North Carolina

Wake Forest

Town Wake Forest is a town in North Carolina, partly in Franklin County and Wake County.

The median owner-occupied home in Wake Forest had a real-estate tax bill of $3,626 (± $133) a year, compared with $1,815 in North Carolina and $2,969 nationwide. The median home value was $435,000 (± $11,199), compared with $259,400 in North Carolina and $303,400 nationwide.

U.S. Census Bureau estimates for Wake Forest, North Carolina and the United States, with margins of error
MeasureWake ForestNorth CarolinaUnited States
Population 51,199 ± 90 10,584,340 332,387,540
Median annual property tax bill (homeowners) $3,626 ± $133 $1,815 ± $9 $2,969 ± $3
Median home value $435,000 ± $11,199 $259,400 ± $931 $303,400 ± $362
Median household income $120,777 ± $4,710 $69,904 ± $346 $78,538 ± $176
Property tax as a share of home value (calculated) 0.83% ± 0.04 points 0.70% ± under 0.01 points 0.98% ± under 0.01 points
Homes lived in by their owners 74.7% ± 2.4 points 66.4% ± 0.3 points 65.0% ± 0.3 points
Owner households headed by someone 65 or older 25.0% ± 3.8 points 32.7% ± 0.1 points 32.6% ± 0.2 points
Owners spending 30% or more of income on housing costs 16.2% ± 2.9 points 19.0% ± 0.2 points 22.2% ± 0.1 points
How to read these numbers

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2019–2023: tables B25103 (real estate taxes), B25077 (home value), B19013 (household income), B01003 (population), B25003 (owners and renters), B25007 (age of householder), B25091 (housing costs as a share of income); see the Census ACS data page.

If property taxes go unpaid in North Carolina

How it works. Judicial tax-lien foreclosure under G.S.105-374 in nature of mortgage foreclosure; commissioner conducts court-ordered sale

Excess sale money. G.S.105-374 directs remaining balance after taxes, liens, costs and allowed distributions according to court directions; absent directions, surplus is paid into court for persons entitled. Disputed surplus is held until resolved under special proceeding

These rules are set by North Carolina, not by Wake Forest, so this section is the same for every place in the state. Last verified 2026-09-25. See the full North Carolina entry with statute links.

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