Crime & Safety in Cary
Cary's crime data shows real variance across sources -- not quite the sharp directional disagreement seen in some other markets, but different enough in framing and grade that all three sources are worth disclosing by name rather than collapsing into one verdict.
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Learn moreNeighborhoodScout: higher than the national average overall, but lower among peer-sized cities
NeighborhoodScout describes Cary's overall crime rate (14 crimes per 1,000 residents, a roughly 1-in-72 chance of being a victim of violent or property crime) as "considerably higher than the national average across all communities of all sizes" -- but also states that compared specifically to other communities of similar population size, Cary's crime rate is "noticeably lower than average," meaning Cary reads as safer than most similarly sized U.S. cities by this same source's analysis. Both statements come from the same source and reflect different comparison groups rather than a contradiction, but they read very differently in isolation -- worth understanding the comparison basis before drawing a conclusion. Relative to North Carolina specifically, NeighborhoodScout notes Cary's crime rate is higher than 57% of the state's cities and towns of all sizes.
CrimeGrade: a middle-of-the-road C+
CrimeGrade.org cites Cary's property crime rate at 12.20 per 1,000 residents in a typical year, with an overall C+ grade -- describing Cary's combined crime rate as roughly on par with the average US city rather than notably safer or more dangerous.
A third source: a considerably more favorable A- read
A separate 2026 source cites Cary with a crime safety grade of A- and an overall crime rate estimated at 48% below the national average -- a meaningfully more favorable read than either NeighborhoodScout's "considerably higher than national average" framing or CrimeGrade's middle-of-the-road C+. This spread across three named sources (NeighborhoodScout, CrimeGrade, and this third source) is real and disclosed here rather than resolved into one verdict.
Check a specific address directly
Given this real spread across sources -- and the genuine nuance in NeighborhoodScout's own two different comparison-group readings -- prospective buyers and renters should check a specific address directly with more than one crime-data source rather than relying on any single citywide grade or percentile. Per site policy, no specific lower-rated area within Cary is named here.
Key takeaways
- NeighborhoodScout describes Cary's overall crime rate (14/1,000 residents) as "considerably higher than the national average across all communities," but "noticeably lower than average" among similarly sized U.S. cities specifically -- both from the same source, reflecting different comparison groups rather than a contradiction.
- CrimeGrade.org gives Cary a C+ overall grade (property crime rate 12.20/1,000) -- roughly on par with the typical U.S. city.
- A third source cites a considerably more favorable A- safety grade and a crime rate 48% below the national average -- a real, meaningfully different read from the other two sources.
- Given this genuine spread across three named sources, check a specific address directly with more than one crime-data tool rather than relying on a single citywide grade. No specific lower-rated area is named here per site policy.
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