Wake County, North Carolina
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Wake County. Population: 1,190,275 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Wake County, NC ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 33.6 — 2722nd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within North Carolina, it ranks 96th of 100 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 6 show more distress.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Wake County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Housing Cost Burden
Primary DriverDebt & Delinquency
Employment & Wages
Community Vulnerability
Income & Poverty
How Wake County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County, NC | 33.6 | Healthy | — |
| Nash County, NC | 59.7 | Elevated | +26.1 |
| Franklin County, NC | 53.7 | Elevated | +20.1 |
| Harnett County, NC | 52.5 | Elevated | +18.9 |
| Granville County, NC | 49.3 | Normal | +15.6 |
| Johnston County, NC | 46.4 | Normal | +12.8 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex County, MA | 33.3 | Healthy | -0.3 |
| Montgomery County, MD | 34.8 | Healthy | +1.2 |
| Suffolk County, NY | 35.1 | Normal | +1.5 |
| Allegheny County, PA | 35.2 | Normal | +1.5 |
| King County, WA | 31.8 | Healthy | -1.8 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Wake County as a CSV file.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Wake County, North Carolina?
Wake County has a County Distress Index score of 33.6 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 2,722nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 96th in North Carolina out of 100 counties.
What drives financial distress in Wake County?
The primary driver of distress in Wake County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 68.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Wake County compare to neighboring counties?
Wake County (33.6) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Nash County, NC (59.7); Franklin County, NC (53.7); Harnett County, NC (52.5).
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.
What is the population of Wake County?
Wake County, North Carolina has a population of approximately 1,190,275 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.