Population

58,147

US Census estimate, July 2025

Median home value

$474,500

Owner-occupied units

Wake Forest, NC

North Carolina · 35.964° N, 78.512° W · 20 sq mi

Wake Forest is a city in North Carolina, with a population of 58,147 and about 2,914 residents per square mile. The median household earns $123,802 a year, and the median home is worth $474,500.

Conditions

Humidity & wind

—

UV index

—

Sunrise & sunset

—

Local time

—

Size & density

Land area

20 sq mi

Water excluded

Population density

2,914

People per square mile

Rank by population

#760

Of cities on this site

Rank by area

#645

Of cities on this site

Money & housing

Median household income

$123,802

US median ≈ $78,538

Median gross rent

$1,596

Per month

Homeownership

74%

US ≈ 65%

Average commute

30.9 min

One way

People

Median age

38.6

US median 39.1

Bachelor's degree +

59.5%

Age 25 and over

Foreign born

9.5%

Households

18,403

2.81 people each

What people here do for work

Education & health care 27^%

Professional & business services 18.6^%

Retail trade 11.8^%

Manufacturing 11^%

Top four industries · share of all workers · ACS 2024

Wealthiest person in North Carolina

Name

James Goodnight

Forbes, Apr 2025

Net worth

$9.8B

As of 25 Apr 2025 — not live

Lives in

Cary

Source of wealth

Software

Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified.

Largest employer in North Carolina · private sector

Employer

Atrium Health

Sector

Healthcare

Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified. Government employers are excluded.

Largest public company in North Carolina

Company

Bank of America

Revenue

$192.4B

Fiscal year 2024

Headquarters

Charlotte

Ticker

BAC

Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified.

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State of North Carolina

State bird

Northern Cardinal

State flower

Flowering Dogwood

State capital

Raleigh

Nickname

The Tar Heel State

Compare Wake Forest with

Wake Forest vs RaleighSide by side
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Wake Forest vs Coeur d'AleneSide by side
Wake Forest vs DurhamSide by side
Wake Forest vs Bel Air SouthSide by side
Wake Forest vs CharlotteSide by side

Cities near Wake Forest

Raleigh, NC12 mi · 506,306
Durham, NC22 mi · 305,561
Cary, NC22 mi · 183,582
Apex, NC26 mi · 80,419
Holly Springs, NC28 mi · 50,288
Chapel Hill, NC30 mi · 63,565
Rocky Mount, NC39 mi · 55,120
Burlington, NC54 mi · 61,496