United States › North Carolina
Wake County, North Carolina
Population 1,178,653 · Raleigh, Cary, Apex
- Overall cost of living: −1.8% vs the US average, higher than 88% of US counties.
- % Adults with a bachelor's degree: 57.2%, higher than 99% of US counties.
- Broadband coverage: 95.3%, higher than 98% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−1.8% | higher than 88% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $461,300 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,623 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $145/mo | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $9,809/yr | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.71% | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 4.75% | lower than 70% of US counties |
| State income tax | 4.5% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $3,260 | higher than 87% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $105,768 | higher than 96% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3.2% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +15% | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 491.3 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈220 days | higher than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 89°F | higher than 58% of US counties |
| January low | 30°F | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 4 in | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 47 days | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 57 days | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 7% of weeks | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈68.6°F | higher than 83% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 47.9 in | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $108/yr | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $91/yr | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $4.5/yr | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $1.8/yr | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $4.1/yr | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.04/yr | lower than 84% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 9.7 µg/m³ | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 114.1 mi | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈285.9 ft | lower than 71% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 94% | higher than 84% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 57.2% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 23.4% | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 19 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 15:1 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 89% | lower than 51% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 9.04 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.81 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.25 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 2.2 | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 87/100k | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 12 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 4.7★ | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 81.2 yrs | higher than 96% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 8% | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 453/100k | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 76/100k | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 1.4/100k | higher than 80% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 98.6% | higher than 97% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 25 min | lower than 93% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 25 min | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 25 min | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 95.3% | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.7% | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 29.1% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 19 min | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 63 per sq mi | higher than 86% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.1 per 1k | lower than 75% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 17.1 per 1k | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Population | 1,178,653 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Median age | 37.3 | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +9.5 per 1k/yr | higher than 78% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 61.9% Dem | higher than 95% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 36.4% Rep | lower than 95% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.7% | higher than 68% of US counties |
| % White | 56.2% | lower than 81% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 11.6% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| % Black | 18.5% | higher than 84% of US counties |
| % Asian | 8.5% | higher than 98% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.2% | higher than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 4.4% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.7% | higher than 84% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 2025 parks | higher than 99% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 18 | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 4.6 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 87 min | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 2.6% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 79 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 12 | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 1,000 km | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 422 km | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 364 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 224 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 46 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 17 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 48 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 5 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 58 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 54 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 834 km | higher than 99% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data