Demographics · NC
Cary, NC demographics: 179,306 residents, with a median age of 40.2 years, from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020–2024 (5-year estimates).
179,306 people live in Cary, at a median age of 40.2 years (American Community Survey 2020–2024, a 5-year average)
Median age 40.2 years — older than the U.S. median of 38.9.
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)
In Cary, the largest race group is White (58.3%); 9.5% of residents are Hispanic or Latino (of any race); 23.9% were born outside the United States.
ACS 2020–2024 · B01001 / B01002
The median age in Cary is 40.2 years (±0.9), older than the U.S. median of 38.9 years. The population is 49.4% male and 50.6% female. The largest age band is 5 to 17 at 18.3%.
| Age band | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 9,261 | 5.2% | ±801 |
| 5 to 17 | 32,738 | 18.3% | ±1,705 |
| 18 to 24 | 13,122 | 7.3% | ±1,103 |
| 25 to 34 | 21,244 | 11.8% | ±1,260 |
| 35 to 44 | 27,159 | 15.1% | ±1,461 |
| 45 to 54 | 27,616 | 15.4% | ±1,193 |
| 55 to 64 | 22,825 | 12.7% | ±1,163 |
| 65 to 74 | 15,271 | 8.5% | ±863 |
| 75 and over | 10,070 | 5.6% | ±721 |
Median age by sex: 39.1 (male) · 41.0 (female).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B01001 sex by age, B01002 median age) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B02001 / B03003
The largest race group in Cary is White at 58.3% of the population. Separately, 9.5% of residents are Hispanic or Latino of any race. Race and Hispanic origin are two different questions on the census form, so their shares are reported separately and are not additive.
| Race (alone, or two or more) | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| White alone | 104,480 | 58.3% | ±2,640 |
| Black or African American alone | 14,084 | 7.9% | ±1,471 |
| American Indian & Alaska Native alone | 256 | 0.1% | ±134 · low precision |
| Asian alone | 36,530 | 20.4% | ±1,749 |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander alone | 117 | 0.1% | ±89 · low precision |
| Some other race alone | 6,624 | 3.7% | ±1,699 |
| Two or more races | 17,215 | 9.6% | ±1,805 |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 17,117 | 9.5% | ±2,208 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B02001 race, B03003 Hispanic or Latino origin) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B11001 / B25010
Cary has 69,710 households. 70.4% are family households and 23.5% are people living alone. The average household holds 2.57 people.
Total households
69,710
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B11001
Avg household size
2.57
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B25010 · ±0.04
Family households
70.4%
Share of all households · B11001
Living alone
23.5%
Share of all households · B11001
| Household type | Households | ± margin |
|---|---|---|
| Total households | 69,710 | ±1,207 |
| Family households | 49,075 | ±952 |
| Nonfamily households | 20,635 | ±1,209 |
| Householder living alone | 16,356 | ±1,134 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B11001 household type, B25010 average household size) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B05002 / C16001
23.9% of Cary residents were born outside the United States. 73.4% of residents age 5 and over speak only English at home. The most-spoken non-English language at home is Other Indo-European (6.4%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign-born share | 23.9% | 42,770 people · B05002 |
| Speak only English at home (age 5+) | 73.4% | C16001 |
| Top non-English language at home | 6.4% | Other Indo-European · 10,900 speakers · C16001 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B05002 place of birth, C16001 language spoken at home) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B15003
70.5% of adults age 25 and over in Cary hold a bachelor's degree or higher (the U.S. share is about 35%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 70.5% | B15003 lines 22–25 over line 1 · place-grain |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B15003 educational attainment, population 25+) · place-grain · methodology →
Sources · provenance
The GEOID for Cary is 3710740. Every figure on this page is a place-grain American Community Survey 5-Year 2020–2024 estimate (ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)) shown with its margin of error. Full per-dataset detail: /sources/.