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COUNTY · 2000 CENSUS

Wake County

North Carolina · 627,846 residents · 835 sq mi
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The short version

Wake County is a county of 627,846 people in North Carolina. This is an unusually credentialed place: 44% of adults have a four-year degree. The population is up 48% since 1990. Households here earn about 40% more than in North Carolina as a whole. The typical home is worth $156,200, having risen by half since 1990. Households take in $54,988 a year at the median, 29% more than the country as a whole.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $42,589
Younger
median age 32.9
US median: 35.2
More educated
44% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 24%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $120,530
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
627,846
+48%since 1990
from 423,380 in 1990
1990 – 2025
Median age
32.9
+4%since 1990
from 31.5 in 1990
US average: 35.2
Land area
835 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
348K574K801K1.0M1.3M19902000201020202024Wake County
20241.2M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2000
Under 57.2%(45,142)
US avg: 6.8%
5 to 97.3%(46,090)
US avg: 7.3%
10 to 146.9%(43,320)
US avg: 7.3%
15 to 196.5%(41,020)
US avg: 7.2%
20 to 247.8%(48,939)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3418.1%(113,409)
US avg: 14.2%
35 to 4418.4%(115,663)
US avg: 16%
45 to 5413.4%(84,206)
US avg: 13.4%
55 to 647%(43,685)
US avg: 8.6%
65 to 744.1%(25,978)
US avg: 6.5%
75 to 842.5%(15,421)
US avg: 4.4%
85 and over0.8%(4,973)
US avg: 1.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$54,988
+15%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $36,222 in 1990
US average: $42,589
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$27,004
+57%since 1990
from $17,195 in 1990
US average: $21,522
Poverty rate
7.8%
−0.6 ptssince 1990
from 8.4% in 1990
US average: 12.4%
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$156,200
+22%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $96,800 in 1990
US average: $120,530
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$727
+15%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $480 in 1990
US average: $602
Owner-occupied
65.9%
+4.9 ptssince 1990
from 60.9% in 1990
34.1% rent
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

1990
White, non-Hispanic76.7%(324,545)
Black20.7%(87,850)
Hispanic / Latino1.2%(4,894)
Asian2%(8,284)
2000
White, non-Hispanic69.9%(439,160)
Black19.5%(122,648)
Hispanic / Latino5.4%(33,985)
Asian3.4%(21,183)

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)
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
43.9%
+8.6 ptssince 1990
from 35.3% in 1990
US average: 24.4%
High school or higher
89.3%
+4.0 ptssince 1990
from 85.4% in 1990
US average: 80.3%
Graduate degree
14.3%
+3.4 ptssince 1990
from 10.9% in 1990
US average: 8.8%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
16.0 min
−16%since 1990
from 19.2 min in 1990
US average: 17.6
Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status
Men 15+
Never married31.8%(76,827)
Married60.2%(145,368)
Widowed1.3%(3,243)
Divorced6.7%(16,133)
Women 15+
Never married26.3%(66,229)
Married57.5%(144,569)
Widowed6.4%(16,179)
Divorced9.8%(24,645)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2000
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
Drill deeper

Places similar to Wake County

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Pop 1,284,784
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Pop 1,288,337
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Pop 1,220,916
Travis County
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Places similar to Wake County
Head to head

Compare Wake County to nearby counties

WAKE COUNTY VS
Durham County
Income$82,316+50%
Home value$389,400+149%
Population347,240−72%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAKE COUNTY VS
Johnston County
Income$83,384+52%
Home value$305,600+96%
Population256,448−80%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAKE COUNTY VS
Franklin County
Income$74,240+35%
Home value$284,300+82%
Population82,037−93%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAKE COUNTY VS
Harnett County
Income$71,287+30%
Home value$246,200+58%
Population150,137−88%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Wake County, North Carolina?

Wake County, North Carolina has about 627,846 residents according to the 2000 Census.

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

The typical household in Wake County, North Carolina earns about $54,988 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 $156,200, and the typical rent is about $727 a month.

How educated are people in Wake County, North Carolina?

About 43.9% 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 7.8% 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 204,466 residents, a change of about 48 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 →