Holly Springs, Apex, Fuquay-Varina and Cary side by side: 2026 tax rates, high school results, August 2026 home values, Census income and commutes.
Last checked Oct. 11, 2026. Sources: Wake County’s table of tax rates, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 accountability data, Zillow Research, the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey and the four towns’ own websites, linked below.
Holly Springs’ three nearest towns are Apex, about five miles north, Fuquay-Varina, about five miles south, and Cary, about nine miles northeast. All four are in Wake County and share its property tax, its sheriff and its school system. They differ in their town tax rate, the schools inside their limits, home values and who picks up the trash. Every figure below is from an official or published source, for the same year in all four towns. This page does not rank them.
Property taxes
In North Carolina the county funds the public schools, so there is no separate school tax. Every property in all four towns pays the Wake County rate of $0.5371 per $100 of assessed value for 2026, then its town’s rate, according to the county’s table of tax rates.
| Town | Town rate, 2026 | Combined with county | On a $500,000 assessed value | Vehicle fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holly Springs | $0.3435 | $0.8806 | $4,403 | $25 |
| Apex | $0.3735 | $0.9106 | $4,553 | $30 |
| Fuquay-Varina | $0.378 | $0.9151 | $4,575.50 | $30 |
| Cary | $0.3675 | $0.9046 | $4,523 | $30 |
The $500,000 column is arithmetic on the published rates, before any exclusion. Homes outside any town pay the county rate plus a 12.25-cent fire district tax. None of the four towns has a homestead exemption of its own. North Carolina’s relief programs for older, disabled and disabled-veteran homeowners are run by the county; see its tax relief page and our property tax guide.
Town tax rates
Schools
All four towns are in the Wake County Public School System, where 68.2% of state tests were at grade level or above in 2025-26. Students are assigned by address, and many Holly Springs addresses are zoned for high schools in Apex or Fuquay-Varina; see our neighborhoods guide. These are the base high schools whose campuses sit inside each town’s limits on the Census Bureau’s TIGERweb map, with 2025-26 figures from the state’s accountability data.
| Town | High school | At grade level | Growth | Four-year graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holly Springs | Holly Springs High | 84.4% | Exceeded | Above 95% |
| Apex | Apex High | 74.3% | Met | Above 95% |
| Apex | Apex Friendship High | 87.2% | Exceeded | Above 95% |
| Apex | Felton Grove High | 81.2% | Exceeded | None yet |
| Fuquay-Varina | Fuquay-Varina High | 73.5% | Met | 93.9% |
| Fuquay-Varina | Willow Spring High | 68.9% | Met | Above 95% |
| Cary | Cary High | 64.1% | Exceeded | 88.8% |
| Cary | Green Hope High | 84.2% | Exceeded | Above 95% |
| Cary | Green Level High | 90.5% | Exceeded | Above 95% |
| Cary | Middle Creek High | 64.2% | Not met | 94.9% |
| Cary | Panther Creek High | 81.8% | Exceeded | Above 95% |
“At grade level” is the share of state tests at grade level or above; “growth” is the state’s measure of whether students gained as much as expected in a year. Felton Grove High and Middle Creek High have Apex mailing addresses; Felton Grove sits inside Apex and Middle Creek inside Cary. Willow Spring High has a Fuquay-Varina address and sits inside that town. More in our schools guide.
Home values
The Zillow Home Value Index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price. These are Zillow’s figures for each town.
| Town | August 2026 | August 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holly Springs | $574,699 | $579,299 | -0.8% |
| Apex | $592,991 | $603,410 | -1.7% |
| Fuquay-Varina | $437,695 | $447,685 | -2.2% |
| Cary | $619,636 | $628,603 | -1.4% |
More on Holly Springs on our home prices page.
Census figures
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates, the same vintage for all four towns. Median home value here is what owners told the survey their homes were worth, a different measure from Zillow’s.
| Town | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Mean travel time to work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holly Springs | 45,248 | $135,578 | $535,800 | 28.8 minutes |
| Apex | 70,630 | $144,135 | $576,100 | 25.2 minutes |
| Fuquay-Varina | 40,485 | $115,497 | $451,500 | 33.1 minutes |
| Cary | 179,306 | $134,905 | $580,200 | 22.5 minutes |
The links go to each town’s Census QuickFacts page. More on Holly Springs in our population guide.
Who provides town services
Each town runs its own police and fire departments inside its limits: Holly Springs (police, fire), Apex (police, fire), Fuquay-Varina (police, fire) and Cary (police, fire). The Wake County Sheriff’s Office covers unincorporated areas. Trash service differs:
| Town | Trash and recycling |
|---|---|
| Holly Springs | GFL Environmental, the town’s contractor, according to our trash and recycling guide |
| Apex | GFL under a town contract for trash and recycling; town crews collect yard waste |
| Fuquay-Varina | The town provides weekly curbside garbage collection in green carts |
| Cary | Town curbside collection in town-provided roll-out carts |
How to check an address
- Which town is it in? Look up the parcel on Wake County’s iMAPS property map, or the town limits on the Census Bureau’s TIGERweb. A mailing address is not proof: many Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina addresses are outside both towns.
- Which schools? Enter the address in the district’s base school lookup.
- What will the tax be? Multiply the assessed value by the combined rate above, or see the county’s tax rate table and our property tax guide.
Frequently asked questions
Which has lower property taxes, Holly Springs, Apex, Fuquay-Varina or Cary?
For 2026 the town rates are $0.3435 per $100 of value in Holly Springs, $0.3675 in Cary, $0.3735 in Apex and $0.378 in Fuquay-Varina. All four also pay the Wake County rate of $0.5371.
What is the typical home value in Holly Springs compared with Apex and Cary?
In August 2026 the Zillow Home Value Index was $574,699 in Holly Springs, $592,991 in Apex, $619,636 in Cary and $437,695 in Fuquay-Varina.
Are Holly Springs, Apex, Fuquay-Varina and Cary in the same school district?
Yes. All four are in the Wake County Public School System, and schools are assigned by address, not by town.
How long is the commute from Holly Springs?
The mean travel time to work was 28.8 minutes for Holly Springs residents in the 2020-2024 American Community Survey, against 25.2 in Apex, 22.5 in Cary and 33.1 in Fuquay-Varina.
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