Population
Irvine
308,160
Cary
176,686
Median Income
Irvine
$129,647
Cary
$129,399
Home Value
Irvine
$1,115,400
Cary
$525,200
Rent
Irvine
$2,893
Cary
$1,621
Crime Rate
Irvine
0.84
Cary
0.72
Cost of Living
Irvine
244.2
Cary
184.1
Avg Temp
Irvine
N/A
Cary
N/A
Unemployment
Irvine
5.5%
Cary
3.4%
How Similar Are Irvine & Cary?
Cary is Irvine's #20 most similar city
3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Irvine
308,160
Cary
176,686
Irvine has a 43% larger population than Cary.
Violent Crime
Irvine
0.84
Cary
0.72
Irvine has a 12% higher violent crime than Cary.
Property Crime
Irvine
13.90
Cary
13.17
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 5% difference.
Political Leaning
Irvine
47.1%
Cary
36.4%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Irvine has a stronger Democratic lean (23% difference).
Unemployment
Irvine
5.5%
Cary
3.4%
Irvine has a 39% higher unemployment than Cary.
Median Income
Irvine
$129,647
Cary
$129,399
Both cities have similar median income — just a 0% difference.
Home Values
Irvine
$1,115,400
Cary
$525,200
Irvine's home values is significantly higher than Cary's — 53% difference.
Education
Irvine
46.1%
Cary
48.2%
Both cities have similar education — just a 4% difference.
Demographics
Irvine
38.7%
Cary
60.1%
Cary has a 36% higher demographics than Irvine.
Cost of Living
Irvine
244.2
Cary
184.1
Irvine has a 25% higher cost of living than Cary.
3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Irvine and Cary differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Irvine
0
Cary
Cary leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Cary leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDCary scores 209.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 400.0 in Irvine. Cary has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,750 vs $3,236 in Irvine (85% lower). Cary has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,596 vs $2,746 in Irvine (72% 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 — Cary leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCary has a median property tax of $3,922 vs $9,091 in Irvine (132% lower). Irvine has a median home value of $1,115,400 vs $525,200 in Cary (112% higher). Cary has a median rent of $1,621 vs $2,893 in Irvine (78% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Cary leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCary has a poverty rate of 5.3% compared to 11.7% in Irvine. Irvine: 165,435 vs Cary: 96,944 for labor force. Cary has a unemployment rate of 3.4% compared to 5.5% in Irvine.
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 burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.89 compared to 1.98 in Irvine. Cary has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.13 compared to 0.22 in Irvine. Cary has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 0.72 compared to 0.84 in Irvine.
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 high school diploma or higher of 53.7% compared to 50.7% in Irvine. Cary has a bachelor's degree or higher of 48.2% compared to 46.1% in Irvine.
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 ACSIrvine has a population of 308,160, about 1.7x the size of Cary (176,686). Irvine skews younger with a median age of 33.9 vs 39.8.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Irvine
Cary
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareCary: 3 vs Irvine: 2 for with emergency services. Irvine: 5.0 vs Cary: 4.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Irvine leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSIrvine has a bicycle of 1.3% compared to 0.2% in Cary. Irvine has a public transit of 0.9% compared to 0.4% in Cary. Cary has a work from home of 32.4% compared to 25.9% in Irvine.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Irvine, CA
Compare Irvine 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.