A Place to Call Home
When it comes to resources and collaboration, Wake County is one of the best places in the U.S. to start a business. Fueled by talent from the region’s three tier-one research universities, home to HQ’s like Advance Auto Parts and Pendo, and innovation from our thriving startup community, the ecosystem is ripe with opportunity.
Major Employers
Recent Rankings
Noteworthy Characteristics
Wake County is the largest county in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina and is home to Raleigh, North Carolina’s state capital. This dynamic region is home to a wide range of businesses, including Fortune 500 giants and thousands of small and mid-sized companies in the life science and technology industries. As one of the nation’s fastest-growing regions, Wake County offers the ideal blend of cost, comfort, and culture, plus thousands of diverse jobs.
The main driver of Wake County’s talent pipeline comes from proximity to three tier-one research universities: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, and North Carolina State University.
Whether it’s access to students or research agreements with faculty, Centennial Campus on NC State University’s campus provides proximity to some of the brightest minds in the world.
County Spotlight
Centennial Campus, NC State University
A Community of Thinkers and Doers.
Centennial Campus continues to be a premier destination for innovative collaboration among leaders in education, business, and research. NC State is the largest university in a four-state region, and one of the nation’s pre-eminent research enterprises. They are experts in everything from big data to self-powered health monitoring to nuclear nonproliferation and advanced manufacturing.
Infrastructure and Accessibility
Business Advantage
Wake County is focused on smart, equitable growth and building a community with opportunities for all.
Wake County is the largest county in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina and is home to Raleigh, North Carolina’s state capital. This dynamic region is home to a wide range of businesses, including Fortune 500 giants and thousands of small and mid-sized companies in the life science and technology industries.
As one of the nation’s fastest-growing regions, Wake County offers the ideal blend of cost, comfort, and culture, plus thousands of diverse jobs. Wake County is home to more than one million people, and 13 different communities spread across 850 square miles. The region adds 64 new people every day, 43 of which move here, and 21 are born here. With nearly half of the population having a bachelor’s degree or higher, which is almost double the state and national average, Wake County is one of the best places to live and work in the world.
Believer Meats Partners with Bezos Earth Fund and North Carolina State University on Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein
FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies to double Holly Springs biomanufacturing campus; +$1.2B, +680 New Jobs
Biotalys collaborates with Novonesis on new biofungicide
Connect with Wake County
Interested in learning more about Wake County? Click to connect with their economic development team.