GeraJobs / US Wage Premium / Wake County, NC
Wake County, North Carolina — Wages & Employment (2023)
Ranked #139 of 3,141 US counties by the Gera Local Wage Premium US (102.4, US = 100) — computed from real BLS QCEW 2023 establishment data.
What is the average wage in Wake County, NC?
Wake County, NC has a GLWP-US of 102.4 (rank #139 of 3,141), in line with the US average. Average weekly wage: $1425 (~$74,100/year, US = $1392/wk). Its highest-concentration sector is Information (LQ 2.11x). Source: BLS QCEW 2023.
Gera Local Wage Premium US
Wake County's wage premium vs US average (rank #139 of 3,141). In line with the US average.
How this is calculated$1,425
Avg weekly wage (2023)
$74,100
Approx annual pay
102.4
GLWP-US (US = 100)
#139 / 3,141
National rank
639,870
Average employment
$1,392
US avg weekly wage
Wake County vs US average — wage comparison
| Metric | Wake County | US Average | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg weekly wage | $1,425 | $1,392 | +$33 |
| Approx annual pay | $74,100 | $72,384 | +$1,716 |
| GLWP-US index | 102.4 | 100.0 | +2.4 |
Source: BLS QCEW 2023, all industries, all ownership types. Annual pay = weekly wage × 52 (derived). GLWP-US = (county wage / US $1392/wk) × 100.
Wake County — top industries by employment concentration
Location Quotient (LQ) > 1.0 means the industry is more concentrated here than the US average. Private sector, BLS QCEW 2023.
| Industry (NAICS sector) | LQ | Avg Wk Wage (sector) |
|---|---|---|
| Information | 2.11x | $2,723 |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services | 1.72x | $2,165 |
| Construction | 1.30x | $1,561 |
| Administrative & Support Services | 1.27x | $1,104 |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 1.21x | $614 |
LQ = (county sector employment share) / (US sector employment share). Source: BLS QCEW 2023, agglvl_code=74, own_code=5 (private sector).
Wake County — GLWP-US breakdown
GLWP-US
102.4
US = 100
National Rank
#139
of 3,141 counties
Wage Premium
+$33
vs US avg/wk
GLWP-US = 102.4 (rank #139 of 3,141, in line with the US average). Formula: ($1425/wk ÷ $1392/wk) × 100 = 102.4.
Explore US County Wage Premiums — Interactive
US average = $$1,392/wk (GLWP-US 100). Showing top 50 results.
| Rank | County | State | GLWP-US | Avg Wk Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #29 | Durham County | NC | 126.9 | $1,766 |
| #55 | Mecklenburg County | NC | 117.2 | $1,631 |
| #125 | Orange County | NC | 103.6 | $1,442 |
| #139 | Wake County | NC | 102.4 | $1,425 |
| #353 | Forsyth County | NC | 87.8 | $1,222 |
| #392 | Iredell County | NC | 86.1 | $1,199 |
| #553 | Guilford County | NC | 81.7 | $1,137 |
| #577 | New Hanover County | NC | 81.3 | $1,132 |
| #586 | Union County | NC | 81.2 | $1,130 |
| #719 | Pitt County | NC | 78.1 | $1,087 |
| #770 | Buncombe County | NC | 77.4 | $1,077 |
| #771 | Granville County | NC | 77.4 | $1,078 |
| #850 | Rowan County | NC | 76.2 | $1,061 |
| #940 | Catawba County | NC | 75.1 | $1,046 |
| #1,040 | Franklin County | NC | 73.9 | $1,029 |
| #1,073 | Craven County | NC | 73.4 | $1,022 |
| #1,089 | Cumberland County | NC | 73.3 | $1,021 |
| #1,100 | Lincoln County | NC | 73.2 | $1,019 |
| #1,106 | Wilson County | NC | 73.1 | $1,018 |
| #1,137 | Henderson County | NC | 72.6 | $1,010 |
| #1,153 | Cabarrus County | NC | 72.5 | $1,009 |
| #1,160 | Johnston County | NC | 72.4 | $1,008 |
| #1,181 | Lee County | NC | 72.2 | $1,005 |
| #1,220 | Moore County | NC | 71.8 | $999 |
| #1,247 | Davidson County | NC | 71.5 | $995 |
| #1,248 | Gaston County | NC | 71.5 | $995 |
| #1,287 | Nash County | NC | 71.0 | $989 |
| #1,357 | Alamance County | NC | 70.4 | $980 |
| #1,377 | Cleveland County | NC | 70.3 | $979 |
| #1,514 | Davie County | NC | 69.0 | $960 |
| #1,551 | Chatham County | NC | 68.8 | $958 |
| #1,587 | Brunswick County | NC | 68.5 | $953 |
| #1,705 | Caldwell County | NC | 67.5 | $939 |
| #1,746 | Camden County | NC | 67.1 | $934 |
| #1,773 | Lenoir County | NC | 66.9 | $931 |
| #1,797 | Person County | NC | 66.7 | $928 |
| #1,861 | Pasquotank County | NC | 66.2 | $921 |
| #1,879 | Mitchell County | NC | 66.0 | $919 |
| #1,909 | Montgomery County | NC | 65.8 | $916 |
| #1,923 | Hertford County | NC | 65.7 | $915 |
| #1,928 | Northampton County | NC | 65.6 | $913 |
| #1,949 | Sampson County | NC | 65.5 | $912 |
| #1,950 | Scotland County | NC | 65.5 | $912 |
| #1,951 | Surry County | NC | 65.5 | $912 |
| #1,996 | Wayne County | NC | 65.1 | $906 |
| #2,005 | Chowan County | NC | 65.0 | $905 |
| #2,019 | Beaufort County | NC | 64.9 | $904 |
| #2,020 | Transylvania County | NC | 64.9 | $903 |
| #2,030 | Haywood County | NC | 64.8 | $902 |
| #2,051 | Randolph County | NC | 64.7 | $900 |
Source: BLS QCEW 2023 Annual Single File, US public domain. GLWP-US = (county avg weekly wage ÷ US avg $1,392/wk) × 100. Top sector LQ = employment location quotient (private sector). Computed by GeraJobs.
Wake County wages — FAQ
- What is the GLWP-US score for Wake County, NC?
- Wake County, NC has a Gera Local Wage Premium US (GLWP-US) of 102.4 (US average = 100), ranking #139 of 3,141 US counties. This puts it in line with the US average. Source: BLS QCEW 2023.
- What is the average weekly wage in Wake County, North Carolina?
- The BLS QCEW 2023 data shows the annual average weekly wage in Wake County, North Carolina is $1425, equating to approximately $74,100/year. The US average is $1392/wk ($72,384/year). GLWP-US: 102.4 (US = 100).
- How many people are employed in Wake County?
- In 2023, Wake County, North Carolina had an annual average employment of 639,870 workers covered by unemployment insurance, per the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. This covers private-sector and government workers across all industries.
- What industries are most concentrated in Wake County?
- Based on BLS QCEW 2023 employment Location Quotients, the most concentrated private-sector industries in Wake County, North Carolina are: Information (LQ 2.11x, avg $2723/wk); Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (LQ 1.72x, avg $2165/wk); Construction (LQ 1.30x, avg $1561/wk); Administrative & Support Services (LQ 1.27x, avg $1104/wk); Arts, Entertainment & Recreation (LQ 1.21x, avg $614/wk). An LQ above 1.0 means the county has a higher share of that industry than the US overall.
- How does Wake County's wage compare to North Carolina overall?
- Wake County has a GLWP-US of 102.4 vs the US average of 100. To see how Wake County compares to other counties in North Carolina, explore the full GeraJobs US Wage Premium rankings. The GLWP-US is computed from BLS QCEW 2023 establishment data covering all industries and ownership types.
How the Gera Local Wage Premium US is calculated
GLWP-US = (county avg weekly wage / US avg weekly wage) × 100. US average $1392/wk in 2023 → US = 100 by construction. Data: BLS QCEW 2023 annual singlefile, all industries, all ownership. Suppressed cells excluded. No imputation. Full methodology · Licence: US public domain.
Find jobs in Wake County
Search live roles across Wake County and nearby areas on GeraJobs.
Get Wake County wage updates
We'll notify you when BLS QCEW 2024 data is published — including the updated wage premium for Wake County, North Carolina.
Other counties in North Carolina by GLWP-US
Related on GeraJobs
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, QCEW 2023 Annual Single File (data.bls.gov/cew/data/files/2023/csv/2023_annual_singlefile.zip). US public domain. Area title from BLS area_titles.csv. FIPS: 37183. No figure is modelled or estimated.