Wake Forest, NC

Census Place

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2024 Population

52,844

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

38.6

0.515% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

4.49%

52.3% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$123,802

2.5% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$474,500

9.08% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

27,199

6.65% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Wake Forest, 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.

96.9% of the residents in Wake Forest, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Wake Forest, NC are Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (537 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Wake Forest, NC was $474,500, and the homeownership rate was 74%.

Most people in Wake Forest, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 30.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Wake Forest, NC was 2 cars per household.

United States North Carolina Franklin County, NC Wake County, NC Raleigh, NC Franklin & Vance Counties PUMA, NC Wake County (Northeast)--Raleigh City (Northeast), Wake Forest & Rolesville Towns PUMA, NC

Population & Diversity

Wake Forest, NC is home to a population of 52.8k people, from which 96.9% are citizens. As of 2024, 9.52% of Wake Forest, NC residents were born outside of the country (5.03k people).

In 2024, there were 3.31 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (34.2k people) in Wake Forest, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 10.3k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 2.27k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.9%

2024 Citizenship

97.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.9% of Wake Forest, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Wake Forest, NC was 97.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Wake Forest, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
34.2k ± 1.93k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
10.3k ± 1.69k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
2.27k ± 915

8.98%

Hispanic Population

4.74k people

8.98% of the people in Wake Forest, NC are hispanic (4.74k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Wake Forest, 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
224,963 ± 11,520 people
India
83,219 ± 7,055 people
Honduras
48,247 ± 5,380 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 224,963 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 83,219 and Honduras with 48,247.

Foreign-Born Population

9.52%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

5.03k people

7.84%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

4.01k people

As of 2024, 9.52% of Wake Forest, NC residents (5.03k 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 Wake Forest, NC was 7.84%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (1990s)
904 ± 388
Gulf War (2001-)
836 ± 409
Vietnam
692 ± 311

Wake Forest, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (1990s), 1.08 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Wake Forest, NC employs 27.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Wake Forest, NC were Health Care & Social Assistance (4,113 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (4,101 people), and Educational Services (3,234 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($123,389), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($109,345), and Wholesale Trade ($100,625).

Employment

Occupations

27.2k

2024 Value

± 1,654

6.65%

1 Year growth

± 8.04%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Wake Forest, NC grew at a rate of 6.65%, from 25.5k employees to 27.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Wake Forest, NC, are Management Occupations (4,968 people), Sales & Related Occupations (3,222 people), and Business & Financial Operations Occupations (2,990 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Wake Forest, 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

27.2k

2024 Value

± 1,654

6.65%

1 Year growth

± 8.04%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Wake Forest, NC grew at a rate of 6.65%, from 25.5k employees to 27.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Wake Forest, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (4,113 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (4,101 people), and Educational Services (3,234 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Wake Forest, NC, though some of these residents may live in Wake Forest, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$75,296

Median earning men ± $6,062

$53,726

Median earning women ± $6,085

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($124,545), Manufacturing ($111,563), and Information ($107,578).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($96,477), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($84,082), and Information ($82,939).

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.

Education

In 2023, universities in Wake Forest, NC awarded 537 degrees. The student population of Wake Forest, NC in 2023 is skewed towards men, with 2,021 male students and 905 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Wake Forest, NC are White (423 and 79.2%), Black or African American (36 and 6.74%), Hispanic or Latino (30 and 5.62%), and Unknown (23 and 4.31%).

The largest universities in Wake Forest, NC by number of degrees awarded are Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (537 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Wake Forest, NC are Divinity & Ministry (258 and 48%), Theological Studies (50 and 9.31%), and Missionary Studies & Missiology (45 and 8.38%).

The median tuition cost in Wake Forest, NC for private four year colleges is $9,816.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Wake Forest, NC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 76.6%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 81.1%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 2,926 (69.1% men and 30.9% 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 2023 there were 2,926 students enrolled in Wake Forest, NC, 69.1% men and 30.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,287 records, of which 31.2% were women and 68.8% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Theological Studies
40 degrees awarded
Christian Studies
39 degrees awarded
Divinity & Ministry
173 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Masters Degree recipients in Wake Forest, NC was Theological Studies with 40 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

537 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary with 537 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 390 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Wake Forest, NC, which is 2.65 times more than the 147 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 423 degrees mean that there were 11.8 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 36 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 ($9,816) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($700) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($800) 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 Wake Forest, NC was $474,500 in 2024, which is 1.43 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $435,000 to $474,500, a 9.08% increase. The homeownership rate in Wake Forest, NC is 74%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Wake Forest, NC have an average commute time of 30.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Wake Forest, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$474,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$13,300

$13,617

Median Property Taxes

±$858

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 Wake Forest, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

74%

Homeownership

2024

67.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 74% of the housing units in Wake Forest, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 74.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Wake Forest, 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.

$123,802

Median Household Income

± $6,456

18.4k

Number of Households

± 1,262

In 2024, the median household income of the 18.4k households in Wake Forest, NC grew to $123,802 from the previous year's value of $120,777.

The following chart displays the households in Wake Forest, 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 Wake Forest, NC is from North Carolina.

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.47

2022 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2023, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.467 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.639% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.476. 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 (64.5%)
Worked At Home (28.7%)
Carpooled (5.09%)

In 2024, 64.5% of workers in Wake Forest, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (28.7%) and those who carpooled to work (5.09%).

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

30.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Wake Forest, NC have a longer commute time (30.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.25% of the workforce in Wake Forest, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

4.49% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Wake Forest, NC (2.32k out of 51.7k 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 55 - 64, followed by Males 55 - 64 and then Females 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Wake Forest, 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

95.3% of the population of Wake Forest, NC has health coverage, with 61.9% on employee plans, 6.95% on Medicaid, 9.68% on Medicare, 13% on non-group plans, and 3.78% 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, 48.2% were men and 51.8% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 28.3% under 18 years, 17.8% between 18 and 34 years, 41.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 12.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.2% were men and 51.8% were women.

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

Uninsured People

4.73%

Uninsured

61.9%

Employer Coverage

6.95%

Medicaid

9.68%

Medicare

13%

Non-Group

3.78%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Wake Forest, NC declined by 17.6% from 5.74% to 4.73%.

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

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