The Raleigh-Cary metro has been ranked the 5th best metro for middle-class families by a new report by Chapman University’s Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy. The study found that the best cities for middle-class families tend to be located outside the largest metropolitan areas. The rankings are based on three equally-weighted categories of metrics:

• Median family income adjusted for cost of living
• Economic opportunity, with a focus on middle class jobs
• Family friendliness, determined by several quality of life metrics for school age children and parents

Read the full report Building Cities for People and view the rankings here.