Cary NC ZIP Codes: What Each One Covers and What Homes Cost
Cary showed up again in Triangle Business Journal‘s August 2026 look at the area’s wealthiest ZIP codes. Rankings like that are interesting for about a week. What people actually need, whether they are moving here from out of state or just moving across town, is a plain explanation of which Cary ZIP code covers which part of town, and what homes cost in each one.
That is what this page is. No rankings, no hype, just the four ZIP codes and what you will find inside them.
Cary, North Carolina uses four deliverable ZIP codes. 27511 covers downtown, 27513 the Preston corridor, 27518 south Cary and 27519 west Cary. A fifth, 27512, is reserved for post office boxes. Median home values run from $456,000 in 27511 to $670,900 in 27519.
Which ZIP codes does Cary, NC use?
Cary uses four deliverable ZIP codes: 27511, 27513, 27518 and 27519. A fifth, 27512, exists only for post office boxes and has no street addresses attached to it.
| ZIP code | Part of Cary | Population | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27511 | Downtown Cary and the established neighborhoods around it | 33,221 | $456,000 |
| 27513 | The Preston and High House corridor, up toward Morrisville | 46,979 | $519,800 |
| 27518 | South Cary, toward Apex and Holly Springs | 19,735 | $632,200 |
| 27519 | West Cary, toward RTP and the Chatham County line | 69,836 | $670,900 |
| 27512 | Post office boxes only | n/a | n/a |
If you would rather see the boundaries drawn out, this interactive map shows where each Cary ZIP code starts and stops.
In this article
What does ZIP code 27511 cover?
27511 is the original Cary ZIP code. It covers downtown Cary and the established neighborhoods around it, including Chatham Walk and MacGregor Downs.
Housing here is the most varied in Cary. You will find mid-century ranches on generous lots near downtown, subdivisions built through the 1980s and 1990s, and newer infill townhomes and condominiums within walking distance of the downtown park, the library and the Saturday farmers market. Lots tend to be larger and tree cover is mature, because this part of town was built first.
At a $456,000 median home value, 27511 is the most approachable of the four ZIP codes on price. That combination, walkability plus older housing stock plus the lowest entry point in town, is why it draws both first-time buyers and downsizers who want to trade a big yard for a short walk to dinner.
What does ZIP code 27513 cover?
27513 covers the Preston and High House corridor, running up toward Morrisville and the corporate offices along Weston Parkway. Bishop’s Gate and Muir Woods sit here too.
Most of this housing stock went up between the mid-1980s and the mid-2000s, which means established landscaping, wider streets and larger floor plans than the downtown side of town. Golf and lake communities are concentrated here. Access to I-40, Aviation Parkway and the airport is the shortest of any Cary ZIP code, which matters if your commute runs toward Research Triangle Park or you fly often.
Median home value sits at $519,800. This is the ZIP code I point people toward when they want a settled, grown-in neighborhood rather than new construction, and they do not want to add fifteen minutes to the drive to get it.
What does ZIP code 27518 cover?
27518 is south Cary, built around Lochmere and Kildaire Farm Road and running toward the Apex and Holly Springs lines.
Lakes and greenway access define this side of town. Neighborhoods here were largely built through the 1990s and 2000s, with newer low-maintenance pockets filling in since. It is the smallest of the four ZIP codes by population at 19,735, and it feels that way on the ground: quieter streets, more water, more trees.
Median home value is $632,200, the second highest in Cary. For buyers who want green space and quiet without giving up quick access to Cary Parkway and US 1, this is usually the answer.
What does ZIP code 27519 cover?
27519 is west Cary, stretching from Highway 55 west toward Green Level and the Chatham County line. With 69,836 residents it is by far the largest of the four, roughly the population of the other two mid-sized ZIP codes combined.
This is the newest housing stock in Cary by a wide margin. Most of it has gone up since the early 2000s, in master-planned neighborhoods with their own pools, clubhouses and trail systems. West Cary also holds the heaviest concentration of single-level and low-maintenance homes in town, which is why most of my downsizing clients end up looking here first.
At $670,900, 27519 carries the highest median home value of the four. Newer construction and larger floor plans account for most of that gap.
What about 27512, 27523 and 27560?
Postal boundaries and town limits are two different maps, and in Cary they disagree constantly. Three ZIP codes come up often enough to be worth knowing:
- 27512 is Cary, but for post office boxes only. No home carries this ZIP code.
- 27523 is an Apex ZIP code along the west side of US 64, with a median home value of $659,300 (American Community Survey 2024 five-year estimates). Plenty of homes here sit close enough to Cary that buyers assume they are in it.
- 27560 is Morrisville, directly north, and it borders Cary so tightly that neighborhoods on both sides share the same shopping and the same drive to the airport.
This matters more than it sounds. If you set up a home search filtered to Cary ZIP codes only, you will never see homes two minutes away that would have suited you perfectly. Widening the search is usually the first thing I do with a relocating buyer.
Which Cary neighborhoods sit in which ZIP code?
No clean public map of Cary neighborhoods to ZIP codes exists, and the national listing sites contradict each other on this regularly. Some large neighborhoods straddle two ZIP codes outright, which is part of why the sites disagree.
The list below comes from Doorify MLS records rather than from a directory site, so it reflects where these neighborhoods actually sit:
- 27519, west Cary: Amberly, Cary Park, Carpenter Village, Highcroft, Weldon Ridge, Montvale, Wellsley, Park Village
- 27518, south Cary: Lochmere, Kildaire Crossing
- 27513, the Preston and High House corridor: Preston, Bishop’s Gate, Muir Woods
- 27511, downtown Cary and around it: Downtown Cary, Chatham Walk, MacGregor Downs
For more on the area as a whole, including current listings, see my Cary and Morrisville community page.
Where are the low-maintenance and 55+ homes in Cary?
Concentrated in west Cary (27519) and south Cary (27518). Worth knowing up front: Cary has no actively selling age-restricted new construction at the moment, so every option below is a resale market. When something comes up, it moves.
- Heritage Pines, 27519. Established in 2000, roughly 300 homes, governed by a resident board with an on-site management office in the clubhouse. It is actually two separate associations, one for the single-family homes and one for the townhomes, each with its own monthly dues. Dues run $248.90 for single-family and $240.59 for townhomes, with single-family homes generally running $500,000 to $650,000.
- The Courtyards at West Cary, 27519. An Epcon community off Morrisville Parkway, 108 detached homes, now built out. Recent closings ran $640,000 to $710,000, with monthly dues starting at $221. Read the full write-up on The Courtyards at West Cary.
- The Courtyards at Lochmere, 27518. A small Epcon enclave of single-level homes with private interior courtyards. Recent sales ran $750,000 to $1,000,000, with monthly dues of $240. Read the full write-up on The Courtyards at Lochmere.
One more note on Lochmere. The Courtyards at Lochmere is a separate, much smaller community from the large all-ages Lochmere neighborhood nearby. The names get used interchangeably online and they should not be.
What is the Cary market doing right now?
Read plainly: prices have flattened, but homes are still moving quickly and sellers are still getting nearly everything they ask. That is a balanced market, not a falling one.
For a seller, flat prices mean preparation carries more weight than it did two years ago. A home that shows well still gets its number in about two weeks; a home that does not sits, and sitting is what costs money. For a buyer, a 99.7% sale-to-list ratio means lowball offers are not landing, but you are also no longer bidding $60,000 over asking to be considered.
Questions I get asked most
How many ZIP codes does Cary, NC have?
Five in total, but only four carry street addresses: 27511, 27513, 27518 and 27519. The fifth, 27512, is reserved for post office boxes.
Which Cary ZIP code has the newest homes?
27519, in west Cary. Most of its housing has been built since the early 2000s, and it holds the largest share of master-planned neighborhoods and single-level homes in town.
Which Cary ZIP code has the lowest home values?
27511, which covers downtown Cary and the established neighborhoods around it, at a $456,000 median home value (American Community Survey 2024 five-year estimates). Older housing stock and smaller floor plans account for most of the difference.
Is 27519 in Wake County or Chatham County?
Mostly Wake, but the western edge of 27519 reaches the Chatham County line, and a few communities with Cary mailing addresses have homesites recorded in Chatham. Property taxes and county services follow the county the homesite actually sits in, not the mailing address, so confirm the county on the specific property before you make an offer.
Why do some Cary addresses show an Apex or Morrisville ZIP code?
Postal delivery routes were drawn for the convenience of mail carriers, not to match town limits. A home can sit inside Cary town limits, pay Cary taxes and vote in Cary elections while carrying a 27523 or 27560 address. Search by map area rather than by ZIP code and you will stop missing homes.
Where should I look in Cary for a one-level, low-maintenance home?
West Cary (27519) first, then south Cary (27518). Both hold communities built specifically around single-level floor plans with lawn care handled by the association. Because none of them are actively building, availability is limited and worth watching closely rather than checking once a month.
Choosing between them
Most people arrive at this page thinking they need to pick a ZIP code. You do not. What you need to pick is a way of living: walk to dinner, or a lake behind the house, or a floor plan with no stairs and someone else cutting the grass. The ZIP code follows from that, and it is usually not the one people expected when they started.
Having lived in this area and moved across the country to get here myself, my honest advice is to spend an afternoon driving all four before you narrow anything down. Thirty minutes in each tells you more than thirty listings will.
Official town information, including maps, parks and permits, is available at the Town of Cary. School assignment questions are handled through the Wake County Public School System address lookup.
Ready to narrow it down?
Whether you are selling a Cary home, buying your first one here, or looking for a single-level place with less to take care of, you will work with me directly from the first call through closing. You are never handed off here.
Schedule a no-pressure consultation at calendly.com/carolyn-cteliving, or call or text 919-500-6159.
Living starts here.
