Cary is the largest town and seventh-largest municipality in North Carolina. Cary is predominantly in Wake County and is the county's second-largest municipality, as well as the third-largest municipality in The Triangle after Raleigh and Durham.
The town's population was 135,234 as of the 2010 census, making it the largest town and seventh-largest municipality statewide. As of July 2019, the town's estimated population was 170,282, though Cary is still classified a town because that is how it was incorporated with the state. Cary is the second most populous incorporated town in the United States.
According to the US Census Bureau, Cary was the fifth fastest-growing municipality in the United States between September 1, 2006, and September 1, 2007. In 2015 Cary had a crime rate of 84 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. Charlotte, the largest city in North Carolina, had a violent crime rate of 648 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, almost eight times higher than Cary.
Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill make up the three primary metropolitan areas of the Research Triangle metropolitan region.