Fast Facts

Wake County by the Numbers

Wake County by the Numbers highlights general statistics of interest for each demographic area (population, housing, education, economy, transportation and land development). The data below reflects the most current information available in December 2007.

Population:
2009 Forecasted population: 902,689
2010 Forecasted population: 940,122
2011 Forecasted population: 979,897
2012 Forecasted population: 1,019,398 

Newcomers Projection:
2009: 95 (Per Day)
2010: 103 (Per Day)
2011: 109 (Per Day)

Housing
2007 Housing units: 339,756*
2007 Vacancy rate: 8.4%*
2008 Average residential property value: $254,471 (County)
High: $310,424**
Low: $130,450**
2007 Average household size: 2.57 people/household*
2007 Housing density: 409 units/sq. mile

Education
2008-09 WCPSS membership: 137,706
2008-09 Number of WCPSS schools: 156; number of charter schools: 13
2009-10 WCPSS 20th-Day student projection: 141,042
2007 Adult population with B.A. or higher: 47.6% *
2008-09 Wake Tech enrollment: 62,000

Economy
2007 Median family income: $79,588*
2007 Median household income: $61,554*
2007 Population below poverty line: 8.3%*
2007 Unemployment rate: 4.7%****
Dec. 2008 Unemployment rate: 6.1%****
2007-08 Tax base components:
Commercial: 28%**
Residential: 72%**

Transportation
2008 Registered vehicles: 632,647** (Jan.-Oct.)
2007 Commuters who drive alone: 84.5%*
2007 Average commute time: 24.2 minutes*
2007 Commuters taking public transportation: 1.2%*
2007 Commuters carpooling: 10.3%*
2007 Commuters walking: 2.1%*
2007 Commuters other: 2.0%*
2007 Residents who worked from home: 26,071*
2007-08 Triangle Transit bus riders increase: +24.2%

Land Development
Wake County proper: 857 square miles
2009 Municipal jurisdiction: 451 square miles
2009 County planning jurisdiction: 406 square miles
2008 New countywide residential permits: 5,187; New commercial/industrial permits: 467**

* 2007 U.S. Census Bureau
** Wake County Revenue
*** Triangle Transit
**** NC Employment Security Commission