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North Carolina

North Carolina · Retirees

Best cities in North Carolina
for retirees (2026)

Charlotte tops the North Carolina ranking for retirees with an UrbRank Score of 75/100. See the full state ranking below.

What matters for retirees

25% climate, 25% affordability, 20% safety, 20% walkability, 10% environment.

North Carolina ranking

23 scored cities in North Carolina, ranked by UrbRank Score.

1
CharlotteNC
75
B+
2
BurlingtonNC
73
B
3
Rocky MountNC
73
B
4
GreenvilleNC
71
B
5
HuntersvilleNC
70
B
6
WilmingtonNC
69
B-
7
WilsonNC
68
B-
8
Winston-SalemNC
66
B-
9
CaryNC
64
C+
10
ConcordNC
64
C+
11
FayettevilleNC
63
C+
12
High PointNC
63
C+
13
MooresvilleNC
63
C+
14
JacksonvilleNC
62
C+
15
Chapel HillNC
62
C+
16
RaleighNC
61
C+
17
DurhamNC
61
C+
18
KannapolisNC
61
C+
19
GreensboroNC
59
C
20
ApexNC
59
C
21
Wake ForestNC
58
C
22
GastoniaNC
57
C
23
AshevilleNC
55
C

Top cities for retirees nationally

How North Carolina's best stack up against the rest of the country.

1
ScrantonPA
80
A-
2
BlacksburgVA
80
B+
3
LakelandFL
78
B+
4
Wilkes-BarrePA
78
B+
5
HarlingenTX
77
B+
6
BendOR
77
B+
7
BiloxiMS
77
B+
8
Johnson CityTN
77
B+
9
AuburnAL
76
B+
10
CharlotteNC
75
B+

See the full national ranking →

Nearby states

Alabama
Arkansas
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia