SECTION 2: PLANNING AREA PROFILE
3.8
EMPLOYMENT AND INDUSTRY
Wake County is best known as being home of the capital of North Carolina, Raleigh, and is home to many government agencies and functions. Many state agencies are located in Wake County as are many federal agencies. Wake County is one of three counties that comprise the Research Triangle metropolitan region, named for the Research Triangle Park (RTP) which encompasses the three major metropolitan areas of Chapel- Hill, Durham, and Raleigh. Each of these metropolitan areas is home to a major research university (UNC- Chapel Hill, Duke, and NC State University, respectively) and RTP draws on these universities for its workforce. The Research Triangle Park is a hub of high-tech and biotech research and is a defining feature of the economy in Wake County. The early modern economy Wake County was built around agriculture and government, as the state capital of Raleigh was established in 1793. Since that time, much of the growth and economic well-being of the county has been linked to the county’s status as a hub of government. While the county’s position as home to the state capital remains important, in recent decades, the county’s economic focus has shifted towards the fields of information technology and health care. The Research Triangle Park, located between Raleigh and Durham, is home to more than 250 companies that employ more than 50,000 people. 3.8.1 Wages and Employment Per the 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the median household income for the Wake County was $73,577, which is over 4 6 percent higher than the state’ s median household income ($50,320). However, approximately 10.1% of the population is considered to be living below the poverty level. Moreover, 13.4 percent of people under 18 years of age are living below the poverty level. Table 3.8 shows employment statistics for all participating jurisdictions. Table 3.9 shows occupation statistics for all participating jurisdictions. Table 3.8 – Employment Statistics for Wake County
Jurisdiction
Population in Labor Force
Percent Employed* (%)
Percent Unemployed* (%)
Percent Not in Labor Force* (%)
Unemployment Rate (%)
Wake County
564,096 25,403 88,040 12,407 15,338 16,121
67.2 72.5 68.8 65.9 64.6 69.4 70.8 73.9 67.5 67.3 65.6 60.5 57.2
3.5 3.0 2.7 3.9 4.1 2.6 3.4 3.0 3.6 8.0 3.8 1.7 3.8
29.2 24.5 28.5 29.9 31.2 27.7 25.7 23.0 28.8 24.7 30.5 37.9 39.0
4.9 3.9 3.8 5.6 6.0 3.6 4.5 3.9 5.0
Apex Cary
Fuquay-Varina
Garner
Holly Springs
Knightdale Morrisville
8,274
13,403 257,228
Raleigh
Rolesville
3,334
10.6
Wake Forest
19,229
5.4 2.7 6.2
Wendell Zebulon
2,939 2,169
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates Note: This table reports only the civilian labor force. The labor force in armed services accounted for 0.3% or less of the population 16 and over in all jurisdictions. *Population employed, population unemployed, and Population not in labor force are reported as a percent of the total population aged 16 years and older.
Wake County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019
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