2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Cary, NC vs Highlands, NC

Change Cities
Highlights
- Household income in Highlands, is 54% less than it is in Cary and is 33% below the National Average.
- Cary unemployment rate is 3.1%.
- Highlands unemployment rate is 4.2%.
 Cary, NCHighlands, NCUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock4.2%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock1.0%1.6%
 Future Job Growth44.6%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes7.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock5.3%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$55,710  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$52,070$69,021
 Family Median Income$140,789  Unlock$85,028
 space
 Est. Households By Income
 Cary, NCHighlands, NCUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock12.5%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K1.1%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock17.3%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K4.2%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock3.0%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K5.4%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock11.3%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K11.6%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock12.9%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K13.3%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock5.4%9.5%
 space1
 Population By Occupation
 Cary, NCHighlands, NCUnited States
 Management, business, finance25.6%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock2.0%6.5%
 Community, social services2.0%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.6%1.2%
 Education, library7.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock5.9%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology6.4%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock0.0%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement0.8%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock17.0%5.4%
 Building maintenance1.6%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock4.2%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support16.1%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.4%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair2.8%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock1.8%13.1%
Reviews for Cary    63 Reviews

Cary is up-and-coming “cool.” The downtown is revitalized and growing. The town takes urban planning very seriously. The home prices have definitely spiked in the last  More

   |    Reply

Over 8 years ago

I've lived in NY, CT, MA, and in Miami FL. Now here in Cary NC for the past 10 years. For what I want and need at this phase of my life, I really like it here! All the  More

   |    Reply

Over 8 years ago

As a Real Estate Agent, I consider Cary the most central location in the Triangle, it basically takes you twenty minutes to get to Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough,   More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Cary

Reviews for Highlands    4 Reviews

Love BestPlaces, but most of their statistics are incorrect for the actual town of Highlands which is extremely expensive. I assume they are using information from Macon  More

   |    Reply

Over 4 years ago

This used to be a quaint, quiet, sweet little town, but it has ballooned into a rich man's Mecca. Fist of all, it's a tiny town... so parking is at a premium and it gets  More

   |    Reply

Over 14 years ago

I have run two businesses in Highlands. It is a very seasonal business trend. The rents are high and so is the cost of doing business, including labor cost, cost of  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Highlands


Premium Subscription
Includes Cost of Living compares for child care, utilities, transportation, health, taxes, housing for home owners vs renters, weather, insurance premiums and so much more.


The premier source for comprehensive city data for over 30 years.

© Best Places. All rights reserved.