Cary vs Franklin
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $580,200 in Cary and $705,400 in Franklin.
- Households earn more in Cary ($134,905 vs $119,528 median).
- Franklin is growing faster: +8% since 2020 vs +5%.
- Tennessee has no state income tax on wages; North Carolina's top rate is 3.99%.
Side by side
| Cary, NC | Franklin, TN | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 183,582 | 90,226 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5% | +8% |
| People per square mile | 3,011 | 2,025 |
| Median age | 40.2 | 38.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 71% | 65% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $134,905 | $119,528 |
| Median home value | $580,200 | $705,400 |
| Home value to income | 4.3× | 5.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,738 | $1,923 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 98.2 | 96.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 103.5 | 104.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $73,600 | $72,300 |
| Homeowners | 67% | 64% |
| Top state income tax | 3.99% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 7.1% | 9.61% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.5 | 23.9 |
| Work from home | 37% | 30% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.5% | 2.2% |
| Poverty rate | 5.7% | 4.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 52° / 32° | 49° / 29° |
| July high / low | 91° / 70° | 91° / 69° |
| Precipitation per year | 46 in | 54 in |
| Snowfall per year | 5 in | 2 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 52 | 45 |
| Nights below freezing | 65 | 84 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 2 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.5 | 85.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 66% | 51% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.1% | +1.6% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +44.9% | +45.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Cary: April to May and October. Franklin: September to October.
Full monthly tables: Cary weather by month and Franklin weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $73,600 in Cary and $72,300 in Franklin. Moving from Cary to Franklin, you would need about $73,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Cary and Franklin
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Cary and Franklin.
Which would you pick?
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