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Place dossier plate
SheetNC-FUQUAY-VARINA-NC · Fuquay-Varina, NC 37,749 pop · income 84th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Fuquay-Varina
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Fuquay-Varina on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Goldsboro · lowest
47,005
Goldsboro · lowest
47,005 median HH income
35.5% of the leader · rank #1
Santa Cruz · near
111,427
Santa Cruz · near
111,427 median HH income
84.1% of the leader · rank #2
Grapevine · near
111,438
Grapevine · near
111,438 median HH income
84.1% of the leader · rank #3
Fuquay-Varina · this city
111,447
Fuquay-Varina · this city
111,447 median HH income
84.2% of the leader · rank #4
Ransom Canyon · near
111,458
Ransom Canyon · near
111,458 median HH income
84.2% of the leader · rank #5
Ramah · near
111,462
Ramah · near
111,462 median HH income
84.2% of the leader · rank #6
Holly Springs · highest
132,435
Holly Springs · highest
132,435 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Fuquay-Varina on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 37,749.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Fuquay-Varina - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Fuquay-Varina lands in the 84th percentile for household income and the 79th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
84th
percentile, household income
78th
percentile, home value
48th
percentile, median rent
79th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Fuquay-Varina, NC
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 37,749 residents in Fuquay-Varina, a small city within North Carolina. Median household income here is $111,447 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 5.3%. Fuquay-Varina's housing stock carries a median value of $410,600, and the median resident age is 36.3 years. About 52.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 65.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 1,070 residential building permits were authorized in Fuquay-Varina (Rapid Growth), up 40% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Fuquay-Varina reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 649.3 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in North Carolina run below the national norm: the state registers 94.3 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,161 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts North Carolina's average monthly utility costs around $215 (state average). On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 66.7 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Fuquay-Varina's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from schools and households to work and mobility to housing and income to population change to reported crime to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Fuquay-Varina, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, matched public-school count, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Fuquay-Varina?
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 9 public schools within the city match. 52.9% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
What does the journey to work look like in Fuquay-Varina?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 64.5%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
How far does income reach against housing in Fuquay-Varina?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.7 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 5.3%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Which cities make useful reference points for Fuquay-Varina?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within North Carolina, the closest population matches are Salisbury (35,730 residents, $51,058 income); Monroe (35,596 residents, $67,265 income); Indian Trail (41,146 residents, $99,073 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Central Islip, NY (37,751 residents); Rome, GA (37,754 residents); Winchester, NV (37,774 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Population change
Is Fuquay-Varina growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +13,965 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +40.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 1,070 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
2020 estimate
34,571
2025 estimate
48,536
Period change
+40.4%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Fuquay-Varina?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 649.3 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 72% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Total reported rate
649.3
Violent rate
69.6
Property rate
579.7
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, North Carolina average
B+
City profile score · Fuquay-Varina, NC
75/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Bachelor's+ share A
52.9%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income A-
$111,447
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime B+
70 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living B-
94.3 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Poverty rate C+
5.3%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Fuquay-Varina profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 86/100 (A) · 52.9%
Household income: 82/100 (A-) · $111,447
Violent crime: 79/100 (B+) · 70 /100k
Cost of living: 67/100 (B-) · 94.3 index
Poverty rate: 63/100 (C+) · 5.3%
Where Fuquay-Varina sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Fuquay-Varina's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Fuquay-Varina highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Fuquay-Varina, NC (this city): home $410,600, crime 649/100k
Rome, GA : home $214,700, crime 3,976/100k
Montclair, CA : home $549,600, crime 4,290/100k
Salisbury, NC : home $215,200, crime 4,948/100k
Monroe, NC : home $270,600, crime 3,987/100k
Goldsboro, NC : home $173,700, crime 6,940/100k
Garner, NC : home $320,300, crime 4,864/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Fuquay-Varina compare to other US cities?
Where Fuquay-Varina sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income84% higher than other cities
Home value78% pricier than other cities
Median rent48% pricier than other cities
Safety79% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to North Carolina alone, Fuquay-Varina ranks #12 of 195 North Carolina cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Fuquay-Varina against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to North Carolina only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
North Carolina-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Fuquay-Varina near the bottom of North Carolina's cities
Among the 746 North Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Fuquay-Varina ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Fuquay-Varina only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#45 of 700
94th percentile in North Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 746
0th percentile in North Carolina
Median Home Value
#69 of 708
90th percentile in North Carolina
Poverty Rate
#495 of 746
33rd percentile in North Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#73 of 746
90th percentile in North Carolina
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within North Carolina only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
84th percentile nationally for median household income · 79th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Fuquay-Varina's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Fuquay-Varina's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Fuquay-Varina's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$410,60022nd percentilemore affordable than 22% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Fuquay-Varina's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.7×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#9,665 of 15,516
More affordable than 38% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,672 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.7×, Fuquay-Varina sits in the moderate band:
national rank #9,665 of 15,516 and #1,672 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$111,447Fuquay-Varina, NC median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Fuquay-Varina, NC median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Fuquay-Varina, NC.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)52.9%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)5.3%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)65.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
37,749
Median Income
$111,447
Median Home Value
$410,600
Median Age
36.3
Poverty Rate
5.3%
Labor force participation
65.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
52.9%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
649.3
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
69.6
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
579.7
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
9
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Fuquay-Varina's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
34,571 residents
2021
36,798 residents
2022
40,716 residents
2023
43,955 residents
2024
46,224 residents
2025
48,536 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Rapid Growth
Total Permits (2024)
1,070
housing units authorized
Single-Family
862
detached homes
Multifamily
208
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
28.3
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
764
764
0
$165.7M
2020
1,035
1,035
0
$225.4M
2021
1,807
1,807
0
$375.7M
2022
2,132
1,622
510
$391.3M
2023
1,089
977
112
$266.2M
2024
1,070
862
208
$260.5M
Permit volume increased 40% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
64.5%
Carpool
6.7%
Public Transit
0.2%
Walk
1.5%
Work from Home
26.4%
Other
0.7%
Based on 18,614 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
North Carolina statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $215
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across North Carolina at $215 (electricity about $115 , water and sewer about $45 ).
These are North Carolina statewide averages, not a meter reading for Fuquay-Varina. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
North Carolina's BEA cost-of-living index is 94.3 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Fuquay-Varina is $1,161/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to North Carolina statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 66.7 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a North Carolina statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Fuquay-Varina sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Fuquay-Varina compares to similar-size North Carolina cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.