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COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Wake County

North Carolina · 1,129,410 residents · 835 sq mi
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Wake County is a county of 1,129,410 people in North Carolina. The population has risen by half since 2000, adding 501,564 people. This is an unusually credentialed place: 54% of adults have a four-year degree. Households here earn about 48% more than in North Carolina as a whole. Households take in $83,567 a year at the median, 26% more than the country as a whole. The poverty rate is 8.5%, under the national 12.8%.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 36.3
US median: 38.8
More educated
54% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 28%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
1,129,410
+80%since 2000
from 627,846 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
36.3
+10%since 2000
from 32.9 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
835 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
348K574K801K1.0M1.3M19902000201020202024Wake County
20241.2M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.8%(65,242)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.6%(74,496)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 147.2%(81,537)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 197%(79,584)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.8%(76,866)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3414.6%(164,659)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4414.6%(164,821)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5413.7%(155,187)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6411.3%(127,993)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 747.6%(85,955)
US avg: 10%
75 to 843.5%(39,047)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.2%(14,023)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$83,567
+1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $54,988 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$42,721
+58%since 2000
from $27,004 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
55.0%
+12.3 ptssince 2009
from 42.7% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
8.5%
+0.7 ptssince 2000
from 7.8% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information9.4%
US avg: 11.1%
Other services8.4%
US avg: 6.6%
Retail trade8.4%
US avg: 10%
Public administration6%
US avg: 4.7%
Wholesale trade5.7%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance3.9%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical3.1%
US avg: 4.7%
Arts, entertainment, food3%
US avg: 2%
Transportation & warehousing2.4%
US avg: 2.5%
Education & health services0.8%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.4%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.3%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$301,600
+28%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $156,200 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,204
+10%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $727 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
61.6%
−4.3 ptssince 2000
from 65.9% in 2000
38.4% rent
Persons per household
2.61 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.60 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
3.6
+8%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%
2020
White, non-Hispanic57.1%(645,020)
Black18.1%(204,535)
Hispanic / Latino11.4%(128,241)
Asian8.6%(96,665)
Other3.6%(40,275)
Segregation Score
38
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
Mexican4.9%(53,189)
Puerto Rican1.5%(16,015)
Central American1.4%(15,455)
South American0.9%(9,897)
Salvadoran0.6%(6,568)
Dominican0.5%(5,250)
Cuban0.4%(4,085)
Colombian0.4%(3,876)
Honduran0.3%(3,697)
Guatemalan0.2%(2,645)
Venezuelan0.2%(1,791)
Spaniard0.1%(1,572)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0.1%(1,100)
Panamanian0.1%(1,036)
Ecuadorian0.1%(901)
Chilean0.1%(862)
Argentine0.1%(847)
Nicaraguan0.1%(675)
Uruguayan0%(229)
Bolivian0%(185)
Asian origin
Asian Indian3.8%(41,565)
Chinese1.1%(12,193)
Vietnamese0.7%(7,340)
Korean0.4%(4,777)
Filipino0.3%(3,769)
Pakistani0.2%(1,911)
Japanese0.1%(1,233)
Bangladeshi0.1%(1,077)
Nepalese0.1%(906)
Thai0%(474)
Taiwanese0%(418)
Burmese0%(397)
+ 9 more asian origin groups with data
Cambodian0%(389)
Hmong0%(338)
Sri Lankan0%(181)
Bhutanese0%(161)
Laotian0%(153)
Mongolian0%(42)
Malaysian0%(36)
Okinawan0%(16)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(256)
Samoan0%(135)
Fijian0%(65)
Tongan0%(48)
Ancestry
English10.8%(118,316)
German10.6%(115,754)
Irish8.9%(97,177)
American8.3%(90,270)
Italian4.9%(53,805)
Scottish2.5%(27,128)
Polish2.3%(24,922)
French1.9%(20,318)
Scotch-Irish1.9%(20,238)
Subsaharan African1.8%(19,574)
British1.1%(11,517)
Dutch1%(10,420)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Swedish0.8%(9,238)
Welsh0.8%(8,518)
Russian0.8%(8,407)
Norwegian0.7%(7,572)
West Indian0.5%(5,973)
Hungarian0.5%(5,845)
French Canadian0.5%(4,931)
Czech0.4%(3,887)
Portuguese0.3%(3,542)
Ukrainian0.3%(3,484)
Greek0.3%(3,399)
Swiss0.3%(2,784)
Nigerian0.2%(2,687)
Danish0.2%(2,641)
Egyptian0.2%(2,610)
Canadian0.2%(2,452)
Lithuanian0.2%(2,304)
Slovak0.2%(2,106)
Austrian0.2%(2,048)
Jamaican0.2%(2,005)
Iranian0.2%(1,825)
Lebanese0.2%(1,817)
Moroccan0.2%(1,770)
Ethiopian0.2%(1,758)
Haitian0.1%(1,633)
Romanian0.1%(1,457)
Finnish0.1%(1,323)
Kenyan0.1%(1,266)
Croatian0.1%(1,110)
Turkish0.1%(1,038)
Brazilian0.1%(1,024)
Belgian0.1%(942)
Arab0.1%(786)
Armenian0.1%(689)
Palestinian0.1%(688)
Syrian0.1%(550)
Slovene0%(494)
Serbian0%(483)
Somali0%(418)
Australian0%(406)
Israeli0%(337)
Bulgarian0%(331)
Ghanaian0%(329)
Jordanian0%(293)
Iraqi0%(257)
Guyanese0%(249)
Latvian0%(130)
Barbadian0%(97)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
54.0%
+10.1 ptssince 2000
from 43.9% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
93.4%
+4.1 ptssince 2000
from 89.3% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
20.5%
+6.2 ptssince 2000
from 14.3% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
25.6 min
+60%since 2000
from 16.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
75.7%
−4.3 ptssince 2009
from 80.0% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
3.7%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 4.7% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.2%
−2.7 ptssince 2011
from 6.9% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
70.4%
−1.6 ptssince 2011
from 72.0% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
77.1%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
53.4%
+5.3 ptssince 2009
from 48.2% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.6%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 49.5% in 2009
Female
51.4%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 50.5% in 2009
Foreign born
13.3%
+1.5 ptssince 2009
from 11.8% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
8.5%
−4.8 ptssince 2013
from 13.3% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
96.7%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
82.6%
US average: 86.2%
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

Uninsured
8.5%
−4.8 ptssince 2013
from 13.3% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
65.5%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
14.5%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
12.3%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
11.3%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.7%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
78.2%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
22.9%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)24%(12,301)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)29.6%(15,168)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era29.1%(14,912)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War6.3%(3,239)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II1.7%(875)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 51,291 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

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$82,316−1%
Home value$389,400+29%
Population347,240−72%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAKE COUNTY VS
Johnston County
Income$83,384same
Home value$305,600+1%
Population256,448−80%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAKE COUNTY VS
Franklin County
Income$74,240−11%
Home value$284,300−6%
Population82,037−93%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAKE COUNTY VS
Harnett County
Income$71,287−15%
Home value$246,200−18%
Population150,137−88%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Wake County, North Carolina?

Wake County, North Carolina has about 1,129,410 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Wake County, North Carolina earns about $83,567 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 $301,600, and the typical rent is about $1,204 a month.

How educated are people in Wake County, North Carolina?

About 54.0% 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 8.5% 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 706,030 residents, a change of about 167 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 →