Raleigh, Knightdale, Garner and Cary side by side: 2026 tax rates, high school results, August 2026 home values, Census income and commute times.
Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: Wake County’s table of tax rates, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 accountability data, Zillow Research, the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey and the four governments’ own websites, linked below.
Raleigh’s three nearest neighbors that are incorporated are Knightdale, about nine miles away, Garner, about 10 miles, and Cary, about 11 miles, measured between the Census Bureau’s center points for each place. All four are in Wake County and share its property tax and its school system. They differ in their city or town tax rate, the high schools inside their limits, home values and who picks up the trash. Every figure below is from an official or published source, for the same year in all four places. This page does not rank them.
Property taxes
In North Carolina the county funds the public schools, so there is no separate school tax. Every property in the Wake County part of all four places pays the Wake County rate of $0.5371 per $100 of assessed value for 2026, then its city or town rate, according to the county’s table of tax rates.
| Place | City or town rate, 2026 | Combined with county | On a $400,000 assessed value | Vehicle fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh | $0.372 | $0.9091 | $3,636.40 | $30 |
| Knightdale | $0.44 | $0.9771 | $3,908.40 | $30 |
| Garner | $0.535 | $1.0721 | $4,288.40 | $30 |
| Cary | $0.3675 | $0.9046 | $3,618.40 | $30 |
The $400,000 column is arithmetic on the published rates, before any exclusion. The county’s table notes that some Raleigh property may also owe a special district tax. Homes in the Durham County part of Raleigh, and in the Chatham County part of Cary, pay that county’s rate instead of Wake’s. None of the four has a homestead exemption of its own; North Carolina’s relief programs for older, disabled and disabled-veteran homeowners are run by the county, on its tax relief page. More in our property tax guide.
City and town tax rates
Schools
All four are in the Wake County Public School System, where 68.2% of state tests were at grade level or above in 2025-26. Students are assigned by address, and many homes are zoned for a high school in another town; see our neighborhoods guide. These are the traditional public high schools with a mailing address in each place in the federal NCES school directory, with 2025-26 figures from the state’s accountability data.
| Place | High school | At grade level | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh | Athens Drive High | 59.9% | Met |
| Raleigh | Broughton High | 73.3% | Exceeded |
| Raleigh | Enloe High | 76.1% | Met |
| Raleigh | Leesville Road High | 77.7% | Exceeded |
| Raleigh | Millbrook High | 63.2% | Met |
| Raleigh | Sanderson High | 56.5% | Exceeded |
| Raleigh | Southeast Raleigh High | 44.8% | Exceeded |
| Raleigh | Wakefield High | 63.7% | Exceeded |
| Knightdale | Knightdale High | 43.4% | Exceeded |
| Garner | Garner High | 47.9% | Exceeded |
| Garner | South Garner High | 55.7% | Exceeded |
| Cary | Cary High | 64.1% | Exceeded |
| Cary | Green Hope High | 84.2% | Exceeded |
| Cary | Green Level High | 90.5% | Exceeded |
| Cary | Panther Creek High | 81.8% | Exceeded |
“At grade level” is the share of state tests at grade level or above; “growth” is the state’s measure of whether students gained as much as expected in a year. A mailing address is not the same as city limits, and magnet and early college programs draw students from across the county. More in our schools guide.
Home values
The Zillow Home Value Index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price. These are Zillow’s figures for each city or town.
| Place | August 2026 | August 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh | $428,671 | $436,286 | -1.7% |
| Knightdale | $363,989 | $371,224 | -1.9% |
| Garner | $380,170 | $387,256 | -1.8% |
| Cary | $619,636 | $628,603 | -1.4% |
More on Raleigh in our home prices guide.
Census figures
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates, the same vintage for all four. Median home value here is what owners told the survey their homes were worth, a different measure from Zillow’s.
| Place | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Mean travel time to work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh | 481,031 | $85,395 | $415,800 | 23.0 minutes |
| Knightdale | 20,214 | $103,220 | $380,100 | 24.0 minutes |
| Garner | 34,473 | $78,756 | $355,000 | 26.2 minutes |
| Cary | 179,306 | $134,905 | $580,200 | 22.5 minutes |
The links go to each place’s Census QuickFacts page. More on Raleigh in our population guide.
Who provides city services
Each runs its own police department inside its limits: Raleigh, Knightdale, Garner and Cary. The Wake County Sheriff’s Office covers unincorporated areas.
| Place | Fire | Trash and recycling |
|---|---|---|
| Raleigh | Raleigh Fire Department | City Solid Waste Services crews; recycling every other week (city page; our trash guide) |
| Knightdale | Knightdale Fire Department, a town department | GFL Environmental under a town contract, billed on the City of Raleigh water bill (town page) |
| Garner | Garner Fire-Rescue Department, whose district takes in about 80 square miles in and outside town | Weekly trash and every-other-week recycling from the town (town page) |
| Cary | Cary Fire Department | Town curbside collection in town-provided roll-out carts (town page) |
How to check an address
- Which city and county is it in? Look up the parcel on Wake County’s iMAPS property map. A mailing address is not proof of which city or town a home is in.
- Which schools? Enter the address in the district’s base school lookup. For a Durham County address, ask Durham Public Schools.
- What will the tax be? Multiply the assessed value by the combined rate above, or see the county’s tax rate table and our property tax guide.
Frequently asked questions
Which has lower property taxes, Raleigh, Knightdale, Garner or Cary?
For 2026 the city and town rates are $0.3675 per $100 of value in Cary, $0.372 in Raleigh, $0.44 in Knightdale and $0.535 in Garner. All four also pay the Wake County rate of $0.5371.
What is the typical home value in Raleigh compared with Cary and Garner?
In August 2026 the Zillow Home Value Index was $428,671 in Raleigh, $363,989 in Knightdale, $380,170 in Garner and $619,636 in Cary.
Are Raleigh, Knightdale, Garner and Cary in the same school district?
Yes. All four are in the Wake County Public School System, which assigns schools by address, not by town. The small Durham County part of Raleigh is served by Durham Public Schools.
How long is the commute from Raleigh compared with nearby towns?
The mean travel time to work was 23.0 minutes for Raleigh residents in the 2020-2024 American Community Survey, against 24.0 in Knightdale, 26.2 in Garner and 22.5 in Cary.
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