Population

Cary

176,686

Elk Grove

177,221

Median Income

Cary

$129,399

Elk Grove

$122,229

Home Value

Cary

$525,200

Elk Grove

$603,400

Rent

Cary

$1,621

Elk Grove

$2,180

Crime Rate

Cary

0.72

Elk Grove

1.90

Cost of Living

Cary

184.1

Elk Grove

193.1

Avg Temp

Cary

N/A

Elk Grove

N/A

Unemployment

Cary

3.4%

Elk Grove

6.7%

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How Similar Are Cary & Elk Grove?

Elk Grove is Cary's #20 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Cary

176,686

vs

Elk Grove

177,221

Match · 0% difference

Both cities have similar populations — Cary at 176,686 and Elk Grove at 177,221.

Violent Crime

Cary

0.72

vs

Elk Grove

1.90

Different · 62% difference
🚨

Elk Grove's violent crime is significantly higher than Cary's — 62% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Cary

13.17

vs

Elk Grove

12.32

Match · 6% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 6% difference.

Political Leaning

Cary

36.4%

vs

Elk Grove

38.4%

Match · 5% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 5% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Cary

3.4%

vs

Elk Grove

6.7%

Different · 50% difference

Elk Grove has a 50% higher unemployment than Cary.

Median Income

Cary

$129,399

vs

Elk Grove

$122,229

Match · 6% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Cary

$525,200

vs

Elk Grove

$603,400

Different · 13% difference

Elk Grove has a 13% higher home values than Cary.

Education

Cary

48.2%

vs

Elk Grove

25.4%

Different · 47% difference
🎓

Cary has a 47% higher education than Elk Grove.

Demographics

🌍

Cary

60.1%

vs

Elk Grove

34.9%

Different · 42% difference

Cary has a 42% higher demographics than Elk Grove.

Cost of Living

Cary

184.1

vs

Elk Grove

193.1

Match · 5% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Cary and Elk Grove share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Cary

vsof 8

0

Elk Grove

Cary leads in 5 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Cary leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Elk Grove scores 145.3 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 197.8 in Cary. Cary has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,750 vs $2,255 in Elk Grove (22% lower). Cary scores 209.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 264.0 in Elk Grove.

Overall Cost Index

Cary184.1
Elk Grove193.1

Housing Index

Cary209.7
Elk Grove264.0

Food Index

Cary148.9
Elk Grove143.4

Transportation Index

Cary197.8
Elk Grove145.3

Healthcare Index

Cary139.1
Elk Grove134.7

Utilities Index

Cary151.3
Elk Grove158.8

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Cary$81,007
Elk Grove$84,956

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Cary$191,471
Elk Grove$200,805

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Cary$1,596
Elk Grove$1,832

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Cary$1,750
Elk Grove$2,255

Housing Market — Elk Grove leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Elk Grove has a vacancy rate of 2.5% compared to 6.4% in Cary. Cary has a median rent of $1,621 vs $2,180 in Elk Grove (26% lower). Cary has a median property tax of $3,922 vs $5,084 in Elk Grove (23% lower).

Median Home Value

Cary$525,200
Elk Grove$603,400

Median Rent

Cary$1,621
Elk Grove$2,180

Median Property Tax

Cary$3,922
Elk Grove$5,084

Owner-Occupied

Cary66.3%
Elk Grove73.9%

Vacancy Rate

Cary6.4%
Elk Grove2.5%

Single-Family Homes

Cary72.3%
Elk Grove89.3%

Jobs & Economy — Cary leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Cary has a work from home of 32.4% compared to 19.2% in Elk Grove. Cary has a unemployment rate of 3.4% compared to 6.7% in Elk Grove. Cary has a per capita income of $64,590 vs $44,932 in Elk Grove (44% higher).

Median Household Income

Cary$129,399
Elk Grove$122,229

Per Capita Income

Cary$64,590
Elk Grove$44,932

Poverty Rate

Cary5.3%
Elk Grove7.4%

Unemployment Rate

Cary3.4%
Elk Grove6.7%

Labor Force

Cary96,944
Elk Grove90,254

Mean Commute

CaryN/A
Elk Grove26 min

Work from Home

Cary32.4%
Elk Grove19.2%

Private Sector

CaryN/A
Elk Grove82.6%

Government Sector

Cary48.3%
Elk Grove34.7%

Crime & Safety — Cary leads

Source: FBI UCR

Cary has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.13 compared to 0.50 in Elk Grove. Cary has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 0.72 compared to 1.90 in Elk Grove. Cary has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.50 compared to 1.17 in Elk Grove.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Cary0.72
Elk Grove1.90

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Cary13.17
Elk Grove12.32

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Cary0.02
Elk Grove0.02

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Cary0.13
Elk Grove0.50

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Cary0.50
Elk Grove1.17

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Cary0.89
Elk Grove1.11

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Cary11.11
Elk Grove9.96

Violent Crime Clearance

Cary56.9%
Elk Grove58.7%

Property Crime Clearance

Cary15.2%
Elk Grove13.9%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

CaryN/A
Elk GroveN/A

Avg Annual High

CaryN/A
Elk GroveN/A

Avg Annual Low

CaryN/A
Elk GroveN/A

Sunny Days per Year

CaryN/A
Elk GroveN/A

Annual Rainfall

CaryN/A
Elk GroveN/A

Annual Snowfall

CaryN/A
Elk GroveN/A

Avg Humidity

CaryN/A
Elk GroveN/A

Schools & Education — Cary leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Cary has a bachelor's degree or higher of 48.2% compared to 25.4% in Elk Grove. Cary has a high school diploma or higher of 53.7% compared to 37.1% in Elk Grove.

Public Schools

Cary0
Elk Grove0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

CaryN/A
Elk GroveN/A

Colleges & Universities

Cary0
Elk Grove0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Cary48.2%
Elk Grove25.4%

High School Diploma or Higher

Cary53.7%
Elk Grove37.1%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Elk Grove has a population of 177,221, about 1x the size of Cary (176,686).

Population

Cary176,686
Elk Grove177,221

Median Age

Cary40
Elk Grove39

Avg Household Size

Cary2.6
Elk Grove3.2

Married Population

Cary50.3%
Elk Grove44.6%

Foreign Born

Cary23.7%
Elk Grove25.0%

White

Cary60.1%
Elk Grove34.9%

Black

Cary7.6%
Elk Grove10.9%

Hispanic

Cary9.3%
Elk Grove18.0%

Asian

Cary20.4%
Elk Grove31.8%

Cary

Elk Grove

Healthcare — Cary leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Cary: 4.7 vs Elk Grove: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Cary5
Elk Grove5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Cary4.7
Elk Grove3.0

With Emergency Services

Cary3
Elk Grove3

Transportation & Commute — Elk Grove leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Cary has a work from home of 32.4% compared to 19.2% in Elk Grove. Elk Grove has a public transit of 1.0% compared to 0.4% in Cary. Elk Grove has a bicycle of 0.2% compared to 0.2% in Cary.

Mean Commute Time

CaryN/A
Elk Grove26 min

Drive Alone

Cary59.3%
Elk Grove67.4%

Public Transit

Cary0.4%
Elk Grove1.0%

Bicycle

Cary0.2%
Elk Grove0.2%

Work from Home

Cary32.4%
Elk Grove19.2%

Airports

Cary0
Elk Grove0

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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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