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9 of 50
9. Apex, NC
Apex, NC
9
Top 50 rank: 9
Population: 40,205

Residents enjoy shopping and socializing in Apex's historic downtown, which plays host to events like a jazz festival and the Peak City Pig Fest. For more outdoor fun, there's the 400 acres of parks, baseball diamonds, and tennis courts.

The town has a range of affordable homes and is still growing, with residential building permits up 60% in the first quarter of 2013 compared with 2012.

Apex's growing population means, though, that while the schools still outperform many in the state, they've become more crowded. (A new high school is slated to open in 2015.) A new toll road has shrunk the roundtrip drive to the Research Triangle by 40 minutes but costs $3.66. --Taylor Tepper

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Apex, NC
Town stats
Median family income (per year)
$93,207
Job growth % (2010-2012)
12.45%
Median home price (2012)
$225,000
Reading test scores (% above/below average)
23.9%
Math test scores (% above/below average)
17.1%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000)
1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000)
15
Financials
Town stats
Median family income (per year)
$93,207
Family purchasing power (annual, cost-of-living adjusted)
$102,651
Sales tax
6.75%
State income tax rate (highest bracket)
7.75%I
State income tax rate (lowest bracket)
6.00%I
Auto insurance premiums (Average price quotes, for the state)
$1,424
Job growth % (2010-2012)
12.45%
Housing
Median home price (2012)
$225,000
Average property taxes
(2012)
$2,360
Education
Reading test scores (% above/below state average)
23.9%
Test scores math (% above/below average)
17.1%
% students attending public/private schools (located within town limits)
92.3/7.7
Quality of life
Air quality index* (% of days AQI ranked as good)
85.0%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000)
1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000)
15
Median commute time (in minutes)
22.6
% population with commute 45 mins. or longer
10.4%
% population walk or bike to work
2.9%
Leisure and culture
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts)
0.8
Weather
Annual rainfall (inches)
43.05
% clear days in the area
59%
High temp in July ° F
88.9°
Low temp in Jan ° F
32°
Meet the neighbors
Median age
34.4
Completed at least some college (% of residents)
81.9%
Married %
61.5%
Divorced %
6.3%
Racial diversity index (100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)
92.2
View moreless See Apex homes for sale
From the September 2013 issue

Source: Onboard Informatics. Details


(I) Income tax notes:
The income brackets reported for North Carolina are for single individuals. For married taxpayers filing jointly, the same tax rates apply to income brackets ranging from $21,250 to $100,000.
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Money picked the top 100. Now it's your turn: Which town will be our fan favorite? 'Like' your town and it might just make it to No. 1.

Town # of Likes
1. Sharon, MA 11,968
2. Apex, NC 10,738
3. Westford, MA 6,023
4. Peachtree City, GA 5,632
5. Hillsborough, NJ 5,329
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Using statistics from data services company Onboard Informatics and other sources, we crunched the numbers in order to zero in on America's best small towns for families. (Last year, we looked at small cities, with populations between 50,000 and 300,000.) More

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