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Jump between the major ranking views for North Carolina and compare how the order changes when priorities shift.
State Ranking
Best Cities in NC
These are the top cities in North Carolina based on overall MoveScore and the broader relocation trade-offs that matter when choosing where to live.
This page compares the strongest overall city options in North Carolina using a data-driven ranking model tied to affordability, safety, and livability.
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Data-driven ranking of Best Cities in NC based on cost, safety, and livability.
Top cities in North Carolina
Highest-ranked results based on this page’s weighting model.
#1
Greensboro, NC scores 74/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a large city with a more affordable than many comparable markets cost profile,…
#2
Charlotte, NC scores 73/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a large city with a moderately affordable cost profile, a mixed safety profile,…
#3
74
Durham, NC scores 70/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a large city with a moderately affordable cost profile, a mixed safety profile,…
More ranked cities
Continue exploring cities that score well within this ranking model.
#4
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#5
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#6
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#7
Fayetteville, NC scores 73/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a mid-sized city with…
#8
Winston-Salem, NC scores 73/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a mid-sized city with…
#9
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#10
72
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#11
72
Raleigh, NC scores 70/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a large city with…
#12
71
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#13
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#14
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#15
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#16
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#17
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#18
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#19
70
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#20
70
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What makes these cities rank well
People comparing cities in North Carolina usually want a faster way to narrow the field before clicking into full city profiles. This ranking does that by surfacing cities that perform well against the weighting model used on this page.
Use the links below each city to jump into the full profile, compare related rankings, and explore other state-level pathways without starting over from scratch.
How this ranking works
The overall ranking model in North Carolina uses MoveScore as the core signal, which reflects affordability, safety, climate, infrastructure, schools, grocery access, and broader relocation trade-offs.
These pages are designed to help users compare cities faster, then click deeper into the city profiles for more detail on cost of living, safety, climate, schools, infrastructure, grocery access, and broader trade-offs.
MoveScore
Affordability
Safety
Climate
Infrastructure
Schools
Grocery Access