Durham, NC vs Wake Forest, NC

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Durham

69.4

#1213 nationally

Wake Forest

68.8

#1286 nationally

Wake Forest leads in median household income ($115,159 vs $67,432). Durham leads in walk score (33 vs 20). Durham leads in average commute (22.8 min vs 31.7 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Durham, NC	Wake Forest, NC
WhereAtHome Score	69.4 (#1213)	68.8 (#1286)
Population	283,506	54,337
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$395,976	$513,720
Median Household Income	$67,432	$115,159
Average Commute	22.8 min	31.7 min
Walk Score	33	20
Crime Level	Moderate	4.0
School Rating	6.4	N/A
Cost of Living Index	102	116
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+61.9	D+25.6