Fayetteville vs Raleigh
The short version
- Fayetteville is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Raleigh area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $188,000 in Fayetteville and $415,800 in Raleigh.
- Households earn more in Raleigh ($85,395 vs $58,407 median).
- Raleigh is growing faster: +8.2% since 2020 vs +0.3%.
- Commutes are shorter in Fayetteville (19 vs 23 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Fayetteville, NC | Raleigh, NC | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 209,120 | 506,306 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.3% | +8.2% |
| People per square mile | 1,410 | 3,354 |
| Median age | 30.6 | 34.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 29% | 54% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $58,407 | $85,395 |
| Median home value | $188,000 | $415,800 |
| Home value to income | 3.2× | 4.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,250 | $1,572 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 92.0 | 98.2 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 73.1 | 103.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $69,000 | $73,600 |
| Homeowners | 47% | 51% |
| Top state income tax | 3.99% | 3.99% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.1% | 7.1% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.1 | 23.0 |
| Work from home | 8% | 26% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7.9% | 4.4% |
| Poverty rate | 17.7% | 11.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 54° / 32° | 52° / 32° |
| July high / low | 91° / 71° | 91° / 70° |
| Precipitation per year | 48 in | 46 in |
| Snowfall per year | 1 in | 5 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 53 | 52 |
| Nights below freezing | 63 | 65 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 89.5 | 95.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 69% | 66% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.6% | +1.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +57.1% | +44.9% |
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: Fayetteville: April to May and October. Raleigh: April to May and October.
Full monthly tables: Fayetteville weather by month and Raleigh weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $69,000 in Fayetteville and $73,600 in Raleigh. Moving from Fayetteville to Raleigh, you would need about $80,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Fayetteville and Raleigh
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Fayetteville and Raleigh.
Which would you pick?
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