Raleigh, NC

Census Place

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2024 Population

481,031

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Poverty Rate

11.9%

3.9% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$85,395

3.6% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$415,800

10.1% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

268,248

3.19% 1-year growth

About

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.

92.3% of the residents in Raleigh, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Raleigh, NC are North Carolina State University at Raleigh (10,612 degrees awarded in 2024), MyComputerCareer at Raleigh (1,800 degrees), and Meredith College (535 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Raleigh, NC was $415,800, and the homeownership rate was 50.7%.

Most people in Raleigh, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 23 minutes. The average car ownership in Raleigh, NC was 2 cars per household.

Photo by James Willamor

United States North Carolina Durham County, NC Wake County, NC Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Raleigh, NC

Population & Diversity

Raleigh, NC is home to a population of 481k people, from which 92.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 13.7% of Raleigh, NC residents were born outside of the country (65.7k people).

In 2024, there were 1.97 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (246k people) in Raleigh, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 125k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 25.1k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

92.3%

2024 Citizenship

92.1%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 92.3% of Raleigh, NC residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Raleigh, NC was 92.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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)
246k ± 3.26k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
125k ± 3.28k
Other (Hispanic)
25.1k ± 2.67k

12.6%

Hispanic Population

60.5k people

12.6% of the people in Raleigh, NC are hispanic (60.5k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Raleigh, NC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
228,441 ± 11,609 people
India
90,815 ± 7,367 people
Honduras
52,061 ± 5,588 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 228,441 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 90,815 and Honduras with 52,061.

Foreign-Born Population

13.7%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

65.7k people

13.4%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

63.2k people

As of 2024, 13.7% of Raleigh, NC residents (65.7k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Raleigh, NC was 13.4%, 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-)
6,186 ± 953
Vietnam
3,830 ± 471
Gulf War (1990s)
3,312 ± 438

Raleigh, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.62 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Raleigh, NC.

Health

90.7% of the population of Raleigh, NC has health coverage, with 54.7% on employee plans, 11.9% on Medicaid, 8.66% on Medicare, 14.4% on non-group plans, and 1.02% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in North Carolina see 1,413 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,413 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1634 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 299 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.4% were men and 51.6% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 21.8% under 18 years, 29% between 18 and 34 years, 37.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 11.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.4% were men and 51.6% were women.

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

Uninsured People

9.32%

Uninsured

54.7%

Employer Coverage

11.9%

Medicaid

8.66%

Medicare

14.4%

Non-Group

1.02%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Raleigh, NC declined by 7.49% from 10.1% to 9.32%.

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.

Economy

The economy of Raleigh, NC employs 268k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Raleigh, NC were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (44,766 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (33,103 people), and Retail Trade (25,969 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($94,200), Utilities ($84,766), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($81,640).

Employment

Occupations

268k

2024 Value

± 5,284

3.19%

1 Year growth

± 2.73%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Raleigh, NC grew at a rate of 3.19%, from 260k employees to 268k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Raleigh, NC, are Management Occupations (39,227 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (26,516 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (25,640 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 North Carolina.

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.

Industries

Employment by Industries

268k

2024 Value

± 5,284

3.19%

1 Year growth

± 2.73%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Raleigh, NC grew at a rate of 3.19%, from 260k employees to 268k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Raleigh, NC, are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (44,766 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (33,103 people), and Retail Trade (25,969 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

$60,560

Median earning men ± $1,129

$48,281

Median earning women ± $1,100

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($95,553), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($87,834), and Manufacturing ($81,755).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($68,277), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($67,475), and Information ($67,429).

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.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in North Carolina went to Donald J. Trump with 50.9% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (47.6%), followed by Other (0.675%).

Thom Tillis and Ted Budd are the senators currently representing the state of North Carolina. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

North Carolina is currently represented by 14 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Raleigh, NC. Showing the available data for North Carolina.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (50.9%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (47.6%)
Democratic Party
Other (0.675%)
Other Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in North Carolina went to Donald J. Trump with 50.9% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (47.6%), followed by Other (0.675%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in North Carolina for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from North Carolina

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

Thom Tillis

Senator from North Carolina

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

Ted Budd

Senator from North Carolina

Assumed office on January 3, 2023

Thom Tillis and Ted Budd are the senators currently representing North Carolina.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in North Carolina over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2024, universities in Raleigh, NC awarded 13,607 degrees. The student population of Raleigh, NC in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 21,712 male students and 22,229 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Raleigh, NC are White (7,522 and 61.6%), Black or African American (1,899 and 15.5%), Hispanic or Latino (1,056 and 8.64%), and Asian (924 and 7.56%).

The largest universities in Raleigh, NC by number of degrees awarded are North Carolina State University at Raleigh (10,612 and 78%), MyComputerCareer at Raleigh (1,800 and 13.2%), and Meredith College (535 and 3.93%).

The most popular majors in Raleigh, NC are Computer Systems Networking & Telecommunications (1,634 and 12%), General Business Administration & Management (1,061 and 7.8%), and Computer Science (659 and 4.84%).

The median tuition costs are $23,159 for private four year colleges, and $6,535 and $30,583 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Raleigh, NC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 48.6%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 23.8%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 43,941 (49.4% men and 50.6% 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 2024 there were 43,941 students enrolled in Raleigh, NC, 49.4% men and 50.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 24,880 records, of which 51.5% were women and 48.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
1,001 degrees awarded
General Biological Sciences
503 degrees awarded
General Psychology
430 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Raleigh, NC was General Business Administration & Management with 1,001 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
10,612 degrees awarded
MyComputerCareer at Raleigh
1,800 degrees awarded
Meredith College
535 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was North Carolina State University at Raleigh with 10,612 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 7,074 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Raleigh, NC, which is 1.08 times more than the 6,533 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 7,522 degrees mean that there were 3.96 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 1,899 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, 4-year or above ($23,159) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($2,798) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,000) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Raleigh, NC was $415,800 in 2024, which is 1.25 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $377,800 to $415,800, a 10.1% increase. The homeownership rate in Raleigh, NC is 50.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Raleigh, NC have an average commute time of 23 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.

Housing

Property

$415,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$7,720

$103,241

Median Property Taxes

±$2,930

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

50.7%

Homeownership

2024

67.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 50.7% of the housing units in Raleigh, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 51.2%.

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

Equity

Household Income

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

$85,395

Median Household Income

± $2,159

203k

Number of Households

± 4,396

In 2024, the median household income of the 203k households in Raleigh, NC grew to $85,395 from the previous year's value of $82,424.

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.

0.466

2024 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2024, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.466 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.16% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 2024

Drove Alone (62.3%)
Worked At Home (25.8%)
Carpooled (6.73%)

In 2024, 62.3% of workers in Raleigh, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (25.8%) and those who carpooled to work (6.73%).

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

23 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Raleigh, NC have a shorter commute time (23 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.46% 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

11.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Raleigh, NC (55k out of 463k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Females 25 - 34.

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.