# Wake, North Carolina — #1,086 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 6.55 of 10. FIPS 37183. Population 1,190,275. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 1,190,300 people live in Wake, North Carolina. It ranks #1,086 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #28 of 100 in North Carolina. The combined sales tax is 7.25%, higher than in 71% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.69% of a home's value each year, less than in 55% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 98% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 60% of counties. Life expectancy is at least 80 years, longer than in 91% of counties. Air quality is worse than in 75% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 46), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 95% of counties. On this site's state scores, North Carolina gets 7.59 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 7.59 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 5.40 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 3.68 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 8.05 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 3.41 |  |
| Property tax | county | 6.55 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 0.23 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 10.00 |  |
| Government employees | county | 9.89 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 6.42 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #1465 Franklin, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37069.md
- #1892 Granville, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37077.md
- #1609 Harnett, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37085.md
- #2390 Durham, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37063.md
- #783 Chatham, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37037.md
- #1098 Johnston, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37101.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/37183
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=37183
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy