Taxes in Cary
Cary's property tax picture is a genuine two-layer stack with both layers precisely sourced: Wake County's own rate and the Town of Cary's own municipal rate, which together run to roughly 0.877% of assessed value for most Cary property -- notably higher than the 0.71%-0.75% 'effective rate' cited by some aggregator sites for Wake County generally. Beyond property tax, residents get North Carolina's flat, recently-reduced state income tax and a Wake County sales tax add-on.
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Learn moreWake County's rate: a real, current increase
Wake County's property tax rate for fiscal year 2026-2027 is 53.71 cents per $100 of assessed value, a 2-cent increase adopted as part of the county's $2.28 billion budget -- meaning the owner of a $450,000 home sees roughly a $90 increase in their county tax bill for the year, per CBS17 reporting on the budget vote.
Town of Cary's own rate: the lowest of Wake's 12 municipalities, 18 years running
The Town of Cary raised its own municipal property tax rate from 32.5 cents to 34 cents per $100 of assessed value for fiscal year 2026 -- a 1.5-cent increase -- as part of a $510.9 million town budget. Even after that increase, Cary's municipal rate remains the lowest of all 12 Wake County municipalities, a distinction the town has held for 18 consecutive years, per the Town of Cary's own reporting.
Combined, and how that compares to aggregator "effective rate" figures
Stacking Wake County's 53.71 cents and the Town of Cary's 34 cents per $100 gives a combined nominal rate of roughly 87.71 cents per $100 of assessed value -- about 0.877% -- for most property within Cary's Wake County portion. That runs meaningfully higher than the 0.71% "effective rate" cited by TaxByCounty for Wake County generally (median homeowner paying $3,260/yr on a $461,300 home) or the 0.75% cited by SmartAsset in the base record's own disclosed range. This gap likely reflects those aggregator figures blending in unincorporated Wake County areas that pay only the county rate, with no municipal layer -- a real, disclosed discrepancy rather than a reconciled single number, consistent with the base record's own unresolved disclosure on this point. Remember also that some Cary addresses sit in Chatham or Durham County instead, where different combined rates would apply.
State-level taxes: a falling flat income tax, and standard sales tax
North Carolina's flat personal income tax rate fell to 3.99% for 2026 (from 4.25% in 2025 and 4.5% in 2024), with a possible further reduction to 3.49% in 2027 if state revenue targets are met -- Social Security benefits are not taxed. The combined sales tax rate in Wake County runs in the 6.75%-7.3% range depending on source and specific location (built from the state's 4.75% rate, a 2.0% county rate, and a 0.5% special district rate in many areas) -- confirm the exact rate for a specific Cary address given this real source variance.
Key takeaways
- Wake County's property tax rate is 53.71 cents per $100 of assessed value for FY2026-27, a 2-cent increase (roughly $90/yr more on a $450,000 home).
- The Town of Cary's own municipal rate rose to 34 cents per $100 for FY2026 (from 32.5 cents) -- still the lowest of Wake County's 12 municipalities for the 18th consecutive year.
- Combined, Wake County + Town of Cary rates run to roughly 0.877% of assessed value for most Cary property -- notably higher than the ~0.71%-0.75% "effective rate" some aggregator sites cite for Wake County generally, a real, disclosed gap rather than a reconciled figure. Some Cary addresses sit in Chatham or Durham County instead, where different rates apply.
- North Carolina's flat state income tax fell to 3.99% for 2026 (possible further drop to 3.49% in 2027); Social Security isn't taxed. Wake County's combined sales tax runs roughly 6.75%-7.3% depending on source and location.
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