British Population in Wake County, NC by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The British population in Wake County, NC is reported at 8,433 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Several cities in Wake County - including Raleigh, Cary, Apex, and others - contribute to the British population, but the total county figure of 8,433 indicates additional presence beyond municipal borders. The sections below explores how British residents are distributed in North Carolina and the U.S.

Top 5 cities with the largest British population in Wake County

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  • 1
    Raleigh
    British population in Raleigh is 3,798
    0.81% of Raleigh population is British
  • 2
    Cary
    British population in Cary is 1,576
    0.89% of Cary population is British
  • 3
    Apex
    British population in Apex is 340
    0.50% of Apex population is British
  • 4
    Wake Forest
    British population in Wake Forest is 333
    0.65% of Wake Forest population is British
  • 5
    Morrisville
    British population in Morrisville is 258
    0.85% of Morrisville population is British

Overview of British population in Wake County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Wake County with 8,433 British residents (0.73% of 1.2 million total county population), positioning the jurisdiction at the 99th percentile nationally among counties and 98th percentile within North Carolina for British population concentrations, despite absolute population figures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Wake County's British population of 0.73% surpassing both North Carolina's state average of 0.5% and the national average of 0.45%, positioning the county as a high-concentration jurisdiction exceeding demographic benchmarks across all geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey indicate Wake County's 8,433 British residents constitute 15.8% of North Carolina's total British population of 53,434, placing the county among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 15.8% of all North Carolina British Americans residing within county boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey document Wake County with 10.1 British Americans per square mile, just over nine times North Carolina's average density of 1.1 per square mile, placing the county among the most densely concentrated jurisdictions within the state.
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13 Cities in Wake County Ranked by British Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] show British populations distributed across multiple cities in the county, led by Raleigh, Cary, Apex, and Wake Forest. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on current ACS data for 13 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Wake County, NC ranked by British population count
Rank by British Population
City
British Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Wake County British Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Raleigh 3,798 0.81% 45.04%
2 Cary 1,576 0.89% 18.69%
3 Apex 340 0.50% 4.03%
4 Wake Forest 333 0.65% 3.95%
5 Morrisville 258 0.85% 3.06%
6 Fuquay-Varina 246 0.65% 2.92%
7 Garner 172 0.53% 2.04%
8 171 0.39% 2.03%
9 33 0.28% 0.39%
10 29 0.36% 0.34%
11 26 0.45% 0.31%
12 15 0.08% 0.18%
13 0 - -
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in Wake County, NC by their British population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines British population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having British ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as British alone, while others identify as British along with another race (such as British and German).
  • We’ve used the “British alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the British population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as British alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as British .
  2. % of Total Wake County British Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. British population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small British populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported British population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where British populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.