Wake County, North Carolina

Wake County
County
Raleigh skyline Wake County Courthouse North Carolina State Capitol Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral New Hope Valley Railway NCSU Memorial Belltower William B. Umstead State Park
Flag Seal Logo
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°47′N 78°39′W / 35.79°N 78.65°W / 35.79; -78.65
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Founded	1771
Named for	Margaret Wake
Seat	Raleigh
Largest community	Raleigh
Area
• Total	857.02 sq mi (2,219.7 km2)
• Land	834.59 sq mi (2,161.6 km2)
• Water	22.43 sq mi (58.1 km2)  2.62%
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,129,410
• Estimate  (2023)	1,190,275
• Density	1,353.25/sq mi (522.49/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	2nd, 13th
Website	www.wake.gov

Wake County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410,^[1] making it North Carolina's most populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the United States,^[2] with Cary and Raleigh being the 8th- and 15th-fastest growing communities, respectively.^[3]

Its county seat is Raleigh,^[4] which is also the state capital. Eleven other municipalities are in Wake County, the largest of which is the town of Cary, the third-most populous city of the Research Triangle region and the seventh-most populous municipality in North Carolina.

It is governed by the Wake County Board of Commissioners, coterminous with the Wake County Public School System, with law enforcement provided by the Wake County Sheriff's Department. It is also part of the wider Triangle J Council of Governments, which governs regional planning.