary has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.50 compared to 1.44 in Centennial.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Cary leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauCary has a bachelor's degree or higher of 48.2% compared to 44.4% in Centennial. Cary has a high school diploma or higher of 53.7% compared to 53.1% in Centennial.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCary has a population of 176,686, about 1.6x the size of Centennial (107,386). Cary skews younger with a median age of 39.8 vs 41.8.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Cary
Centennial
Healthcare — Cary leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareCary: 4.7 vs Centennial: 3.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Centennial leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCentennial has a public transit of 1.4% compared to 0.4% in Cary. Centennial has a bicycle of 0.3% compared to 0.2% in Cary. Cary has a work from home of 32.4% compared to 24.7% in Centennial.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Cary, NC
Compare Cary against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.