These are the best cities to live in NC, new report says. See the full list

When it comes to rankings, North Carolina cities frequently receive accolades for their health, safety, desirability and — believe it or not — traffic.

But which city is the best to live in?

Niche put together a list of the best places to live in North Carolina. Here’s which cities came out on top.

Best cities to live in NC 2025

Eight cities in the Tar Heel State were included in Niche’s best cities to live in the U.S. ranking, with three cracking the top 50: Raleigh, Durham and Charlotte, respectively.

Here are the best cities to live in North Carolina, along with each city’s national rank:

1. Raleigh (No. 22)

2. Durham (No. 42)

3. Charlotte (No. 44)

4. Greensboro (No. 63)

5. Winston-Salem (No. 76)

6. Wilmington (No. 84)

7. High Point (No. 93)

8. Fayetteville (No. 140)

Raleigh, Charlotte also among happiest cities

The Niche ranking comes just weeks after WalletHub, a personal finance website, said Raleigh is the happiest city in North Carolina, coming in at No. 22 on their list of happiest cities in the nation, followed by Durham and Charlotte, ranked at No. 29 and No. 52, respectively.

Of the 182 total cities ranked, Winston-Salem came in at No. 110, Greensboro at No. 116 and Fayetteville at No. 150.

Recent rankings also show that the state’s capital is a prime destination for retirees. The U.S. News & World Report 2025 Best Places to Retire ranking recently named Raleigh the sixth-best city to retire, The Charlotte Observer reported.

Who is middle class in NC?

A recent study from personal finance website SmartAsset found that a North Carolina household needed to earn $47,198 to $141,608 to be considered middle class in 2023, the Observer reported — but for a few cities in North Carolina, those numbers are higher.

▪ To be considered middle class in Raleigh in 2023, households needed to earn $57,534 to $172,618, putting it at No. 1 in the state in terms of highest middle-class income range.

▪ Charlotte ranked second on the list of N.C. cities, with a 2023 middle-class income range of $53,715 to $161,162.

▪ Durham came in at No. 3, with an income range of $53,371 to $160,128.

However, the middle-class income range in a couple of cities was lower than the state average in 2023. Households in Greensboro needed to earn $41,161 to $123,494 to be considered middle class in 2023, for example, and those in Winston-Salem needed to earn $39,455 to $118,378.

Top 10 best cities to live in the US

Here are the 10 best cities to live in America, according to Niche’s report:

1. Naperville, Illinois

2. The Woodlands, Texas

3. Cambridge, Massachusetts

4. Arlington, Virginia

5. Irvine, California

6. Plano, Texas

7. Columbia, Maryland

8. Overland Park, Kansas

9. Bellevue, Washington

10. Berkeley, California

How Niche ranked best places to live

To determine the rankings, Niche analysts use a combination of their own surveys, public data from the U.S. Census, and insights from previous rankings. To identify the best places to live, they evaluate 15 key metrics:

• Cost of living

• Higher education rate

• Housing costs and taxes

• Public school rankings (Niche ranks schools and takes into account their own assigned grades)

• Ethnic, generational and economic diversity

• Survey responses on overall experience

• Crime and safety

• Family-friendly living

• Health statistics and healthcare

• Employment rates and economic growth

• Access to bars, restaurants and other entertainment

• Weather, air quality and access to parks

• Walkability

• Weather

• Average commute times

This story was originally published April 22, 2025 at 10:57 AM with the headline "These are the best cities to live in NC, new report says. See the full list."

Evan Moore

The Charlotte Observer

Evan Moore is a service journalism reporter for the Charlotte Observer. He grew up in Denver, North Carolina, where he previously worked as a reporter for the Denver Citizen, and is a UNC Charlotte graduate.