Best PlacesNorthwest Raleigh, Raleigh, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh ranks 465th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on good schools by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh's strengths and weaknesses
Where Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh ranks high
- School gradeA, better than 95% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
Where Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 56 pleasant days a year, better than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 22% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 22% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 22% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh
A household needs to earn about $136,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $112,549, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh's effective rate of 0.75%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh
Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh.
Who works in Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh, and how
Work in Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 68%
- Work from home 29%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh
Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh has more restaurants and bars per resident than 66% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 82% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh, month by month
Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh sees roughly 56 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 56, with lows near 31. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 43° | 31° |
| April | 77° | 62° | 48° |
| July | 94° | 81° | 71° |
| October | 77° | 63° | 51° |
Flying in and out of Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh
Raleigh-Durham International sits about 3 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 7.7 million passengers in 2025, with 128 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh
Schools across Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh average an A, better than 95% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Sycamore Creek ElementaryA+ · 75% proficient
- Jeffreys Grove ElementaryA+ · 72% proficient
- Pearsontown ElementaryA · 71% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mills Park MiddleA+ · 89% proficient
- Pine Hollow MiddleA+ · 78% proficient
- Martin MiddleA · 66% proficient
Top high schools
- City Of Medicine AcademyA · 78% proficient
- Vernon Malone College And Career AcademyA · 77% proficient
- Leesville Road HighA · 74% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 92% of neighborhoods, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 29% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh
Is Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh ranks 465th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on good schools, tree cover, and state finances, and lowest on the weather and cell coverage. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $522,607. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $112,549 median income, cost of living beats 92% of neighborhoods.
Is Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh safe?
Yes, Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh is safer than 80% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $340 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh?
July highs average about 94 degrees, and January highs near 56 with lows near 31. That works out to about 56 pleasant days a year, more than 3% of neighborhoods.
Is Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh good for families?
Schools beat 95% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 80%, and childcare runs $1,201 a month.
Compare Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Northwest Raleigh, Raleigh detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.