City safety & data profile

Wake ForestNC

Wake Forest, NC is a 38K-resident city in Wake County with a median household income of $123,802.

Wake County, North Carolina. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Wake Forest, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Wake Forest has a population larger than 72% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $474,500.

Data updated 2026-07-22

38K
Population
Top 28%
By size
$123,802
Median income
$474,500
Median home
4.5%
Poverty rate

The read on Wake Forest

Wake Forest posts a median household income higher than 84% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 16%
by median income, US cities

Where Wake Forest income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$123,802 Top 16% higher than 84% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Below this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). This entry sits in this band. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. NC $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Wake Forest, NC beyond the headline numbers

Wake Forest sits inside Wake County, North Carolina, at roughly 35.98°N, -78.51°W. Population 38,199, $123,802 median household income. Median home value $474,500, median rent $1,596. Poverty rate 4.5%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Wake Forest's highest-prevalence health measure is high blood pressure at 32.2%, then short sleep duration at 31%.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Wake Forest from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
38,199
Wake Forest
Median Income
$123,802
+82% vs avg
Median Home Value
$474,500
+108% vs avg
Median Age
38.6
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Wake County) - Wake Forest's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
1.2M+27%
Median Income
$105,768+60%
Median Home Value
$461,300+101%
Poverty Rate
8.1%-26%
Unemployment
4.1%-47%

Economics

Economics indicators for Wake Forest, NC
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,596/mo
Poverty Rate
4.5% -68% vs avg
Unemployment 4%
Bachelor's Degree+ 59.5%
Work From Home 28.7%
Public Transit 0%

Population

White 65.6%
African American 19.7%
Asian 2.9%
Two or More Ethnicities 2.8%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

High Blood Pressure
32.2%
Short Sleep Duration
31%
Obesity
29.5%
Physical Inactivity
16.9%
Binge Drinking
15.3%
Frequent Mental Distress
14.8%
Current Asthma
10.4%
Frequent Physical Distress
9.5%
Current Smoking
9.5%
Diabetes
9.1%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 72%
Annual Checkup 80.7%

Other Measures

Lack of Health Insurance
6.9%
Coronary Heart Disease
4.7%
Stroke
2.6%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Wake Forest, NC? ▼
Wake Forest, NC has a population of 38,199 people, located in Wake County, North Carolina.
What is the median household income in Wake Forest? ▼
The median household income in Wake Forest, NC is $123,802 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 4.5%.
What is the median home value in Wake Forest? ▼
The median home value in Wake Forest, NC is $474,500. Median rent is $1,596/month.
What are the top health concerns in Wake Forest? ▼
The top health indicators in Wake Forest include High Blood Pressure (32.2%), Short Sleep Duration (31%), Obesity (29.5%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Wake Forest? ▼
The median age in Wake Forest, NC is 38.6 years. 59.5% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Wake Forest, NC is located in Wake County, North Carolina. With a population of 38K and a $123,802 median household income, the community faces health challenges including high blood pressure and short sleep duration. Safety alerts for the Wake Forest area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - North Carolina

Real-time AQI for every monitored North Carolina location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Knightdale, NC 14K Raleigh, NC 482K West Raleigh, NC 339K Garner, NC 28K Cary, NC 160K Clayton, NC 19K Morrisville, NC 24K Henderson, NC 15K
All cities in North Carolina → Compare Wake Forest vs Knightdale → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Wake Forest's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Wake Forest area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Wake Forest against North Carolina peers on any ranking lens. Explore North Carolina

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Wake County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.