Population

Cary

176,686

Reston

63,542

Median Income

Cary

$129,399

Reston

$139,515

Home Value

Cary

$525,200

Reston

$616,000

Rent

Cary

$1,621

Reston

$2,170

Crime Rate

Cary

0.72

Reston

N/A

Cost of Living

Cary

184.1

Reston

202.5

Avg Temp

Cary

N/A

Reston

N/A

Unemployment

Cary

3.4%

Reston

4.5%

Loading map…

How Similar Are Cary & Reston?

Reston is Cary's #13 most similar city

4/8

4 of 8 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Cary

176,686

vs

Reston

63,542

Different · 64% difference

Cary (176,686) is about 2.8x larger than Reston (63,542).

Political Leaning

Cary

36.4%

vs

Reston

31.1%

Different · 14% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Cary has a stronger Democratic lean (14% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Cary

3.4%

vs

Reston

4.5%

Different · 25% difference

Reston has a 25% higher unemployment than Cary.

Median Income

Cary

$129,399

vs

Reston

$139,515

Match · 7% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Cary

$525,200

vs

Reston

$616,000

Different · 15% difference

Reston has a 15% higher home values than Cary.

Education

Cary

48.2%

vs

Reston

52.5%

Match · 8% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 8% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Cary

60.1%

vs

Reston

62.6%

Match · 4% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 4% difference.

Cost of Living

Cary

184.1

vs

Reston

202.5

Match · 9% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 9% difference.

4 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Cary and Reston share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Cary

vsof 8

0

Reston

Cary leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Cary leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Reston scores 136.1 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 197.8 in Cary. Cary scores 209.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 272.1 in Reston. Cary has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,750 vs $2,246 in Reston (22% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Cary184.1
Reston202.5

Housing Index

Cary209.7
Reston272.1

Food Index

Cary148.9
Reston156.6

Transportation Index

Cary197.8
Reston136.1

Healthcare Index

Cary139.1
Reston145.3

Utilities Index

Cary151.3
Reston168.4

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Cary$81,007
Reston$89,112

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Cary$191,471
Reston$210,629

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Cary$1,596
Reston$2,015

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Cary$1,750
Reston$2,246

Housing Market — Cary leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Cary has a single-family homes of 72.3% compared to 50.8% in Reston. Cary has a median property tax of $3,922 vs $6,332 in Reston (38% lower). Cary has a median rent of $1,621 vs $2,170 in Reston (25% lower).

Median Home Value

Cary$525,200
Reston$616,000

Median Rent

Cary$1,621
Reston$2,170

Median Property Tax

Cary$3,922
Reston$6,332

Owner-Occupied

Cary66.3%
Reston60.9%

Vacancy Rate

Cary6.4%
Reston5.5%

Single-Family Homes

Cary72.3%
Reston50.8%

Jobs & Economy — Cary leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Cary: 96,944 vs Reston: 39,414 for labor force. Cary has a unemployment rate of 3.4% compared to 4.5% in Reston. Cary has a government sector of 48.3% compared to 39.9% in Reston.

Median Household Income

Cary$129,399
Reston$139,515

Per Capita Income

Cary$64,590
Reston$79,006

Poverty Rate

Cary5.3%
Reston5.4%

Unemployment Rate

Cary3.4%
Reston4.5%

Labor Force

Cary96,944
Reston39,414

Mean Commute

CaryN/A
Reston19 min

Work from Home

Cary32.4%
Reston30.2%

Private Sector

CaryN/A
Reston86.4%

Government Sector

Cary48.3%
Reston39.9%

Crime & Safety

Source: FBI UCR

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Cary0.72
RestonN/A

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Cary13.17
RestonN/A

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Cary0.02
RestonN/A

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Cary0.13
RestonN/A

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Cary0.50
RestonN/A

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Cary0.89
RestonN/A

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Cary11.11
RestonN/A

Violent Crime Clearance

Cary56.9%
RestonN/A

Property Crime Clearance

Cary15.2%
RestonN/A

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

CaryN/A
RestonN/A

Avg Annual High

CaryN/A
RestonN/A

Avg Annual Low

CaryN/A
RestonN/A

Sunny Days per Year

CaryN/A
RestonN/A

Annual Rainfall

CaryN/A
RestonN/A

Annual Snowfall

CaryN/A
RestonN/A

Avg Humidity

CaryN/A
RestonN/A

Schools & Education — Reston leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Reston has a high school diploma or higher of 59.1% compared to 53.7% in Cary. Reston has a bachelor's degree or higher of 52.5% compared to 48.2% in Cary.

Public Schools

Cary0
Reston0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

CaryN/A
RestonN/A

Colleges & Universities

Cary0
Reston0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Cary48.2%
Reston52.5%

High School Diploma or Higher

Cary53.7%
Reston59.1%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Cary has a population of 176,686, about 2.8x the size of Reston (63,542).

Population

Cary176,686
Reston63,542

Median Age

Cary40
Reston40

Avg Household Size

Cary2.6
Reston2.2

Married Population

Cary50.3%
Reston42.8%

Foreign Born

Cary23.7%
Reston25.1%

White

Cary60.1%
Reston62.6%

Black

Cary7.6%
Reston8.7%

Hispanic

Cary9.3%
Reston15.6%

Asian

Cary20.4%
Reston11.3%

Cary

Reston

Healthcare — Cary leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Cary: 4.7 vs Reston: 4.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Cary5
Reston5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Cary4.7
Reston4.5

With Emergency Services

Cary3
Reston3

Transportation & Commute

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Reston has a public transit of 6.3% compared to 0.4% in Cary. Reston has a bicycle of 0.6% compared to 0.2% in Cary. Cary has a drive alone of 59.3% compared to 53.0% in Reston.

Mean Commute Time

CaryN/A
Reston19 min

Drive Alone

Cary59.3%
Reston53.0%

Public Transit

Cary0.4%
Reston6.3%

Bicycle

Cary0.2%
Reston0.6%

Work from Home

Cary32.4%
Reston30.2%

Airports

Cary0
Reston0

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

Explore These Cities

Compare Different Cities