Sample data. These scores are illustrative placeholders, not real measurements — live scores arrive when the data pipeline runs.
Where Raleigh lands on the scale
Every city is graded on the same 0–100 Fun Score, split into five bands from quiet to exceptional — here is where Raleigh sits.
Pro sports in Raleigh
The five major US leagues anchor a city’s sports identity — home stadiums, season-long event flow, drive-time fanbases. Raleigh hosts 1 major-league team across 1 league.
- NHL Carolina Hurricanes
How the Fun Score adds up
The Fun Score is one number with two halves — 16 things that make Raleigh fun, minus 7 that wear it down. Here is the arithmetic.
16 things that lift the score, blended onto 0–100
7 things that wear it down, blended onto 0–100
- Fun factors lift it
- –
- Drawbacks pull it down
- –
- Raw composite
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- Fun Score placed on the published 0–100 scale
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Only 40% of the drawback total is subtracted — even a great city can carry a few flaws. Every factor below spells its contribution out as an equation — score times weight. Those 23 contributions are the building blocks behind the two totals above (each is rounded for display).
The Fun breakdown
Every factor is scored 0–100 against the other cities in the index.
Raleigh's strongest factors are Bike & Micromobility, Higher Education and Climate. Its heaviest drawbacks are Weather Extremes, Traffic and Crime.
On every bar, the marker shows the typical city — the median score across the whole index.
What lifts the score
- Eats –
Restaurants, food halls and the depth of the dining scene.
Measured from OpenStreetMap restaurant counts, with Google Places ratings adjusting for venue quality.
- Drinks –
Bars, breweries, cocktail rooms and the nightlife spread.
Measured from OpenStreetMap bars, pubs, nightclubs and craft breweries/distilleries, with Google Places ratings adjusting for venue quality.
- Coffee –
Cafés and the strength of the third-place coffee culture.
Measured from OpenStreetMap café counts, with Google Places ratings adjusting for venue quality.
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Music venues and how often live shows actually happen.
Measured from Ticketmaster and SeatGeek show listings, plus OpenStreetMap music venues.
-
Notable people the city is known for, plus headliner acts that tour through.
Measured from SeatGeek headliner popularity and Wikidata notable residents (rank-blended).
- Outdoors –
Parks, beaches and easy access to nature.
Measured from OpenStreetMap parks, nature reserves, playgrounds and beaches, plus National Park Service units and Recreation.gov federal facilities.
- Culture –
Museums, theatres, galleries and arts institutions.
Measured from OpenStreetMap museums, galleries and theatres plus geo-tagged Wikipedia landmarks, with Google Places ratings adjusting for venue quality.
- Events –
Festivals, fairs and a packed year-round events calendar.
Measured from Ticketmaster and SeatGeek festivals, fairs and ticketed events.
- Sports –
Pro and college teams and the game-day energy around them.
Measured from Ticketmaster and SeatGeek pro and college games, plus OpenStreetMap stadiums, sports centres and fitness centres.
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Escape rooms, arcades, trampoline parks and karaoke spots.
Measured from OpenStreetMap escape rooms, arcades, trampoline parks and karaoke venues, with Google Places ratings adjusting for venue quality.
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How much the city is talked about and searched for — news and search attention.
Measured from GDELT news tone and Google Trends search interest (each percentile-ranked, then averaged).
- Climate –
How often the weather is good enough to get outside.
Measured from NOAA climate normals — counts of comfortable days.
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How well a person without a car can move around the city.
Measured from GTFS schedules via Transit.land, the Federal Transit Administration National Transit Database and US Census ACS B08301 commuter mode share.
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Density of fun within walking distance — sidewalks, intersections, mixed-use blocks.
Measured from EPA National Walkability Index (block-group resolution, population-weighted to the city).
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Density of college and university students — the engine behind a college town.
Measured from NCES Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) full-time-equivalent enrollment and US Census ACS age cohort data.
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Protected bike lanes and a working public bikeshare system.
Measured from OpenStreetMap protected cycleway segments and the MobilityData GBFS bikeshare-feed catalog.
What weighs it down
- Crime –
Reported violent and property crime rates.
Measured from FBI Crime Data Explorer and city open-data crime portals.
- Traffic –
Congestion and the time lost to commuting.
Measured from US Census commute-time data (ACS).
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Recent particulate matter and ozone levels — a trailing-week air-quality average.
Measured from EPA AirNow and OpenAQ pollution readings (seven-day trailing average).
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Exposure to natural hazards and severe events.
Measured from FEMA National Risk Index.
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Punishing heat, cold and storm extremes.
Measured from NOAA Storm Events and climate-extremes data.
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Cost of living and housing pressure on residents.
Measured from Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment, HUD Fair Market Rent and US Census median income plus poverty rate.
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What a typical night out actually costs in this metro.
Measured from Bureau of Labor Statistics regional Consumer Price Index — food away from home, recreation services and transportation services.
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Cities like Raleigh
The Raleigh read Free
A written read on Raleigh, grounded in the data
A plain-English analysis of why Raleigh scores the way it does — its standout strengths, where it falls short, who it suits best, and the cities most like it. Every figure is drawn from the same 23 factors on this page: it narrates the measured data, it never invents a number.
Raleigh, NC is a Fun city with a Fun Score of 65, tied for #45 nationally, and stands out for its excellent bike and micromobility infrastructure.
Raleigh shines in several key areas, making it an appealing destination. The city boasts an impressive score for Bike & Micromobility at 84, placing it tied for #21 nationally out of 134 cities. This high score indicates a robust network of protected cycleways and accessible bikeshare options, suggesting that getting around on two wheels is a convenient and enjoyable experience for residents and visitors alike (OpenStreetMap protected cycleway segments and the MobilityData GBFS bikeshare-feed catalog).
The city also excels in Higher Education, scoring 81 and ranking #26 nationally. This strong showing points to a vibrant academic environment, likely contributing to a youthful energy and intellectual atmosphere within the city (NCES Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) full-time-equivalent enrollment and US Census ACS age cohort data). Furthermore, Raleigh offers a lively Events scene, with a score of 70 and a national rank of #41. This suggests a consistent calendar of festivals, fairs, and ticketed events, providing ample opportunities for entertainment and community engagement (Ticketmaster and SeatGeek festivals, fairs and ticketed events).
While Raleigh offers many strengths, there are a few areas where it doesn't quite measure up. The city's score for Unique Hangouts is 31, ranking it #93 nationally. This suggests that while there are options for entertainment, the variety of unconventional or niche venues like escape rooms, arcades, or karaoke spots might be more limited compared to other cities (OpenStreetMap escape rooms, arcades, trampoline parks and karaoke venues, with Google Places ratings adjusting for venue quality). Similarly, the Sports scene scores 34, placing it at #89 nationally. This indicates that while there are some sports offerings, the presence of major professional or college sports events and facilities might not be as prominent as in other cities (Ticketmaster and SeatGeek pro and college games, plus OpenStreetMap stadiums, sports centres and fitness centres). Additionally, Raleigh faces challenges with Weather Extremes, scoring 37 and ranking #84 nationally, suggesting it experiences more frequent or intense weather-related events than many other places (NOAA Storm Events and climate-extremes data).
Raleigh is an ideal city for students, academics, and those who enjoy an active, outdoor lifestyle, particularly cycling. It's also a great fit for individuals who appreciate a steady stream of cultural and community events, and who value a strong educational presence.
Here are some cities that share similarities with Raleigh:
- Austin, TX is similar in its overall appeal and vibrant atmosphere.
- Columbus, OH also shares commonalities in its urban characteristics and lifestyle offerings.
- Charlotte, NC is another city with a comparable profile, offering a similar blend of amenities and opportunities.
Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index
- Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment
- EPA AirNow and OpenAQ pollution readings
- EPA National Walkability Index
- FBI Crime Data Explorer and city open-data crime portals
- FEMA National Risk Index
- GDELT news tone and Google Trends search interest
- GTFS schedules via Transit.land, the Federal Transit Administration National Transit Database and US Census ACS B08301 commuter mode share
- HUD Fair Market Rent
- NCES Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) full-time-equivalent enrollment and US Census ACS age cohort data
- NOAA climate normals — counts of comfortable days
- NOAA Storm Events and climate-extremes data
- OpenStreetMap bars, pubs, nightclubs and craft breweries/distilleries, with Google Places ratings adjusting for venue quality
- OpenStreetMap caf\u00e9 counts, with Google Places ratings adjusting for venue quality
- OpenStreetMap escape rooms, arcades, trampoline parks and karaoke venues, with Google Places ratings adjusting for venue quality
- OpenStreetMap museums, galleries and theatres plus geo-tagged Wikipedia landmarks, with Google Places ratings adjusting for venue quality
- OpenStreetMap parks, nature reserves, playgrounds and beaches, plus National Park Service units and Recreation.gov federal facilities
- OpenStreetMap protected cycleway segments and the MobilityData GBFS bikeshare-feed catalog
- OpenStreetMap restaurant counts, with Google Places ratings adjusting for venue quality
- OpenStreetMap stadiums, sports centres and fitness centres
- Ticketmaster and SeatGeek festivals, fairs and ticketed events
- Ticketmaster and SeatGeek headliner popularity and Wikidata notable residents (rank-blended)
- Ticketmaster and SeatGeek pro and college games, plus OpenStreetMap stadiums, sports centres and fitness centres
- US Census ACS age cohort data
- US Census commute-time data (ACS)
- US Census median income plus poverty rate
This narrative is generated by AI from CityFunIndex's measured data. The Fun Scores, ranks and raw values are computed deterministically; the wording around them is the model's. Verify any figure against the linked city page.
Go deeper
Use the data
Raleigh’s Fun Score and every factor score are available through the licensed CityFunIndex API — clean JSON, metered one call per city record, behind a paid key.
Cite this page
Paste-ready credit line for journalists, researchers and bloggers. Carries the score, the algorithm version and the canonical URL so readers can verify it themselves.
CityFunIndex Fun Score for Raleigh, NC: 64/100 (v2.1.0-dev). https://cityfunindex.com/city/raleigh-nc
Press, research and partnership enquiries: media kit · api@cityfunindex.com.