Wake County, North Carolina
County seat: Raleigh · Population 1.3 million (2025) · 835 sq mi
Wake County is the most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 1,257,235 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Raleigh, which is also the state capital. It is part of the North Central Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 15 cities and towns and the 7 neighboring counties.
Wake County facts
- County seat
- Raleigh
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 1,257,235 +11.3% since 2020
- Land area
- 835 sq mi 7th largest of 100
- Water area
- 22 sq mi
- Population density
- 1,506 per sq mi
- Established
- 1771
- Named after
- William Tryon British Army officer and colonial administrator (1729–1788)
- Largest city
- Raleigh 504,646 in the county
- Median household income
- $105,768
- Cities and towns
- 15
- ZIP codes
- 41
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37183
Cities and towns in Wake County
Wake County has 15 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Wake County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh (county seat) | City | 504,646 | Durham County |
| Cary | Town | 179,502 | Chatham and Durham counties |
| Apex | Town | 80,387 | Chatham County |
| Wake Forest | Town | 55,435 | Franklin County |
| Holly Springs | Town | 50,288 | |
| Fuquay-Varina | Town | 48,536 | Harnett County |
| Garner | Town | 41,562 | |
| Morrisville | Town | 32,219 | Durham County |
| Knightdale | Town | 23,144 | |
| Wendell | Town | 19,687 | |
| Rolesville | Town | 12,839 | |
| Zebulon | Town | 11,933 | Johnston County |
| Angier | Town | 1,433 | Harnett County |
| Durham | City | 298 | Durham and Orange counties |
| Clayton | Town | 0 | Johnston County |
ZIP codes in Wake County
41 ZIP codes reach into Wake County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 27501 also Harnett and Johnston counties
- 27502 also Chatham County
- 27511
- 27513
- 27518
- 27519 also Chatham County
- 27520 also Johnston County
- 27522 also Granville County
- 27523 also Chatham County
- 27526 also Harnett County
- 27529 also Johnston County
- 27539
- 27540 also Harnett and Chatham counties
- 27545
- 27560 also Durham County
- 27562 also Chatham County
- 27571
- 27587 also Granville and Franklin counties
- 27591 also Johnston County
- 27592 also Johnston and Harnett counties
- 27596 also Franklin and Granville counties
- 27597 also Franklin, Johnston and Nash counties
- 27601
- 27603 also Johnston County
- 27604
- 27605
- 27606
- 27607
- 27608
- 27609
- 27610 also Johnston County
- 27612
- 27613 also Durham County
- 27614
- 27615
- 27616
- 27617 also Durham County
- 27695
- 27697
- 27703 also Durham County
- 27713 also Durham and Chatham counties
Population of Wake County, 2020–2025
Wake County grew by 127,879 people (+11.3%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 32,217 more births than deaths and a net gain of 95,696 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,130,903 |
| 2021 | 1,153,051 |
| 2022 | 1,173,034 |
| 2023 | 1,200,630 |
| 2024 | 1,229,475 |
| 2025 | 1,257,235 |
Neighboring counties
- Johnston County southeast · 256,448 people
- Franklin County northeast · 82,037 people
- Durham County northwest · 347,240 people
- Chatham County west · 85,111 people
- Harnett County southwest · 150,137 people
- Granville County north · 61,421 people
- Nash County east · 99,365 people
Printable Wake County map
The PDF is a vector file with real text: it prints sharp on Letter paper and you can search it for a town. The PNG is 2400 pixels wide for slides and documents. Both are free to use with a credit to WhichCounty.
- PDF (Letter) (134 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (100 KB)
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Sources
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files (1:500,000).
- Population: Census Bureau county and city estimates, Vintage 2025. CDP populations: American Community Survey 2020–2024.
- Places and ZIP codes: Census Bureau 2026 Gazetteer and 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Area relationship files.
- County seat, founding year and name origin: Wikidata (CC0), checked against state sources.
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