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COUNTY · 2010 ACS

Wake County

North Carolina · 900,993 residents · 835 sq mi
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The short version

Wake County is a county of 900,993 people in North Carolina. This is an unusually credentialed place: 47% of adults have a four-year degree. The population is up 44% since 2000. Households here earn about 40% more than in North Carolina as a whole. Households take in $63,770 a year at the median, 21% more than the country as a whole. The poverty rate is 9.7%, under the national 13.8%.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $52,703
Younger
median age 34.4
US median: 37.2
More educated
47% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
900,993
+44%since 2000
from 627,846 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
34.4
+5%since 2000
from 32.9 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
835 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
348K574K801K1.0M1.3M19902000201020202024Wake County
20241.2M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 57.3%(65,495)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 97.6%(68,093)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 147.1%(64,118)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 196.9%(61,816)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 246.9%(62,344)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3415.2%(136,926)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4416.2%(146,108)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5414.5%(130,947)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 649.8%(88,597)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 744.9%(44,391)
US avg: 7%
75 to 842.5%(22,804)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over1%(9,354)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$63,770
−8%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $54,988 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$32,592
+21%since 2000
from $27,004 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
42.7%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 42.7% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
9.7%
+1.9 ptssince 2000
from 7.8% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.439
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Information10.3%
US avg: 11.5%
Retail trade9.3%
US avg: 10.9%
Other services7.3%
US avg: 7%
Wholesale trade7.3%
US avg: 7.2%
Public administration5.1%
US avg: 4.9%
Finance & insurance3.7%
US avg: 5.1%
Arts, entertainment, food3.4%
US avg: 2.4%
Transportation & warehousing3.1%
US avg: 3.1%
Professional, scientific, technical2.7%
US avg: 4.2%
Education & health services1%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.4%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction0.3%
US avg: 1.4%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$222,300
+12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $156,200 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$845
−8%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $727 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
65.1%
−0.7 ptssince 2000
from 65.9% in 2000
34.9% rent
Vacancy rate
8.4%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 8.4% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.55 people
−2%since 2009
from 2.60 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
24.3%
+1.0 ptssince 2009
from 23.2% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
44.6%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 43.3% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
3.5
+5%since 2009
from 3.3 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
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%
2010
White, non-Hispanic62.2%(560,536)
Black20.3%(182,793)
Hispanic / Latino9.8%(87,922)
Asian5.4%(48,287)
Other2.1%(19,183)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican5.4%(45,878)
Central American1.3%(10,819)
Puerto Rican0.8%(7,073)
South American0.6%(4,900)
Salvadoran0.5%(4,318)
Honduran0.3%(2,845)
Cuban0.3%(2,532)
Dominican0.2%(1,976)
Guatemalan0.2%(1,912)
Colombian0.2%(1,867)
Peruvian0.1%(897)
Spaniard0.1%(649)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Nicaraguan0.1%(590)
Venezuelan0.1%(540)
Argentine0.1%(532)
Panamanian0.1%(513)
Costa Rican0.1%(486)
Ecuadorian0%(354)
Chilean0%(292)
Uruguayan0%(149)
Bolivian0%(134)
Ancestry
German12.4%(105,579)
English12%(101,808)
Irish10.2%(86,855)
American9.7%(82,720)
Italian5.2%(44,365)
Scotch-Irish3.4%(28,676)
Scottish3%(25,344)
Polish2.5%(21,156)
French2.2%(18,721)
Subsaharan African1.9%(16,569)
Dutch1.3%(10,723)
Welsh0.8%(7,154)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Swedish0.8%(6,901)
British0.8%(6,690)
Arab0.8%(6,631)
Russian0.8%(6,597)
Norwegian0.7%(6,009)
French Canadian0.6%(4,696)
West Indian0.5%(4,301)
Hungarian0.4%(3,681)
Czech0.4%(3,594)
Greek0.4%(3,090)
Canadian0.3%(2,510)
Ukrainian0.3%(2,475)
Swiss0.3%(2,258)
Danish0.3%(2,200)
Slovak0.2%(1,969)
Nigerian0.2%(1,786)
Austrian0.2%(1,742)
Lebanese0.2%(1,633)
Jamaican0.2%(1,588)
Lithuanian0.2%(1,585)
Portuguese0.2%(1,442)
Egyptian0.2%(1,368)
Iranian0.1%(1,069)
Belgian0.1%(1,025)
Romanian0.1%(1,013)
Turkish0.1%(859)
Kenyan0.1%(854)
Brazilian0.1%(723)
Finnish0.1%(712)
Moroccan0.1%(594)
Armenian0.1%(552)
Somali0.1%(537)
Croatian0.1%(512)
Australian0.1%(499)
Ethiopian0.1%(490)
Haitian0.1%(484)
Bulgarian0%(384)
Serbian0%(328)
Jordanian0%(285)
Slovene0%(276)
Guyanese0%(243)
Syrian0%(216)
Israeli0%(212)
Ghanaian0%(173)
Latvian0%(169)
Iraqi0%(112)
Barbadian0%(57)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
47.4%
+3.6 ptssince 2000
from 43.9% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
91.6%
+2.3 ptssince 2000
from 89.3% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
16.0%
+1.7 ptssince 2000
from 14.3% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
24.1 min
+50%since 2000
from 16.0 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
80.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 80.0% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
9.9%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 10.1% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
1.1%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 1.1% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
6.0%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 5.7% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
1.6%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 1.6% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
0.3%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
4.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 4.7% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
12.9%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 12.7% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
48.6%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 48.2% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.8%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 49.5% in 2009
Female
51.2%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 50.5% in 2009
Foreign born
12.7%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 11.8% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
8.6%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 8.9% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
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
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
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+29%
Home value$389,400+75%
Population347,240−72%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAKE COUNTY VS
Johnston County
Income$83,384+31%
Home value$305,600+37%
Population256,448−80%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAKE COUNTY VS
Franklin County
Income$74,240+16%
Home value$284,300+28%
Population82,037−93%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAKE COUNTY VS
Harnett County
Income$71,287+12%
Home value$246,200+11%
Population150,137−88%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Wake County, North Carolina?

Wake County, North Carolina has about 900,993 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Wake County, North Carolina earns about $63,770 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 $222,300, and the typical rent is about $845 a month.

How educated are people in Wake County, North Carolina?

About 47.4% 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 9.7% 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 477,613 residents, a change of about 113 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 →