METRO AREA
Raleigh Metro
Raleigh-Cary, NC · 3 counties · 1,595,720 residents (2025 est.) · 2,118 sq mi
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The short version
With 1,487,302 people, Raleigh is a metro area. Since 2000 the metro area has more than doubled, up 690,231 people. That puts it in the top 1% of US metro areas for household income. 51% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 36% nationally. Median household income runs $100,665, well clear of the $82,259 US median. Poverty is uncommon here, at 8.7% of people across the metro.
At a glance
Wealthier
median household income $100,665, above the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 37.6
US median: 38.9
More educated
51% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 64%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Raleigh
What changed most since 1990
- Population541,100 → 1,487,302 (+175%)US over the same years: +35%
- Median home value (2024 dollars)$211,880 → $427,923 (+102%)US over the same years: +67%
- Adults with a bachelor's degree29.9% → 51.2% (+21.3 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
Among the 38 metro and micro areas based in North Carolina
- 1st in household income$100,665
- 2nd in share with a bachelor's degree51.2%
- 2nd in home value$427,923
- 8th in diversity score76.7
Section 01
Population & growth
1,487,302
+87%since 2000
from 797,071 in 2000
1,595,720 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
2,118 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
20241.5M
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.8%(86,118)
5 to 96.4%(94,500)
10 to 146.8%(101,732)
15 to 196.9%(102,138)
20 to 246.1%(91,084)
25 to 3414.2%(211,466)
35 to 4414.8%(219,841)
45 to 5414%(207,491)
55 to 6411.8%(175,876)
65 to 748.2%(121,404)
75 to 843.8%(56,478)
85 and over1.3%(19,174)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$100,665
+7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $51,878 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
62.1%
+22.4 ptssince 2009
from 39.6% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information9.6%
Retail trade9.3%
Other services7.9%
Wholesale trade7.3%
Public administration6%
Finance & insurance4.1%
Professional, scientific, technical3.4%
Arts, entertainment, food2.4%
Transportation & warehousing2.1%
Education & health services0.7%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.6%
Construction0.4%
Manufacturing0.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$427,923
+64%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $142,971 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
4.2
+32%since 2009
from 3.2 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.
90
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic70.4%(561,365)
Black19.5%(155,743)
Hispanic / Latino5.7%(45,525)
Asian2.7%(21,675)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic57.2%(851,297)
Black18.4%(273,666)
Hispanic / Latino12.4%(183,839)
Asian6.9%(103,181)
Other5.1%(75,319)
77
+20%since 2009
from 64 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
32
−10%since 2020
from 36 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
Mexican5.8%(86,138)
Central American2%(29,233)
Puerto Rican1.4%(21,182)
South American1.3%(18,741)
Salvadoran0.6%(9,608)
Honduran0.6%(9,463)
Dominican0.6%(9,233)
Colombian0.5%(6,759)
Guatemalan0.4%(6,546)
Cuban0.4%(6,369)
Spaniard0.2%(3,526)
Venezuelan0.2%(3,399)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0.2%(3,081)
Ecuadorian0.1%(1,981)
Argentine0.1%(1,657)
Panamanian0.1%(1,401)
Nicaraguan0.1%(1,055)
Chilean0.1%(1,051)
Costa Rican0.1%(996)
Uruguayan0%(321)
Bolivian0%(268)
Paraguayan0%(27)
Asian origin
Asian Indian3.7%(55,754)
Chinese0.9%(13,606)
Vietnamese0.5%(8,013)
Korean0.4%(6,654)
Filipino0.3%(5,090)
Pakistani0.2%(2,346)
Nepalese0.1%(1,742)
Japanese0.1%(1,621)
Bangladeshi0.1%(1,526)
Taiwanese0.1%(983)
Thai0%(585)
Sri Lankan0%(474)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.1%(941)
Samoan0%(364)
Chamorro0%(288)
Fijian0%(47)
Guamanian0%(12)
Ancestry
English13.4%(199,623)
German9.8%(145,566)
Irish9.1%(134,665)
American6.5%(96,339)
Italian4.7%(69,254)
Scottish2.4%(35,825)
Polish1.9%(28,315)
Subsaharan African1.7%(25,181)
French1.7%(25,059)
Scotch-Irish1.6%(23,150)
Arab1.1%(16,278)
Dutch0.7%(11,040)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
West Indian0.7%(9,713)
Welsh0.6%(9,542)
Norwegian0.6%(9,325)
Swedish0.6%(9,316)
British0.6%(8,285)
Russian0.6%(8,279)
Hungarian0.4%(6,233)
French Canadian0.4%(5,468)
Nigerian0.4%(5,459)
Greek0.3%(5,198)
Ukrainian0.3%(5,060)
Portuguese0.3%(4,628)
Czech0.3%(4,569)
Lebanese0.3%(4,036)
Egyptian0.3%(3,963)
Jamaican0.2%(3,238)
Danish0.2%(3,152)
Haitian0.2%(3,025)
Canadian0.2%(2,913)
Swiss0.2%(2,837)
Lithuanian0.2%(2,656)
Slovak0.2%(2,536)
Moroccan0.2%(2,423)
Austrian0.2%(2,323)
Ethiopian0.2%(2,288)
Iranian0.1%(1,993)
Brazilian0.1%(1,989)
Romanian0.1%(1,954)
Kenyan0.1%(1,704)
Turkish0.1%(1,585)
Ghanaian0.1%(1,292)
Croatian0.1%(1,207)
Finnish0.1%(1,166)
Jordanian0.1%(1,151)
Palestinian0.1%(1,126)
Belgian0.1%(1,095)
Bulgarian0.1%(957)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0.1%(922)
Somali0.1%(912)
Iraqi0.1%(909)
Syrian0%(630)
Serbian0%(610)
Slovene0%(594)
Armenian0%(546)
Israeli0%(413)
Guyanese0%(293)
Cape Verdean0%(233)
Australian0%(204)
Latvian0%(155)
Macedonian0%(122)
Barbadian0%(108)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
93.2%
+6.9 ptssince 2000
from 86.3% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
76.8%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 76.1% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
97.5%
+1.9 ptssince 2020
from 95.5% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married34.7%(203,214)
Married56.2%(328,787)
Widowed1.8%(10,571)
Divorced7.3%(42,940)
Women 15+
Never married30.6%(189,666)
Married52.2%(323,214)
Widowed6.3%(38,847)
Divorced10.9%(67,713)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
14.6%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 14.1% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
2.0%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 1.8% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
76.4%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 75.7% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
26.1%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 25.2% 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)31.6%(21,729)
Gulf War (1990s)30.7%(21,123)
Vietnam era26.7%(18,376)
Korean War3.8%(2,644)
World War II0.5%(356)
Share of the 68,837 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
Raleigh, decade by decade
| Year | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Bachelor's degree+ | Diversity score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 541,100 | $81,145 | $211,880 | 29.9% | 47.1 |
| 2000 | 797,071 | $94,504 | $260,443 | 37.8% | 57.7 |
| 2010 | 1,130,490 | $87,176 | $293,531 | 41.5% | 68.3 |
| 2020 | 1,413,982 | $95,765 | $334,839 | 47.8% | 76.0 |
| 2024 | 1,487,302 | $100,665 | $427,923 | 51.2% | 76.7 |
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.
In this metro
Largest cities
RaleighCENTRAL506,306CaryCENTRAL183,582Apex80,419Wake Forest58,147Holly Springs50,288Garner41,562Clayton32,633Knightdale23,144Wendell19,687Smithfield13,114Rolesville12,839Zebulon11,933Selma7,406Archer Lodge5,649Louisburg3,480Lake Royale3,168Wilson's Mills2,987Four Oaks2,978Franklinton2,890Youngsville2,461Pine Level2,405Kenly1,722Princeton1,544Micro537Bunn391Centerville202
What's inside
3 component counties
Drill deeper
Metros similar to Raleigh
Salt Lake City
Pop 1,308,377
Providence
Pop 1,708,161
Richmond
Pop 1,389,338
Hartford
Pop 1,171,426
Places similar to RaleighHead to head
Compare Raleigh side by side
RALEIGH VS
Salt Lake City
Income$98,059−3%
Home value$519,848+21%
Population1,308,377−18%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
RALEIGH VS
Providence
Income$87,204−13%
Home value$426,358same
Population1,708,161+7%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
RALEIGH VS
Richmond
Income$89,669−11%
Home value$351,202−18%
Population1,389,338−13%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
RALEIGH VS
Hartford
Income$95,076−6%
Home value$332,239−22%
Population1,171,426−27%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked
How many people live in Raleigh-Cary, NC?
Raleigh-Cary, NC has about 1,487,302 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Raleigh-Cary, NC?
The typical household in Raleigh-Cary, NC earns about $100,665 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Raleigh-Cary, NC expensive?
In Raleigh-Cary, NC, the median home is worth about $427,923, and the typical rent is about $1,521 a month.
How educated are people in Raleigh-Cary, NC?
About 51.2% of adults age 25 and over in Raleigh-Cary, NC hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Raleigh-Cary, NC?
About 8.7% of people in Raleigh-Cary, NC live below the federal poverty line.
Has Raleigh-Cary, NC grown since 1990?
Yes, Raleigh-Cary, NC has grown since 1990. The population has added about 946,202 residents, a change of about 175 percent over that period.
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024