1 Raleigh-Cary, N.C.
| Total population (2010): | 1,130,490 |
| Median sales price (Q3 2011): | $224,300 |
| % ch. median sales price (Q3 2010-Q3 2011): | 7.3% |
| Sales volume (# units sold Nov. 2010-Oct. 2011): | 12,156 |
| % ch. sales volume (Nov. 2010-Oct. 2011 vs. Nov. 2009-Oct. 2010): | -39.8% |
| Sales per population (Nov. 2010-Oct. 2011): | 1 sale per 93 people |
| Unemployment rate (Nov. 2011): | 7.8% |
| Foreclosure activity rate (Nov. 2011): | 1 in 1,295 units |
| Walk Score: | 40 |
Despite a steep drop in sales, the Raleigh-Cary market saw considerable price appreciation last year, with its median sales price for single-family homes jumping 7.3 percent from third-quarter 2010 to third-quarter 2011.
At $224,300, the Raleigh-Cary metro had the highest median sales price among the 10 markets on this list and was the only market with a median sales price above the U.S. median. Nonetheless, its affordability rate stayed above the national level, with 73.6 percent of its homes affordable to households earning the area's median income, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index.
