Wake County, NC
County Profile
1,178,653 residents. Safety, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Wake County, NC.
Several figures AreaProfile publishes are measured by county and nowhere finer — death rates by intent among them. On this page those describe the geography they are printed on, which is not true of the city and ZIP pages that inherit them.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 14 sourcesWake County ranks in the top 12% of counties measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.2% and median household income of $105,768.
Public schools test above most of the state: 53% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 10% of published profiles for schools.
14,741 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, essentially level with the prior year — steady rather than turning.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 3.2%, lower than in 84% of the 1,467 measured US counties.
Employment fell 1.1% over the past year, to 673,336 employed residents.
57% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 99% of measured US counties.
Median household income of $105,768 is higher than in 96% of measured US counties.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsfiling years 2022–2023 | $84,668 | 86th percentileof 1,417 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftfiling years 2022–2023 | $83,561 | 89th percentileof 1,417 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$1,6262024 ACS 5-Year | $105,768 | Top 4%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$6272024 ACS 5-Year | $55,448 | Top 4%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per-capita personal income2023 | $81,413 | Top 9%of 1,389 | 2023 |
| Poverty rate ±0.4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 7.3% | Top 9%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±0.3 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 26.9 min | Bottom 42%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year | 57.2% | Top 1%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±0.6%2024 ACS 5-Year | 61.4% | 4th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentJuly 2026 | 673,336 | Top 2%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)July 2026 | +1.3% | Top 35%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)July 2026 | −1.1% | Bottom 39%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceJuly 2026 | 695,677 | 98th percentileof 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±0.4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 83.7% | Top 11%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public transit to work ±0.1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.7% | 79th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026 | −0.2% | Bottom 49%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateJuly 2026 | 3.2% | Top 16%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±0.6%2024 ACS 5-Year | 29.1% | 99th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Unemployment rate
Median household income, successive ACS releases
Largest occupations — Raleigh-Cary, NC
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 18,660 | $33,100 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 17,060 | $38,470 |
| Cashiers | 14,350 | $29,770 |
| Customer Service Representatives | 13,620 | $41,900 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 12,790 | $29,080 |
| Registered Nurses | 12,780 | $84,830 |
Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
53% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 57% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 15.7 students for every full-time teacher across 216 public schools, more than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apex Friendship High | Wake County Schools | 2,748 | 21.1 | 77% | 75% |
| Enloe High | Wake County Schools | 2,643 | 17.7 | 60% | 71% |
| Panther Creek High | Wake County Schools | 2,609 | 20.4 | 80% | 83% |
| Millbrook High | Wake County Schools | 2,498 | 18.2 | 54% | 56% |
| Apex High | Wake County Schools | 2,449 | 19.9 | 81% | 74% |
| Leesville Road High | Wake County Schools | 2,411 | 19.8 | 72% | 71% |
| Rolesville High | Wake County Schools | 2,321 | 18.6 | 41% | 50% |
| Green Hope High | Wake County Schools | 2,304 | 20.6 | 81% | 81% |
| Green Level High | Wake County Schools | 2,283 | 20.6 | — | — |
| Willow Spring High | Wake County Schools | 2,223 | 20.4 | — | — |
| Athens Drive High | Wake County Schools | 2,156 | 17.2 | 53% | 59% |
| Needham Broughton High | Wake County Schools | 2,153 | 18.2 | 54% | 62% |
41.9% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against North Carolina’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →Prices for everything a household buys run about 2% below the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 98.4, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Raleigh-Cary, NC Metro Area is up 45% over five years, and up 1.1% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $3,260 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.71% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,750, some 8% above the $1,623 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,750 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $70,000 a year, about 66% of the median household income here of $105,768.
The typical renter household here spends 29% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,623 a month.
A median home at $461,300 costs 3.4 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $136,256, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.
Prices here run about 2% below the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.
Published for the Raleigh-Cary, NC Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.
The figures above are measured against Wake County’s median household income of $105,768, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living indexthe Raleigh-Cary, NC Metro Area’s figure2023 | 98.4 | Bottom 31%of 887 | 2023 |
| Home price change (1 year)the Raleigh-Cary, NC Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +1.1% | 13th percentileof 1,431 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the Raleigh-Cary, NC Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +44.9% | 50th percentileof 1,431 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the Raleigh-Cary, NC Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +105.2% | 69th percentileof 1,431 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year | 3.4 | Bottom 20%of 3,217 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year | 64.1% | 13th percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±2042024 ACS 5-Year | 496,047 | 99th percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $1,596 | Bottom 10%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $2,196 | Bottom 16%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,750 | Bottom 14%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$162024 ACS 5-Year | $1,623 | Bottom 5%of 3,215 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$3,8482024 ACS 5-Year | $461,300 | 95th percentileof 3,219 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$352024 ACS 5-Year | $3,260 | 87th percentileof 3,172 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$2,2662024 ACS 5-Year | $136,256 | Top 2%of 3,218 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.01%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.71% | 41st percentileof 3,126 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±0.5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 29.3% | Bottom 34%of 3,216 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±5012024 ACS 5-Year | 2,164 | 86th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.4% | 10th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 6.8% | 31st percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±2,1002024 ACS 5-Year | 35,872 | 98th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has grown 9% since 2020, reaching 1,232,444 in 2024.
Permit activity fell in each of the 3 calendar years through 2025.
Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 1,232,444 residents in 2024, up 2.4% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before.
Federal tax returns show Wake County gained about 0.7% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $84,668, close to the $83,561 of households that moved out.
At 12.5 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US counties.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Durham County, NC 5,610 people · 8.5% of arrivals
- Johnston County, NC 3,461 people · 5.2% of arrivals
- Mecklenburg County, NC 1,491 people · 2.3% of arrivals
- Franklin County, NC 1,337 people · 2.0% of arrivals
- Guilford County, NC 1,163 people · 1.8% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Johnston County, NC 6,568 people · 11% of departures
- Durham County, NC 4,950 people · 8.4% of departures
- Harnett County, NC 2,837 people · 4.8% of departures
- Franklin County, NC 2,774 people · 4.7% of departures
- Mecklenburg County, NC 1,708 people · 2.9% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
Housing units permitted per year
Weather & climate
6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 91°F and January a low of 32°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 46.1 inches, including 5.2 inches of snow.
Air quality measures a median index of 46, in the Good band, and one day a year passes 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| 90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year | 60 | 2024 calendar year |
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 46.1" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals | 5.2" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 32°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 91°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 6 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year | 1 | 2024 calendar year |
| Median air quality index2024 calendar year | 46 | 2024 calendar year |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 39°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Air quality
A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, tornado and heat wave, with inland flooding alone responsible for 74% of it. Tornado and heat wave are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.
Overall hazard risk is lower than 71% of measured US counties.
Low or minimal exposure: heat wave, tornado, lightning, ice storm, earthquake, winter weather, cold wave, wildfire, drought, strong wind, avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). These are FEMA’s own figures for this county rather than a value derived from surrounding geographies. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.
Wake County records 2.8 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at 8.9 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at 10.1 per 100,000 residents in Wake County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe Wake County as a whole. They are shown and not scored. How to read death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Reported crime
- Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Raleigh-Durham Intl at 10 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±0.3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 95.3% | Top 2%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 10 mi | Top 9%of 1,463 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 3 | Bottom 35%of 1,463 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±0.3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 2.8% | Top 1%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh-Durham Intl | RDU | 10 mi | 10,000 ft |
| Kinston Rgnl Jetport At Stallings Fld | ISO | 67 mi | 11,498 ft |
| Piedmont Triad Intl | GSO | 75 mi | 10,001 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyData & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Housing, Income | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Climate | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System Daily Air Quality Index by county | 2024 calendar year |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.
ZIP areas
Only ZIP areas whose income or home value differ from their city’s by at least ten percent get a profile of their own, so this is a selection rather than every ZIP code in the county.