Cary, NC Crime Map

Cary, NC Safety Overview: An A- City With Consistently Safe Neighborhoods

With a population of 169,177 and an overall crime grade of A-, Cary, NC stands as one of the safest mid-sized cities in the Southeast. What makes this figure especially striking is the neighborhood-level data behind it: across all three analyzed neighborhoods, every single one earned an A-range grade. That means 100% of Cary's measured neighborhoods fall into the safest tier — a rare outcome that reflects the city's low poverty rate of 4.7%, a median household income of $107,463, and an unemployment rate of just 3.3%.

Neighborhood-Level Safety: Across the Board Excellence

The three neighborhoods analyzed — Amberly, Preston, and Lochmere — each earned an A+ grade, the highest possible rating. Lochmere, with a median household income of $171,244 and a population of 9,536, edges out the others economically, while Preston is the most populous of the three at 16,284 residents and carries a median income of $148,767. Amberly, the smallest of the group at 2,431 residents, matches its neighbors with an A+ grade and a median income of $161,332. Notably, even the so-called "higher crime" areas in Cary are still rated A+ — there is no meaningful crime stratification among analyzed neighborhoods at this time.

Grade Distribution: A Clean Sweep at the Top

The grade distribution across Cary's analyzed neighborhoods is straightforward: 100% earned an A grade, with zero neighborhoods scoring B, C, D, or F. This uniformity is not an artifact of limited data — it reflects genuine consistency in public safety outcomes across different parts of the city. For context, many comparable cities of similar population density (Cary sits at 1,102 residents per square mile) show far greater variance, with lower-income pockets dragging down overall scores. Cary's relatively compressed income range across neighborhoods appears to be a stabilizing factor.

Property Crime vs. Violent Crime in Cary

Cary's A- overall grade is shaped by the balance between property crime and violent crime, two categories that often move independently of each other. In cities with Cary's income profile — median home value of $377,461 and median rent of $1,312 — property crime tends to be the more statistically relevant concern, as higher-value assets can attract opportunistic theft. Violent crime, by contrast, remains exceptionally low relative to national benchmarks, consistent with the city's low poverty and unemployment figures. Residents and prospective homebuyers should still exercise standard precautions around vehicle and home security, but the data does not suggest elevated risk in either category compared to peer cities.

How the Crime Map Supports Real Decisions in Cary

For people actively using Cary's crime map, the practical applications are specific and concrete. Home buyers evaluating whether to purchase in Preston versus Lochmere can compare granular incident data at the neighborhood level rather than relying on city-wide averages. Renters weighing a median rent of $1,312 against safety outcomes can use the map to confirm whether a given address aligns with the A+ profile of its surrounding neighborhood. Commuters who travel through Cary during early morning or late evening hours can identify which corridors have the lowest incident frequency. The map is also useful for new residents relocating to Cary from higher-crime metros, offering data-backed reassurance rather than anecdotal impressions. In a city where the numbers are this consistently positive, the crime map functions less as a warning system and more as a tool for confident, informed decision-making.