Cary, Morrisville, Apex and Holly Springs side by side: 2026 tax rates, high school results, August 2026 home values, Census income and commutes.
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 towns’ own websites, linked below.
Cary’s three nearest towns are Morrisville, about four miles north, Apex, about five miles southwest, and Holly Springs, about nine miles south. All four are towns in Wake County and share its property tax, its sheriff and its school system. They differ in their 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 towns. 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 towns pays the Wake County rate of $0.5371 per $100 of assessed value for 2026, then its town’s rate, according to the county’s table of tax rates.
| Town | Town rate, 2026 | Combined with county | On a $500,000 assessed value | Vehicle fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cary | $0.3675 | $0.9046 | $4,523 | $30 |
| Morrisville | $0.35 | $0.8871 | $4,435.50 | $30 |
| Apex | $0.3735 | $0.9106 | $4,553 | $30 |
| Holly Springs | $0.3435 | $0.8806 | $4,403 | $25 |
The $500,000 column is arithmetic on the published rates, before any exclusion. The county’s table notes that Morrisville property may also owe a special district tax and that the town charges a stormwater fee on some properties. Cary homes in Chatham County pay Chatham County’s rate instead of Wake’s. None of the four towns 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.
Town tax rates
Schools
All four towns 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 high schools with campuses inside each town’s limits, with 2025-26 figures from the state’s accountability data.
| Town | High school | At grade level | Growth | Four-year graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cary | Cary High | 64.1% | Exceeded | 88.8% |
| Cary | Green Hope High | 84.2% | Exceeded | Above 95% |
| Cary | Green Level High | 90.5% | Exceeded | Above 95% |
| Cary | Middle Creek High | 64.2% | Not met | 94.9% |
| Cary | Panther Creek High | 81.8% | Exceeded | Above 95% |
| Apex | Apex High | 74.3% | Met | Above 95% |
| Apex | Apex Friendship High | 87.2% | Exceeded | Above 95% |
| Apex | Felton Grove High | 81.2% | Exceeded | None yet |
| Holly Springs | Holly Springs High | 84.4% | Exceeded | Above 95% |
“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. The federal school directory lists no traditional high school in Morrisville. Five points we checked across Morrisville in the district’s 2026-27 attendance areas were zoned for Panther Creek High (two), Green Hope High (two) and Cary High (one). 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 town.
| Town | August 2026 | August 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cary | $619,636 | $628,603 | -1.4% |
| Morrisville | $470,563 | $494,139 | -4.8% |
| Apex | $592,991 | $603,410 | -1.7% |
| Holly Springs | $574,699 | $579,299 | -0.8% |
More on Cary 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 towns. Median home value here is what owners told the survey their homes were worth, a different measure from Zillow’s.
| Town | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Mean travel time to work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cary | 179,306 | $134,905 | $580,200 | 22.5 minutes |
| Morrisville | 31,422 | $125,396 | $518,800 | 21.8 minutes |
| Apex | 70,630 | $144,135 | $576,100 | 25.2 minutes |
| Holly Springs | 45,248 | $135,578 | $535,800 | 28.8 minutes |
The links go to each town’s Census QuickFacts page. More on Cary in our population guide.
Who provides town services
Each town runs its own police and fire departments inside its limits: Cary (police, fire), Morrisville (police, fire), Apex (police, fire) and Holly Springs (police, fire). The Wake County Sheriff’s Office covers unincorporated areas. Trash service differs:
| Town | Trash and recycling |
|---|---|
| Cary | Town curbside collection in town-provided roll-out carts; see our trash and recycling guide |
| Morrisville | GFL Environmental provides garbage, recycling and yard waste service to the town |
| Apex | GFL under a town contract for trash and recycling; town crews collect yard waste |
| Holly Springs | Curbside garbage and recycling through the town’s contractor, GFL Environmental |
How to check an address
- Which town and county is it in? Look up the parcel on Wake County’s iMAPS property map. A mailing address is not proof: many Cary homes have Morrisville or Apex addresses, and part of west Cary is in Chatham County.
- Which schools? Enter the address in the district’s base school lookup. For a Chatham County address, ask Chatham County 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, Cary, Morrisville, Apex or Holly Springs?
For 2026 the town rates are $0.3435 per $100 of value in Holly Springs, $0.35 in Morrisville, $0.3675 in Cary and $0.3735 in Apex. All four also pay the Wake County rate of $0.5371.
What is the typical home value in Cary compared with Morrisville and Apex?
In August 2026 the Zillow Home Value Index was $619,636 in Cary, $470,563 in Morrisville, $592,991 in Apex and $574,699 in Holly Springs.
Are Cary, Morrisville, Apex and Holly Springs in the same school district?
Yes. All four are in the Wake County Public School System, which assigns schools by address, not by town. Homes in the Chatham County part of Cary are served by Chatham County Schools.
How long is the commute from Cary?
The mean travel time to work was 22.5 minutes for Cary residents in the 2020-2024 American Community Survey, against 21.8 in Morrisville, 25.2 in Apex and 28.8 in Holly Springs.
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