Demographics of Wake County, North Carolina

Wake County, North Carolina had 1,257,235 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +126,332 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Wake County, in four figures

1,257,235
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +11.2%
Change since July 2020: +126,332 people.; 37.3 ±0.1
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $105,768 ±$1,626
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Wake County, North Carolina's population grew 11.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Wake County, North Carolina's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change

About this chart

The figures

Wake County, North Carolina's population grew 11.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Wake County, North Carolina's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	1,130,903	100.0	100.0
2021	1,153,051	102.0	100.2
2022	1,173,034	103.7	100.7
2023	1,200,630	106.2	101.6
2024	1,229,475	108.7	102.5
2025	1,257,235	111.2	103.1

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Population of Wake County, North Carolina on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	1,130,903	+1,547	+1,467	+146	−217
2021	1,153,051	+22,148	+5,707	+1,958	+14,398
2022	1,173,034	+19,983	+6,149	+6,487	+7,881
2023	1,200,630	+27,596	+6,233	+8,918	+12,282
2024	1,229,475	+28,845	+6,292	+13,146	+9,305
2025	1,257,235	+27,760	+6,369	+8,602	+12,790

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 37.3 ±0.1: for men 36.4 ±0.1 and for women 38.2 ±0.2. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Wake County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under 5	67,636 ±38	5.7% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	203,543 ±2,945	17.3% ±0.2	16.1% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	104,796 ±2,240	8.9% ±0.2	9.5% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	350,252 ±2,836	29.7% ±0.2	26.2% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	300,506 ±2,761	25.5% ±0.2	25.4% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	151,920 ±2,666	12.9% ±0.2	17.2% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $105,768 ±$1,626, and income per person $55,448 ±$627, in 2024 dollars. The median is $72,388 ±$324 in North Carolina and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Wake County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under $25,000	43,242 ±2,165	9.4% ±0.5	15.8% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	59,333 ±2,685	12.9% ±0.6	19.1% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	61,974 ±2,320	13.5% ±0.5	16.8% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	54,112 ±2,130	11.8% ±0.5	13.0% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	88,079 ±2,776	19.1% ±0.6	16.6% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	57,195 ±2,052	12.4% ±0.4	8.3% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	96,240 ±2,116	20.9% ±0.4	10.4% ±0.1	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Wake County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	North Carolina	United States
All ages	94,044 ±4,533	8.1% ±0.4	13.0% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	25,683 ±1,965	9.6% ±0.7	17.7% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	51,344 ±2,299	7.6% ±0.3	12.1% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	17,017 ±1,337	7.9% ±0.6	10.9% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Wake County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Wake County	North Carolina	United States
Housing units	496,047 ±204	4,895,668 ±642	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	92.8% ±0.4	87.5% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	7.2% ±0.4	12.5% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	64.1% ±0.7	66.6% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	35.9% ±0.6	33.4% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$461,300 ±$3,848	$288,900 ±$1,086	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$1,623 ±$16	$1,228 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	2000 ±1	1991 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Wake County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Hispanic or Latino	136,184 ±0	11.6% ±<0.1	11.3% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	662,267 ±1,862	56.2% ±0.2	60.0% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	217,692 ±1,960	18.5% ±0.2	20.0% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	100,413 ±1,332	8.5% ±0.1	3.3% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	1,768 ±287	0.2% ±<0.1	0.8% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	308 ±109	< 0.1% ±<0.1	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	7,818 ±1,611	0.7% ±0.1	0.5% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	52,203 ±2,678	4.4% ±0.2	4.1% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Wake County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Born in the state	484,655 ±6,083	41.1% ±0.5	53.6% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	495,867 ±6,461	42.1% ±0.5	35.9% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	18,356 ±1,407	1.6% ±0.1	1.4% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	179,775 ±4,789	15.3% ±0.4	9.1% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	86,324 ±2,617	7.3% ±0.2	3.8% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	93,451 ±3,885	7.9% ±0.3	5.2% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

Wake County among the counties of North Carolina

1st of 100 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the North Carolina page.

Counties of North Carolina near Wake County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Wake County	1,257,235	+11.2%
Mecklenburg County	1,233,383	+10.5%
Guilford County	562,234	+4.4%
Forsyth County	401,718	+5.0%
Durham County	347,240	+7.7%
Cumberland County	338,473	+0.4%

Elsewhere on the site

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026