North Laurel, MD vs Wake Forest, NC — Compare Cost of Living, Housing, Crime & More

Population

North Laurel

25,201

Wake Forest

51,199

Median Income

North Laurel

$119,533

Wake Forest

$120,777

Home Value

North Laurel

$442,800

Wake Forest

$435,000

Rent

North Laurel

$1,913

Wake Forest

$1,458

Crime Rate

North Laurel

N/A

Wake Forest

1.47

Cost of Living

North Laurel

182.0

Wake Forest

168.4

Avg Temp

North Laurel

N/A

Wake Forest

N/A

Unemployment

North Laurel

2.7%

Wake Forest

4.5%

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How Similar Are North Laurel & Wake Forest?

Wake Forest is North Laurel's #25 most similar city

4/8

4 of 8 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

North Laurel

25,201

Wake Forest

51,199

Different · 51% difference

Wake Forest (51,199) is about 2.0x larger than North Laurel (25,201).

Political Leaning

North Laurel

27.4%

Wake Forest

36.4%

Different · 25% difference

🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Wake Forest has a stronger Democratic lean (25% difference).

Unemployment

💼

North Laurel

2.7%

Wake Forest

4.5%

Different · 41% difference

Wake Forest has a 41% higher unemployment than North Laurel.

Median Income

North Laurel

$119,533

Wake Forest

$120,777

Match · 1% difference

💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 1% difference.

Home Values

🏠

North Laurel

$442,800

Wake Forest

$435,000

Match · 2% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 2% difference.

Education

North Laurel

36.9%

Wake Forest

38.4%

Match · 4% difference

🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 4% difference.

Demographics

🌍

North Laurel

29.3%

Wake Forest

67.3%

Different · 56% difference

Wake Forest's demographics is significantly higher than North Laurel's — 56% difference.

Cost of Living

North Laurel

182.0

Wake Forest

168.4

Match · 7% difference

💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.

4 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. North Laurel and Wake Forest share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

North Laurel

vsof 8

Wake Forest

Wake Forest leads in 5 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability

Wake Forest

Housing Market

Wake Forest

Jobs & Economy

Wake Forest

Crime & Safety

Tied

Weather & Climate

Tied

Schools & Education

Wake Forest

Healthcare

Tied

Transportation & Commute

Wake Forest

Cost of Living & Affordability — Wake Forest leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Wake Forest scores 183.0 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 222.0 in North Laurel. Wake Forest has a living wage (family of 4) of $175,086 vs $189,240 in North Laurel (8% lower). Wake Forest has a living wage (1 adult) of $74,075 vs $80,063 in North Laurel (8% lower).

Overall Cost Index

North Laurel182.0

Wake Forest168.4

★

Housing Index

North Laurel222.0

Wake Forest183.0

★

Food Index

North Laurel141.4

★

Wake Forest142.3

Transportation Index

North Laurel182.7

★

Wake Forest184.6

Healthcare Index

North Laurel133.1

★

Wake Forest133.9

Utilities Index

North Laurel149.2

Wake Forest142.0

★

Living Wage (1 Adult)

North Laurel$80,063

Wake Forest$74,075

★

Living Wage (Family of 4)

North Laurel$189,240

Wake Forest$175,086

★

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

North Laurel$1,511

★

Wake Forest$1,596

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

North Laurel$1,857

Wake Forest$1,750

★

Housing Market — Wake Forest leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Wake Forest has a median property tax of $3,626 vs $5,333 in North Laurel (47% lower). Wake Forest has a median rent of $1,458 vs $1,913 in North Laurel (31% lower). North Laurel has a vacancy rate of 3.7% compared to 5.1% in Wake Forest.

Median Home Value

North Laurel$442,800

★

Wake Forest$435,000

Median Rent

North Laurel$1,913

Wake Forest$1,458

★

Median Property Tax

North Laurel$5,333

Wake Forest$3,626

★

Owner-Occupied

North Laurel63.3%

Wake Forest74.7%

★

Vacancy Rate

North Laurel3.7%

★

Wake Forest5.1%

Single-Family Homes

North Laurel70.0%

Wake Forest79.0%

★

Jobs & Economy — Wake Forest leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Wake Forest: 26,822 vs North Laurel: 14,215 for labor force. North Laurel has a unemployment rate of 2.7% compared to 4.5% in Wake Forest. Wake Forest has a government sector of 41.9% compared to 34.4% in North Laurel.

Median Household Income

North Laurel$119,533

Wake Forest$120,777

★

Per Capita Income

North Laurel$52,801

★

Wake Forest$49,241

Poverty Rate

North Laurel3.3%

Wake Forest3.0%

★

Unemployment Rate

North Laurel2.7%

★

Wake Forest4.5%

Labor Force

North Laurel14,215

Wake Forest26,822

★

Mean Commute

North LaurelN/A

Wake ForestN/A

Work from Home

North Laurel21.4%

Wake Forest25.1%

★

Private Sector

North Laurel77.8%

Wake Forest88.0%

★

Government Sector

North Laurel34.4%

Wake Forest41.9%

★

Crime & Safety

Source: FBI UCR

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

North LaurelN/A

Wake Forest1.47

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

North LaurelN/A

Wake Forest13.05

Murder Rate (per 1K)

North LaurelN/A

Wake Forest0.04

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

North LaurelN/A

Wake Forest0.09

Assault Rate (per 1K)

North LaurelN/A

Wake Forest1.29

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

North LaurelN/A

Wake Forest1.04

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

North LaurelN/A

Wake Forest11.17

Violent Crime Clearance

North LaurelN/A

Wake Forest36.6%

Property Crime Clearance

North LaurelN/A

Wake Forest13.9%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

North LaurelN/A

Wake ForestN/A

Avg Annual High

North LaurelN/A

Wake ForestN/A

Avg Annual Low

North LaurelN/A

Wake ForestN/A

Sunny Days per Year

North LaurelN/A

Wake ForestN/A

Annual Rainfall

North LaurelN/A

Wake ForestN/A

Annual Snowfall

North LaurelN/A

Wake ForestN/A

Avg Humidity

North LaurelN/A

Wake ForestN/A

Schools & Education — Wake Forest leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Wake Forest has a bachelor's degree or higher of 38.4% compared to 36.9% in North Laurel.

Public Schools

North Laurel0

Wake Forest0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

North LaurelN/A

Wake ForestN/A

Colleges & Universities

North Laurel0

Wake Forest0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

North Laurel36.9%

Wake Forest38.4%

★

High School Diploma or Higher

North Laurel46.9%

Wake Forest47.2%

★

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Wake Forest has a population of 51,199, about 2x the size of North Laurel (25,201). North Laurel skews younger with a median age of 35.7 vs 38.8.

Population

North Laurel25,201

Wake Forest51,199

Median Age

North Laurel36

Wake Forest39

Avg Household Size

North Laurel2.9

Wake Forest2.8

Married Population

North Laurel42.3%

Wake Forest46.4%

Foreign Born

North Laurel28.4%

Wake Forest7.8%

White

North Laurel29.3%

Wake Forest67.3%

Black

North Laurel35.2%

Wake Forest19.8%

Hispanic

North Laurel15.2%

Wake Forest7.8%

Asian

North Laurel16.3%

Wake Forest2.4%

North Laurel

Wake Forest

Healthcare

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

North Laurel: 4 vs Wake Forest: 2 for with emergency services. Wake Forest: 4.5 vs North Laurel: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

North Laurel5

Wake Forest5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

North Laurel2.8

Wake Forest4.5

★

With Emergency Services

North Laurel4

★

Wake Forest2

Transportation & Commute — Wake Forest leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

North Laurel has a public transit of 1.6% compared to 0.1% in Wake Forest. Wake Forest has a work from home of 25.1% compared to 21.4% in North Laurel. Wake Forest has a drive alone of 68.5% compared to 66.8% in North Laurel.

Mean Commute Time

North LaurelN/A

Wake ForestN/A

Drive Alone

North Laurel66.8%

Wake Forest68.5%

★

Public Transit

North Laurel1.6%

★

Wake Forest0.1%

Bicycle

North Laurel0.0%

Wake Forest0.0%

Work from Home

North Laurel21.4%

Wake Forest25.1%

★

Airports

North Laurel0

Wake Forest0

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🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

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