IntelliMoveTake the quiz →
Mid-size city

Living in Wake Forest, NC

Wake Forest is a mid-size city of 52,844 people in Wake County, North Carolina. It's about 12 miles from Raleigh, NC. Summer highs average 88°F and winter highs 50°F, with about 3 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $475k and rent runs about $2k a month.

52,844people
$475kTypical home
$1,596/moRent
88° / 50°Summer / winter
3"Snow
254Sunny days
128Rain/snow days

Is Wake Forest right for you?

Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.

Take the quiz →Open in the app

Size & setting

  • Mid-size city of 52,844
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 2,659 people per sq mi
  • 12 mi to Raleigh, NC
  • 12 mi to Raleigh, NC
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $475k (≈$2,992/mo)
  • Median rent $1,596/mo
  • Median household income $124k
  • Property tax about 0.8% of value
  • 4.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 88°F
  • Winter highs around 50°F
  • Muggy summers (dew point 67°F)
  • 254 sunny days a year (109 totally clear)
  • 111 cloudy days a year
  • 33 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 128 days a year with rain or snow
  • 3" of snow a year
  • 1 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • 1 day a year over 100°F
  • Rarely drops below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (90 per 100k)
  • Low property crime (1,023 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 39
  • 39% of households have kids
  • 13% are 65 or older
  • 60% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 8% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 34 min
  • 1% walk or take transit to work
  • 16 mi to RDU airport
  • 16 mi to RDU (major hub)
  • 15 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 80% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 2009
  • 98% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 338 ft
  • 87 mi to the ocean
  • 33 mi to a big lake
  • 2 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 106 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 6 mi to the nearest campground
  • 39 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 1,200 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 148 bars within 25 mi
  • 330 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 15 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 24 museums within 25 mi
  • 42 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • Farmers market in town

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 22% of North Carolina districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 15 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 15 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • 2 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 5 congregations per 10k people
  • College in town

Politics

  • Wake County: D+25 in 2024
  • North Carolina: R+3 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • High hurricane risk
  • Moderate tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • Very low earthquake risk
  • High flood risk
  • Low drought risk
  • Low winter storm risk
  • Moderate heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Wake Forest

More places in North Carolina →