2025

Cities in Wake County, NC ranked by White Population

This list ranks the 24 cities in Wake County based on their White population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in these cities over the past five years.
Updated Jan 24, 2025

Top 5 cities with the largest White population in Wake County

View All
  • 1
    Raleigh
    White population in Raleigh is 286,483
    28.00% of Raleigh population is White
  • 2
    Raleigh
    White population in Raleigh is 286,483
    28.00% of Raleigh population is White
  • 3
    Durham
    White population in Durham is 148,154
    15.64% of Durham population is White
  • 4
    Durham
    White population in Durham is 148,154
    15.64% of Durham population is White
  • 5
    Durham
    White population in Durham is 148,154
    15.64% of Durham population is White

List of 24 cities in Wake County, NC by White Population

View Methodology
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Rank by White Population
City
White Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Wake County White Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Raleigh 286,483 28.00% 36.26%
1 Raleigh 286,483 28.00% 36.26%
2 Durham 148,154 15.64% 18.75%
2 Durham 148,154 15.64% 18.75%
2 Durham 148,154 15.64% 18.75%
3 Cary 119,482 31.09% 15.12%
3 Cary 119,482 31.09% 15.12%
4 49,409 67.51% 6.25%
5 38,247 34.39% 4.84%
5 38,247 34.39% 4.84%
6 35,663 76.91% 4.51%
7 29,401 69.96% 3.72%
8 21,790 61.46% 2.76%
9 18,645 31.04% 2.36%
9 18,645 31.04% 2.36%
10 13,036 20.01% 1.65%
10 13,036 20.01% 1.65%
11 8,574 40.39% 1.09%
12 7,173 57.27% 0.91%
13 6,947 62.10% 0.88%
14 3,567 19.70% 0.45%
14 3,567 19.70% 0.45%
15 3,471 28.71% 0.44%
15 3,471 28.71% 0.44%

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 cities in Wake County, NC by their White population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census Defines White Population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their race, meaning individuals can choose one or more racial categories when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as White, whether alone or in combination with another race.
Here are a few important things to know about how race is reported:
  • Some people identify as White alone, while others identify as White along with another race (such as White and White).
  • Hispanic / Latino origin is reported separately from race, so someone can be both Hispanic and White .
  • We’ve used the “White alone or in combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the White population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as White alone or in combination in cities. 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 White .
  2. % of Total Wake County White Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. White 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 White 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.
  • Cities that don’t have any reported White 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 White populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.