Raleigh, NC

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2023 Population

1.45M

2.02% 1-year growth

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

37.5

0.267% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

8.55%

1.19% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$96,066

4.63% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$381,000

9.61% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

756,731

1.96% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Raleigh, NC had a population of 1.45M people with a median age of 37.5 and a median household income of $96,066. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Raleigh, NC grew from 1.42M to 1.45M, a 2.02% increase and its median household income grew from $91,818 to $96,066, a 4.63% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Raleigh, NC are White (Non-Hispanic) (58.1%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (18.7%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (6.58%), Other (Hispanic) (4.84%), and Two+ (Hispanic) (4.17%).

None of the households in Raleigh, NC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

92.8% of the residents in Raleigh, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Raleigh, NC are North Carolina State University at Raleigh (10,279 degrees awarded in 2022), Wake Technical Community College (6,278 degrees), and MyComputerCareer at Raleigh (1,504 degrees).

In 2023, the median property value in Raleigh, NC was $381,000, and the homeownership rate was 67%.

Most people in Raleigh, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Raleigh, NC was 2 cars per household.

Raleigh, NC borders Dunn, NC, Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, Goldsboro, NC, Henderson, NC, Oxford, NC, Roanoke Rapids, NC, Rocky Mount, NC, and Wilson, NC.

About the photo: Crabtree Creek Greenway, Raleigh, NC

Photo by bobistraveling

United States North Carolina

Population & Diversity

Raleigh, NC is home to a population of 1.45M people, from which 92.8% are citizens. As of 2023, 13.1% of Raleigh, NC residents were born outside of the country (189k people).

In 2023, there were 3.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (843k people) in Raleigh, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 272k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 95.3k Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

92.8%

2023 Citizenship

93.3%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 92.8% of Raleigh, NC residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Raleigh, NC was 93.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Raleigh, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Raleigh, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
843k ± 1.64k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
272k ± 2.22k
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
95.3k ± 1.37k

12.1%

Hispanic Population

176k people

12.1% of the people in Raleigh, NC are hispanic (176k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Raleigh, NC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for North Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
214,508 ± 11,254 people
India
79,868 ± 6,912 people
Honduras
39,759 ± 4,886 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 214,508 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 79,868 and Honduras with 39,759.

Foreign-Born Population

13.1%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

189k people

12.3%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

175k people

As of 2023, 13.1% of Raleigh, NC residents (189k people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Raleigh, NC was 12.3%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Raleigh, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
20,109 ± 1,509
Vietnam
16,701 ± 916
Gulf War (1990s)
14,361 ± 1,138

Raleigh, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.2 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Raleigh, NC employs 757k people. The largest industries in Raleigh, NC are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (118,419 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (88,990 people), and Retail Trade (74,281 people), and the highest paying industries are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($101,241), Information ($91,134), and Utilities ($89,361).

Males in North Carolina have an average income that is 1.31 times higher than the average income of females, which is $57,464. The income inequality in North Carolina (measured using the Gini index) is 0.47, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

757k

2023 Value

± 8,290

1.96%

1 Year growth

± 1.52%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Raleigh, NC grew at a rate of 1.96%, from 742k employees to 757k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Raleigh, NC, are Management Occupations (110,204 people), Sales & Related Occupations (72,157 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (69,897 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Raleigh, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

757k

2023 Value

± 8,290

1.96%

1 Year growth

± 1.52%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Raleigh, NC grew at a rate of 1.96%, from 742k employees to 757k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Raleigh, NC, are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (118,419 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (88,990 people), and Retail Trade (74,281 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Raleigh, NC, though some of these residents may live in Raleigh, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$65,387

Median earning men ± $1,310

$48,017

Median earning women ± $743

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Information ($104,652), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($101,322), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($96,920).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Information ($72,166), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($70,327), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($64,401).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

Y-Axis

3.04%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.86M people employed in North Carolina. This represents a 3.04% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in North Carolina.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

4,341
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
2,783
Construction
2,059
Other Services (except Public Administration)

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$7.68M
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
$5.05M
Health Care and Social Assistance
$4.14M
Information

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2022, universities in Raleigh, NC awarded 21,364 degrees. The student population of Raleigh, NC in 2022 is skewed towards women, with 34,813 male students and 37,370 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Raleigh, NC are White (12,529 and 61.8%), followed by Black or African American (3,072 and 15.2%), Hispanic or Latino (2,097 and 10.3%), and Asian (1,196 and 5.9%).

The largest universities in Raleigh, NC by number of degrees awarded are North Carolina State University at Raleigh (10,279 and 48.1%), Wake Technical Community College (6,278 and 29.4%), and MyComputerCareer at Raleigh (1,504 and 7.04%).

The most popular majors in Raleigh, NC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (1,830 and 8.57%), General Business Administration & Management (1,719 and 8.05%), and Computer Systems Networking & Telecommunications (1,507 and 7.05%).

The median tuition costs in Raleigh, NC are $11,388 for private four year colleges, and $6,535 and $28,276 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2022 in Raleigh, NC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 51.5%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 28.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2022 was 72,183 (48.2% men and 51.8% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2022 there were 72,183 students enrolled in Raleigh, NC, 48.2% men and 51.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 39,745 records, of which 50.7% were women and 49.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
909 degrees awarded
General Biological Sciences
494 degrees awarded
General Psychology
383 degrees awarded

In 2022, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Raleigh, NC was General Business Administration & Management with 909 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Raleigh, NC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

North Carolina State University at Raleigh
10,279 degrees awarded
Wake Technical Community College
6,278 degrees awarded
MyComputerCareer at Raleigh
1,504 degrees awarded

In 2022, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was North Carolina State University at Raleigh with 10,279 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2022, 10,636 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Raleigh, NC, which is 0.991 times less than the 10,728 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2022 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 12,529 degrees mean that there were 4.08 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 3,072 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($18,980) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2022.

Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($2,900) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2022.

Public, 2-year ($1,555) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

Measure

In 2022, 0.944% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.805% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (2.16M), Some college (1.84M), and Bachelors Degree (1.63M).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Raleigh, NC was $381,000 in 2023, which is 1.26 times larger than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $347,600 to $381,000, a 9.61% increase. The homeownership rate in Raleigh, NC is 67%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Raleigh, NC have an average commute time of 26.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Raleigh, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Raleigh, NC is $96,066. In 2023, the county with the highest Median Household Income in Raleigh, NC was Wake County, NC with a value of $101,763, followed by Union County, NC and Currituck County, NC, with respective values of $99,243 and $91,548.

Housing

Property

$381,000

Median Property Value 2023

±$3,041

$371,995

Median Property Taxes

±$5,114

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Raleigh, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Raleigh, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

67%

Homeownership

2023

67.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 67% of the housing units in Raleigh, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 66.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Raleigh, NC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

In 2023, the county with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Raleigh, NC was Wake County, NC with a value of $101,763, followed by Union County, NC and Currituck County, NC, with respective values of $99,243 and $91,548.

The following map shows all of the counties in Raleigh, NC colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$96,066

Median Household Income

± $1,180

555k

Number of Households

± 7,001

In 2023, the median household income of the 555k households in Raleigh, NC grew to $96,066 from the previous year's value of $91,818.

The following chart displays the households in Raleigh, NC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Raleigh, NC is from North Carolina.

0.47

2022 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.47

2021 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2022, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.47 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0732% decline from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Carolina in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in North Carolina across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (67%)
Worked At Home (23.4%)
Carpooled (6.48%)

In 2023, 67% of workers in Raleigh, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (23.4%) and those who carpooled to work (6.48%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

26.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Raleigh, NC have a longer commute time (26.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 1.79% of the workforce in Raleigh, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Raleigh, NC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Raleigh, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Raleigh, NC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

8.55% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Raleigh, NC (122k out of 1.42M people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Raleigh, NC is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

91.3% of the population of Raleigh, NC has health coverage, with 57.1% on employee plans, 10.3% on Medicaid, 9.57% on Medicare, 13% on non-group plans, and 1.36% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in North Carolina see 1413 patients per year on average, which represents a 1% increase from the previous year (1399 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1657 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 336 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

1,413 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in North Carolina

Primary care physicians in North Carolina see an average of 1,413 patients per year. This represents a 1% increase from the previous year (1,399 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in North Carolina in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.2% under 18 years, 21.3% between 18 and 34 years, 40.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 12.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.1% were men and 51.9% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

8.7%

Uninsured

57.1%

Employer Coverage

10.3%

Medicaid

9.57%

Medicare

13%

Non-Group

1.36%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Raleigh, NC declined by 1.35% from 8.82% to 8.7%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Raleigh, NC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Keep Exploring

North Carolina

State

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC