Demographics of Raleigh city, North Carolina

Raleigh city, North Carolina had 506,306 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +39,996 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Raleigh city, in four figures

506,306
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate. The survey’s 2020–⁠2024 figure is 481,031 ±391.; +8.6%
Change since July 2020: +39,996 people.; 34.7 ±0.4
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $85,395 ±$2,159
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. The Bureau publishes no births, deaths or migration for a place, so the change is the difference between one July estimate and the next.

Raleigh city, North Carolina's population grew 8.6% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Raleigh city, 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).

Source: The Census Bureau

About this chart

The figures

Raleigh city, North Carolina's population grew 8.6% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Raleigh city, 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	466,310	100.0	100.0
2021	471,981	101.2	100.2
2022	475,226	101.9	100.7
2023	490,503	105.2	101.6
2024	499,017	107.0	102.5
2025	506,306	108.6	103.1

Population of Raleigh city, North Carolina on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change
2020	466,310	—
2021	471,981	+5,671
2022	475,226	+3,245
2023	490,503	+15,277
2024	499,017	+8,514
2025	506,306	+7,289

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 34.7 ±0.4: for men 33.7 ±0.4 and for women 35.7 ±0.5. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Raleigh city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under 5	27,524 ±1,287	5.7% ±0.3	5.6% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	67,933 ±2,414	14.1% ±0.5	16.1% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	57,982 ±2,242	12.1% ±0.5	9.5% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	159,443 ±3,156	33.1% ±0.7	26.2% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	111,068 ±2,693	23.1% ±0.6	25.4% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	57,081 ±1,885	11.9% ±0.4	17.2% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $85,395 ±$2,159, and income per person $52,897 ±$1,028, 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 Raleigh city by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under $25,000	25,146 ±1,659	12.4% ±0.8	15.8% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	33,590 ±2,107	16.5% ±1.0	19.1% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	31,281 ±1,801	15.4% ±0.9	16.8% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	26,497 ±1,638	13.0% ±0.8	13.0% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	35,595 ±1,789	17.5% ±0.9	16.6% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	20,478 ±1,253	10.1% ±0.6	8.3% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	30,856 ±1,196	15.2% ±0.6	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 Raleigh city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	North Carolina	United States
All ages	54,989 ±3,511	11.9% ±0.8	13.0% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	15,087 ±1,540	16.0% ±1.5	17.7% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	32,494 ±2,082	11.2% ±0.7	12.1% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	7,408 ±868	9.4% ±1.1	10.9% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Raleigh city, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Raleigh city	North Carolina	United States
Housing units	224,853 ±1,424	4,895,668 ±642	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	90.5% ±0.5	87.5% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	9.5% ±0.6	12.5% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	50.7% ±1.1	66.6% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	49.3% ±1.1	33.4% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$415,800 ±$7,720	$288,900 ±$1,086	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$1,572 ±$23	$1,228 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1997 ±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 Raleigh city by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Hispanic or Latino	60,502 ±3,267	12.6% ±0.7	11.3% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	246,042 ±3,256	51.1% ±0.7	60.0% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	125,059 ±3,277	26.0% ±0.7	20.0% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	24,783 ±2,049	5.2% ±0.4	3.3% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	810 ±217	0.2% ±<0.1	0.8% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	27 to 137	< 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	2,593 ±719	0.5% ±0.1	0.5% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	21,160 ±1,857	4.4% ±0.4	4.1% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

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 Raleigh city by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Born in the state	218,570 ±4,487	45.4% ±0.9	53.6% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	187,440 ±4,427	39.0% ±0.9	35.9% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	8,486 ±1,025	1.8% ±0.2	1.4% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	66,535 ±3,750	13.8% ±0.8	9.1% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	29,338 ±2,211	6.1% ±0.5	3.8% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	37,197 ±2,775	7.7% ±0.6	5.2% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

Raleigh city among the places of North Carolina

2nd of 166 places of 5,000 or more by the survey’s 2020–2024 count. Every one is listed on the North Carolina page.

Places of North Carolina near Raleigh city in population, ACS 2020–2024
Place	ACS 2020–⁠2024
Charlotte city	903,844 ±208
Raleigh city	481,031 ±391
Greensboro city	301,198 ±75
Durham city	291,467 ±190
Winston-Salem city	252,037 ±74
Fayetteville city	210,815 ±99
Cary town	179,306 ±190

Elsewhere on the site

Reported crime in Raleigh city, North Carolina

Rankings this appears in

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns — 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

Compiled automatically from Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns and American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File by a checked SQL query · Editor: Kian O'Connor · How this site is built

Data retrieved September 25, 2026