COUNTY · 1990 CENSUS

Wake County

North Carolina · 423,380 residents · 835 sq mi

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The short version

Wake County is a county of 423,380 people in North Carolina. This is an unusually credentialed place: 35% of adults have a four-year degree. Households here earn about 36% more than in North Carolina as a whole. The population has fallen 33% since 2000. The poverty rate is 8.4%, under the national 13.2%. Households take in $36,222 a year at the median, 20% more than the country as a whole.

At a glance

Wealthier

above the US median

US median: $30,130

Mid-age

median age 31.5

US median: 33.0

More educated

35% hold a bachelor's degree

US average: 20%

More affordable

home values down 18%, inflation adjusted

US median home: $93,722

Section 01

Population & growth

Total population

423,380

−33%vs 2000

vs 627,846 in 2000

1990 – 2025

Median age

31.5

−4%vs 2000

vs 32.9 in 2000

US average: 33.0

Land area

835 sq mi

Population, 1990 – 2024

20241.2M

Age distribution, 1990

Under 57%(29,821)

US avg: 7.3%

5 to 96.4%(26,885)

US avg: 7.3%

10 to 146.1%(25,985)

US avg: 6.9%

15 to 196.9%(29,164)

US avg: 7.1%

20 to 249.5%(40,138)

US avg: 7.5%

25 to 3421.6%(91,355)

US avg: 17.5%

35 to 4417.5%(74,156)

US avg: 15.1%

45 to 5410.4%(44,143)

US avg: 10.2%

55 to 646.8%(28,782)

US avg: 8.5%

65 to 744.8%(20,465)

US avg: 7.3%

75 to 842.2%(9,501)

US avg: 4%

85 and over0.7%(2,985)

US avg: 1.2%

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE

Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income

$36,222

−13%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $54,988 in 2000

US average: $30,130

1990 – 2024

Per capita income

$17,195

−36%vs 2000

vs $27,004 in 2000

US average: $14,340

Poverty rate

8.4%

+0.6 ptsvs 2000

vs 7.8% in 2000

US average: 13.2%

Section 03

Housing

Median home value

$96,800

−18%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $156,200 in 2000

US average: $93,722

1990 – 2024

Median gross rent

$480

−13%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $727 in 2000

US average: $450

Owner-occupied

60.9%

−4.9 ptsvs 2000

vs 65.9% in 2000

39.1% rent

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%

1990

White, non-Hispanic76.7%(324,545)

Black20.7%(87,850)

Hispanic / Latino1.2%(4,894)

Asian2%(8,284)

Other0.6%(2,701)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

Hispanic origin

Mexican4.8%(56,809)

Central American2%(23,714)

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)

Paraguayan0%(27)

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)

Indonesian0%(89)

Singaporean0%(30)

Okinawan0%(14)

Mongolian0%(11)

Pacific Islander origin

Native Hawaiian0.1%(711)

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)

Trinidadian & Tobagonian0.1%(895)

Iraqi0.1%(892)

Jordanian0.1%(713)

Syrian0.1%(593)

Serbian0%(572)

Armenian0%(529)

Slovene0%(498)

Israeli0%(332)

Cape Verdean0%(223)

Guyanese0%(211)

Australian0%(184)

Latvian0%(138)

Macedonian0%(122)

Barbadian0%(88)

RANKED:Largest English population · Largest German population · Largest Irish population · Largest American population · Largest Italian population

Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

35.3%

−8.6 ptsvs 2000

vs 43.9% in 2000

US average: 20.3%

High school or higher

85.4%

−4.0 ptsvs 2000

vs 89.3% in 2000

US average: 75.2%

Graduate degree

10.9%

−3.4 ptsvs 2000

vs 14.3% in 2000

US average: 7.1%

Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute

19.2 min

+20%vs 2000

vs 16.0 min in 2000

US average: 21.9

Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)

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

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

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

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