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COUNTY

Wake County

North Carolina · 1,257,235 residents (2025 est.) · 835 sq mi
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Part of the Raleigh metro area
The short version

Wake County is home to 1,178,653 people in North Carolina. The population has more than doubled since 2000, adding 550,807 people. This is an unusually credentialed place: 57% of adults have a four-year degree. That puts it in the top 1% of US counties for household income. That is roughly 46% ahead of the North Carolina median. Density works out to 1,412 people per square mile.

At a glance
Wealthier
median household income $105,768, above the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 37.3
US median: 38.9
More educated
57% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 62%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place

What stands out about Wake County

What changed most since 1990

  • Population423,380 → 1,178,653 (+178%)US over the same years: +35%
  • Adults with a bachelor's degree35.3% → 57.2% (+21.9 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
  • Median home value (2024 dollars)$232,327 → $461,300 (+99%)US over the same years: +67%

Among the 100 counties in North Carolina

  • 1st in household income$105,768
  • 2nd in share with a bachelor's degree57.2%
  • 1st in home value$461,300
  • 14th in diversity score78.3
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
1,178,653
+88%since 2000
from 627,846 in 2000
1,257,235 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
1,412 / sq mi
+88%since 2000
from 752 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
37.3
+13%since 2000
from 32.9 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
835 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
348K574K801K1.0M1.3M19902000201020202024Wake County
20241.2M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.7%(67,636)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.3%(74,544)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.7%(79,357)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.9%(80,956)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.2%(73,482)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3414.6%(172,434)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4415.1%(177,818)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5414%(164,529)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.5%(135,977)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 747.9%(93,134)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 843.7%(43,522)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.3%(15,264)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$105,768
+6%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $54,988 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$55,448
+105%since 2000
from $27,004 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
64.2%
+21.5 ptssince 2009
from 42.7% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
8.1%
+0.3 ptssince 2000
from 7.8% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.450
+2%since 2010
from 0.439 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information9.2%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade9%
US avg: 9.9%
Other services8.3%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration6.3%
US avg: 4.8%
Wholesale trade5.9%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance3.8%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical3.2%
US avg: 5.1%
Arts, entertainment, food2.7%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing2%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.5%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.3%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$461,300
+62%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $156,200 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,623
+23%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $727 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
64.1%
−1.8 ptssince 2000
from 65.9% in 2000
35.9% rent
Vacancy rate
7.2%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 8.4% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.51 people
−3%since 2009
from 2.60 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
17.4%
−5.8 ptssince 2009
from 23.2% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
46.6%
+3.3 ptssince 2009
from 43.3% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
4.4
+31%since 2009
from 3.3 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
85
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic69.9%(439,160)
Black19.5%(122,648)
Hispanic / Latino5.4%(33,985)
Asian3.4%(21,183)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic56.2%(662,267)
Black18.5%(217,692)
Hispanic / Latino11.6%(136,184)
Asian8.5%(100,413)
Other5.3%(62,097)
Diversity Score
78
+19%since 2009
from 66 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
35
−7%since 2020
from 38 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican4.8%(56,809)
Puerto Rican1.4%(16,969)
South American1.3%(15,126)
Dominican0.7%(8,255)
Salvadoran0.7%(8,163)
Honduran0.6%(6,886)
Guatemalan0.5%(5,954)
Colombian0.5%(5,551)
Cuban0.4%(4,354)
Venezuelan0.2%(2,799)
Spaniard0.2%(2,731)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0.2%(2,391)
Argentine0.1%(1,415)
Ecuadorian0.1%(1,298)
Panamanian0.1%(1,026)
Chilean0.1%(933)
Nicaraguan0.1%(905)
Costa Rican0.1%(641)
Uruguayan0%(314)
Bolivian0%(224)
Asian origin
Asian Indian4.7%(55,397)
Chinese1.1%(13,276)
Vietnamese0.7%(7,683)
Korean0.5%(6,340)
Filipino0.4%(4,440)
Pakistani0.2%(2,105)
Nepalese0.1%(1,665)
Japanese0.1%(1,526)
Bangladeshi0.1%(1,526)
Taiwanese0.1%(977)
Thai0%(543)
Sri Lankan0%(474)
+ 11 more asian origin groups with data
Burmese0%(365)
Kazakh0%(342)
Uzbek0%(311)
Cambodian0%(276)
Laotian0%(271)
Hmong0%(157)
Malaysian0%(91)
Okinawan0%(14)
Mongolian0%(11)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(280)
Chamorro0%(274)
Fijian0%(47)
Guamanian0%(12)
Ancestry
English13.7%(161,879)
German10.4%(122,532)
Irish9.2%(107,941)
American5.9%(70,051)
Italian4.8%(56,999)
Scottish2.6%(30,513)
Polish2%(24,115)
Subsaharan African1.9%(22,530)
French1.7%(19,643)
Scotch-Irish1.6%(18,490)
Arab1.2%(14,712)
Dutch0.8%(9,287)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
West Indian0.7%(8,541)
Swedish0.7%(8,478)
Norwegian0.7%(7,959)
Russian0.6%(7,259)
Welsh0.6%(7,167)
British0.6%(7,150)
Hungarian0.5%(5,477)
Nigerian0.4%(5,085)
Ukrainian0.4%(4,519)
French Canadian0.4%(4,514)
Portuguese0.4%(4,380)
Greek0.4%(4,216)
Egyptian0.3%(3,881)
Czech0.3%(3,757)
Lebanese0.3%(3,581)
Jamaican0.2%(2,861)
Canadian0.2%(2,756)
Haitian0.2%(2,730)
Lithuanian0.2%(2,543)
Danish0.2%(2,538)
Moroccan0.2%(2,342)
Swiss0.2%(2,340)
Slovak0.2%(2,290)
Ethiopian0.2%(1,994)
Austrian0.2%(1,971)
Iranian0.2%(1,943)
Brazilian0.2%(1,890)
Romanian0.2%(1,838)
Kenyan0.1%(1,520)
Turkish0.1%(1,513)
Ghanaian0.1%(1,266)
Finnish0.1%(1,089)
Palestinian0.1%(1,030)
Belgian0.1%(949)
Croatian0.1%(934)
Bulgarian0.1%(929)
Somali0.1%(912)
Iraqi0.1%(892)
Jordanian0.1%(713)
Syrian0.1%(593)
Serbian0%(572)
Armenian0%(529)
Slovene0%(498)
Israeli0%(332)
Guyanese0%(211)
Australian0%(184)
Latvian0%(138)
Macedonian0%(122)
Barbadian0%(88)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
57.2%
+13.3 ptssince 2000
from 43.9% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
94.0%
+4.7 ptssince 2000
from 89.3% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
23.4%
+9.1 ptssince 2000
from 14.3% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
25.1 min
+57%since 2000
from 16.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
61.4%
−18.6 ptssince 2009
from 80.0% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
5.9%
−4.2 ptssince 2009
from 10.1% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.7%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 1.1% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
29.1%
+23.3 ptssince 2009
from 5.7% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.2%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 1.6% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
4.4%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 4.7% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.1%
−2.8 ptssince 2011
from 6.9% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
69.8%
−2.2 ptssince 2011
from 72.0% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
77.6%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 77.1% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
11.3%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 12.7% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
58.0%
+9.8 ptssince 2009
from 48.2% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.0%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 49.5% in 2009
Female
51.0%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 50.5% in 2009
Foreign born
15.3%
+3.4 ptssince 2009
from 11.8% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.6%
−3.3 ptssince 2009
from 8.9% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
9.1%
+1.7 ptssince 2012
from 7.4% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
7.5%
−5.8 ptssince 2013
from 13.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
95.3%
+7.0 ptssince 2017
from 88.3% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
98.1%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 96.7% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
85.0%
+2.4 ptssince 2020
from 82.6% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
80.6%
−3.0 ptssince 2016
from 83.5% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
8.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2016
from 8.3% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married35.8%(165,980)
Married55.6%(258,016)
Widowed1.6%(7,624)
Divorced7%(32,504)
Women 15+
Never married31.7%(156,176)
Married51.6%(254,309)
Widowed5.7%(28,252)
Divorced11%(54,255)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
7.5%
−5.8 ptssince 2013
from 13.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
66.5%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 65.5% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
15.1%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 14.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
13.2%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 12.3% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
11.3%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 11.3% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.9%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 1.7% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
78.7%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 78.2% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
24.0%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 22.9% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)31.2%(15,935)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)31.5%(16,102)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era26.2%(13,420)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.2%(2,124)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.6%(296)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 51,127 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time

Wake County, decade by decade

Wake County population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
YearPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueBachelor's degree+Diversity score
1990423,380$86,935$232,32735.3%47.4
2000627,846$100,169$284,54343.9%58.5
2010900,993$91,738$319,79447.4%69.9
20201,129,410$101,286$365,55154.0%77.4
20241,178,653$105,768$461,30057.2%78.3

Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.

Drill deeper

Places similar to Wake County

Hennepin County
Pop 1,284,784
Oakland County
Pop 1,288,337
Salt Lake County
Pop 1,220,916
Travis County
Pop 1,389,670
Places similar to Wake County
Head to head

Compare Wake County to nearby counties

WAKE COUNTY VS
Durham County
Income$82,316−22%
Home value$389,400−16%
Population347,240−72%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAKE COUNTY VS
Johnston County
Income$83,384−21%
Home value$305,600−34%
Population256,448−80%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAKE COUNTY VS
Franklin County
Income$74,240−30%
Home value$284,300−38%
Population82,037−93%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAKE COUNTY VS
Harnett County
Income$71,287−33%
Home value$246,200−47%
Population150,137−88%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Wake County, North Carolina?

Wake County, North Carolina has about 1,178,653 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Wake County, North Carolina?

The typical household in Wake County, North Carolina earns about $105,768 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Wake County, North Carolina expensive?

In Wake County, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $461,300, and the typical rent is about $1,623 a month.

How educated are people in Wake County, North Carolina?

About 57.2% of adults age 25 and over in Wake County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Wake County, North Carolina?

About 8.1% of people in Wake County, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Wake County, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Wake County, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 755,273 residents, a change of about 178 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →