What percentage of people rent in Wake Forest, NC?

Name: Renters and owners in Wake Forest, NC, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

26.0% (±3.7 points) of the occupied homes in Wake Forest, NC are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 4,786 renting households against 13,617 that own their home.

In Wake Forest, the share of households that rent went from 28.7% in 2015–2019 to 26.0% in 2020–2024 (−2.7 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 26.0% (±3.7 points)
Renting households: 4,786 (±776)
Median renter income: $60,327 (±$13,046)

Who rents and who owns in Wake Forest

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Wake Forest	Wake County	North Carolina	United States
Renter-occupied share	26.0% (±3.7 points)	35.9% (±0.7 points)	33.4% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	4,786 (±776)	165,106 (±3,068)	1,428,852 (±8,279)	45,017,354
Owning households	13,617 (±712)	295,069 (±3,419)	2,853,493 (±14,473)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.2 (±0.2)	2.2 (±0.0)	2.3 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	3.0 (±0.1)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$60,327 (±$13,046)	$65,172 (±$1,743)	$48,010 (±$418)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$145,320 (±$6,122)	$136,256 (±$2,266)	$88,911 (±$521)	$100,009

In Wake Forest, the renter share is lower than in Wake County (35.9%).

It is also lower than in North Carolina (33.4%).

It is lower than the national figure (34.8%).

In Wake County, Wake Forest ranks 7 of 12 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 386 of 663.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Wake Forest has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	28.7% (±2.1 points)	26.0% (±3.7 points)	−2.7 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$1,117 (±$43)	$1,596 (±$105)	+42.9%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$92,210 (±$4,310)	$123,802 (±$6,456)	+34.3%	Up after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Wake Forest

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Wake Forest
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Wake Forest	—	26.0% (±3.7 points)	—
Rolesville	4.4 mi	7.5% (±5.2 points)	Lower
Youngsville	5.2 mi	37.4% (±10.5 points)	Higher
Franklinton	10 mi	37.6% (±9.7 points)	Higher
Raleigh	12 mi	49.3% (±1.1 points)	Higher
Knightdale	12 mi	35.3% (±5.1 points)	Higher
Creedmoor	14 mi	30.1% (±9.0 points)	Not measurably different
Zebulon	15 mi	37.3% (±8.7 points)	Higher
Bunn	15 mi	34.8% (±16.4 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Rolesville, NC (7.5%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Youngsville, NC (37.4%), Franklinton, NC (37.6%), Raleigh, NC (49.3%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Wake County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Morrisville	54.6% (±3.8 points)
2	Raleigh	49.3% (±1.1 points)
3	Zebulon	37.3% (±8.7 points)
4	Garner	36.8% (±3.9 points)
5	Knightdale	35.3% (±5.1 points)
6	Cary	33.4% (±1.7 points)
7	Wake Forest	26.0% (±3.7 points)
8	Fuquay-Varina	25.8% (±3.6 points)
9	Apex	23.5% (±2.0 points)
10	Wendell	21.8% (±6.6 points)
11	Holly Springs	19.4% (±2.4 points)
12	Rolesville	7.5% (±5.2 points)

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Wake Forest

How many renters are there in Wake Forest?

Wake Forest has an estimated 4,786 (±776) renting households, 26.0% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Wake Forest?

In Wake Forest, the share of households that rent went from 28.7% in 2015–2019 to 26.0% in 2020–2024 (−2.7 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Wake Forest?

A renting household in Wake Forest has 2.2 people on average, against 3.0 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Wake Forest?

The median renting household in Wake Forest, NC has an income of $60,327 (±$13,046) a year, against $145,320 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Wake Forest town, North Carolina (place:70540, in state:37).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.