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North Carolina events › Triangle › Growth Towns
By Census Bureau estimates, the fastest-growing Triangle towns from 2020 to 2025 are Wendell (+100.1%), Fuquay-Varina (+41.6%), Garner (+32.1%) and Apex (+24.9%). This guide compares growth, estimated commutes to Research Triangle Park and what each town offers, with every estimate labeled.
- Fastest GrowingWendell+100.1% (estimate)
- Most People AddedRaleigh+38,204 (estimate)
- Closest To RTPMorrisvilleabout 12 min (estimate)
- Fastest CountyJohnston+18.7% (estimate)
The Triangle’s growth has spread outward from Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. In absolute numbers Raleigh still adds the most people, but the fastest percentage growth is in the southern and eastern Wake towns and in Johnston County. Every population figure below is a Census Bureau estimate, and every drive time is our routing estimate with no traffic.
About these numbers: populations for 2025 are Census Bureau estimates (Vintage 2025, July 1, 2025), not counts. Growth is measured from the Census estimates base for April 1, 2020, so it can differ from the raw 2020 census count, and it includes land a town annexed after 2020, not only people moving in. Drive times are estimates routed on OpenStreetMap roads with no traffic, from each town’s Census map point; rush hour is often much slower.
Triangle Town Growth, 2020 to 2025
| Town | County | April 2020 Base | July 2025 Estimate | Change | People Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wendell | Wake | 9,841 | 19,687 | +100.1% | +9,846 |
| Fuquay-Varina | Wake | 34,280 | 48,536 | +41.6% | +14,256 |
| Garner | Wake | 31,463 | 41,562 | +32.1% | +10,099 |
| Apex | Wake | 64,366 | 80,419 | +24.9% | +16,053 |
| Clayton | Johnston | 26,314 | 32,633 | +24.0% | +6,319 |
| Holly Springs | Wake | 41,263 | 50,288 | +21.9% | +9,025 |
| Wake Forest | Wake | 48,009 | 58,147 | +21.1% | +10,138 |
| Knightdale | Wake | 19,520 | 23,144 | +18.6% | +3,624 |
| Sanford | Lee | 30,197 | 34,138 | +13.1% | +3,941 |
| Morrisville | Wake | 29,848 | 32,466 | +8.8% | +2,618 |
| Raleigh | Wake | 468,102 | 506,306 | +8.2% | +38,204 |
| Durham | Durham | 283,881 | 305,561 | +7.6% | +21,680 |
| Cary | Wake | 174,787 | 183,582 | +5.0% | +8,795 |
| Chapel Hill | Orange | 62,269 | 63,565 | +2.1% | +1,296 |
| Carrboro | Orange | 21,292 | 20,962 | -1.5% | -330 |
Wendell’s doubling is the largest change on the list. Census estimates count everyone inside current town limits, so land a town annexes after 2020 adds to its total. We have not separated annexation from new residents; no official page we read splits the two.
What The Towns Say About Their Growth
| Town | What The Town Says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cary | "With the development of Research Triangle Park in the 1960s, Cary grew from a quiet town of a few thousand people to a booming bedroom community." | Town page |
| Morrisville | "Since 2000, Morrisville's population has ballooned from 5,000 to over an estimated 34,800 residents as of December 2025." The town expects 38,000 to 40,000 in three to five years. | Town page |
| Holly Springs | "Starting life as a Town of one square mile and a population of 218, Holly Springs has grown to 19.88 square miles and about 47,321 residents." | Town page |
| Fuquay-Varina | "Fuquay-Varina has become one of the fastest-growing small towns in North Carolina." | Town page |
| Wake Forest | "Beginning in the 1990s and continuing today, Wake Forest has seen an explosive growth in its population, now having close to 55,000 residents." | Town page |
| Carrboro | "In 1960, approximately 2,000 people lived in the town … Today, over 20,000 people call Carrboro home." | Town page |
Town figures are the towns’ own and are not dated the same way as Census estimates; we quote them as written.
Estimated Commute to Research Triangle Park
Sorted from closest to farthest. These are routing estimates on OpenStreetMap roads with no traffic, from each town’s Census map point; real rush-hour trips often take much longer.
| Town | To RTP | To Downtown Raleigh Area | To Durham | Road Miles To RTP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham | about 12 min | about 33 min | – | about 6.3 mi |
| Morrisville | about 12 min | about 24 min | about 22 min | about 5.6 mi |
| Cary | about 19 min | about 24 min | about 29 min | about 10.5 mi |
| Chapel Hill | about 20 min | about 39 min | about 20 min | about 13.9 mi |
| Apex | about 22 min | about 28 min | about 31 min | about 16.6 mi |
| Raleigh | about 23 min | – | about 33 min | about 17.0 mi |
| Carrboro | about 27 min | about 46 min | about 28 min | about 16.8 mi |
| Holly Springs | about 28 min | about 29 min | about 37 min | about 21.4 mi |
| Garner | about 34 min | about 25 min | about 44 min | about 24.2 mi |
| Knightdale | about 35 min | about 19 min | about 42 min | about 28.1 mi |
| Wake Forest | about 36 min | about 27 min | about 40 min | about 25.6 mi |
| Fuquay-Varina | about 37 min | about 37 min | about 45 min | about 27.3 mi |
| Clayton | about 46 min | about 33 min | about 56 min | about 34.5 mi |
| Wendell | about 47 min | about 29 min | about 55 min | about 35.0 mi |
| Sanford | about 49 min | about 51 min | about 58 min | about 40.5 mi |
See the same numbers on the Triangle drive-time map.
Picking a Growth Town
Each town guide has events, parks, food, history and drive times from official pages.
| Town | Pick It For | To RTP (Est.) | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cary | the most greenway miles and big venues | about 19 min | Cary guide |
| Morrisville | the shortest drive to RTP and RDU | about 12 min | Morrisville guide |
| Apex | a railroad-town downtown and the American Tobacco Trail | about 22 min | Apex guide |
| Holly Springs | lake parks and a year-round market | about 28 min | Holly Springs guide |
| Fuquay-Varina | two small downtowns and fast growth | about 37 min | Fuquay-Varina guide |
| Wake Forest | a college-town past north of Raleigh | about 36 min | Wake Forest guide |
| Clayton | a river walk and a growing Johnston County town | about 46 min | Clayton guide |
| Chapel Hill | a university town with Carrboro's music and market | about 20 min | Chapel Hill guide |
| Sanford | the Lee County growth edge and a brick-making past | about 49 min | Sanford guide |
County Growth
| County | April 2020 Base | July 2025 Estimate | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnston County | 216,014 | 256,448 | +18.7% |
| Chatham County | 76,258 | 85,111 | +11.6% |
| Wake County | 1,129,356 | 1,257,235 | +11.3% |
| Lee County | 63,283 | 70,258 | +11.0% |
| Durham County | 324,859 | 347,240 | +6.9% |
| Orange County | 148,711 | 152,498 | +2.5% |
Moving to The Triangle
Costs, rents and the moving checklist live on our living guides:
| Guide | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| Relocating To North Carolina | moving checklist |
| Cost Of Living By Metro | Raleigh and Durham metros |
| Rent And Home Prices By City | by city |
| Triangle Region Guide | every town and the drive-time map |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fastest-growing town in the Triangle?
By Census Bureau estimates for April 2020 to July 2025, Wendell (+100.1%), though annexed land is part of that. Among the larger towns, Fuquay-Varina (+41.6%) and Apex (+24.9%) lead.
Which Triangle town is closest to Research Triangle Park?
Morrisville, about 12 minutes by our no-traffic routing estimate, then Durham and Cary.
Are these population numbers official?
They are official Census Bureau estimates (Vintage 2025), not census counts. Town-stated figures are quoted separately and labeled as the towns’ own.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 city and town population estimates (sub-est2025.csv) (read Nov 3, 2026)
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 county population estimates (read Nov 3, 2026)
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer place points (read Nov 3, 2026)
- OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap roads (drive-time estimates, no traffic) (computed Nov 3, 2026)
- Town of Cary, growth statement (checked Nov 3, 2026)
- Town of Morrisville, growth statement (checked Nov 3, 2026)
- Town of Holly Springs, growth statement (checked Nov 3, 2026)
- Town of Fuquay-Varina, growth statement (checked Nov 3, 2026)
- Town of Wake Forest, growth statement (checked Nov 3, 2026)
- Town of Carrboro, growth statement (checked Nov 3, 2026)
- Research Triangle Park, History (checked Nov 3, 2026)
Checked November 3, 2026. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? Tell us.
Cite this page: It's North Carolina, “Triangle Growth Towns”, itsnorthcarolina.com/triangle-growth-towns/ (updated ). By the It's North Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.