County · code 37183
Wake CountyNorth Carolina
Wake County, North Carolina, is a county of 834.6 square miles with Raleigh as its seat. Formed on March 12, 1771, from Cumberland, Johnston, and Orange counties, it was named after William Tryon.
- Founded1771
- County seatRaleigh
- Named forWilliam Tryon
- Land area835 sq mi + 22 sq mi water
- Population1,129,410 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped439,345 checked 16 October 2026
Where it is
Wake on the map of North Carolina
North Carolina has 100 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.
History
Formed in 1771 from Cumberland County, Johnston County and Orange County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Wake County was created in 1771 from Cumberland, Johnston, and Orange counties. The county lost territory to Franklin in 1787, to the creation of Durham County in 1881, and to Durham again in 1911.
- 1771Wake County created Wake created from Cumberland, Johnston, and Orange. · N.C. Recs., ch. 22, secs. 1-2/23:819-823
- 1787
- 1881Lost territory Wake lost to creation of Durham. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1881, pub., ch. 138, secs. 1, 13, 24/pp. 273-282
- 1911Lost territory Wake lost to Durham. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1911, pub., ch. 47, sec. 1/pp. 114-115
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Wake
Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.
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Parcels Good enough
Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 439,345 parcels. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
checked 16 October 2026 -
Address points Official
One point per address, 670,960 in all from NC Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (CGIA, NC Dept of Information Technology) for NC OneMap, with the North Carolina 911 Board (AddressNC program).
checked 14 October 2026 -
Buildings Reference
Roof outlines traced from aerial imagery from FEMA Response Geospatial Office with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Good for seeing what is on a lot; not accurate enough to set a fence from.
checked 18 October 2026
- Official
- from the office that keeps the record
- Good enough
- a reliable statewide or national copy
- Fallback
- a guide only; check the official record
- Missing
- nothing public found yet
People and land
Wake by the Census
Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Rules and offices
Wake County's official site
We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.
County government
- County government
The official website of Wake County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Wake County on Parcel Chart's free map and click your parcel. Save it with a free account; the full record of your place (site map, projects, documents) is Pro, in early access.
Questions
Common questions about Wake County
- When was Wake County founded?
- Wake County was founded in 1771, formed from Cumberland County, Johnston County and Orange County, and named after William Tryon.
- What is the county seat of Wake County?
- The county seat of Wake County is Raleigh.
- Is there an online parcel map for Wake County?
- Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 439,345 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Wake County's boundary or name changed?
- Wake County was created in 1771 from Cumberland County, Johnston County and Orange County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 3 later changes, chiefly involving Durham County and Franklin County.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Wake County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby