Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Wendell is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades A− overall, ranked 19th of 286 in North Carolina, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is incomes: the median household earns $96K. It also does better than most on health: residents are healthier than 81% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. A typical home there costs about $366K, 3.7 years of the Raleigh metro’s $100K median household income. Wendell is home to Southeastern Free Will Baptist Bible College. 3.2% of residents live below the poverty line in Wendell, below both the North Carolina town median (13%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Wendell has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Taylor's Mill and Perry Farm.
Where Wendell beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Myra Elementary | PK–5 | 722 |
| Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls | K–8 | 567 |
| Wendell Elementary | K–5 | 458 |
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Southeastern Free Will Baptist Bible College | 70 |
5,845 counted in 2010 and 9,793 in 2020; an estimated 19,687 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 100.1% since 2020, after 67.5% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Wendell is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 759 in 1910, 9,793 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1939 and 3 maps from 1968 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wendell, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Wendell.
Wendell fares better on crime within North Carolina than nationally and has added half again as many jobs in ten years.
11% of Wendell adults report frequent physical distress. Wendell beats the North Carolina average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 9.8% of Wendell adults have diabetes.
| Wendell | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 38% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Wendell | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 5.1% | 7.1% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 72.6% | 76.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Wake County Schools. One of its 3 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Myra ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 722 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here grew from 1,279 in 2013 to 2,297. 25.9% of workers work from home, against 16.3% across North Carolina.
Most working residents leave Wendell for work: only 4% work in town. The average trip to work in Wendell is 29 minutes. Since 2013, Wendell has added 1,018 jobs, to 2,297 in 2023.
| Wendell | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $96,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wendell.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2.5 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Wendell Park, at 31 acres.
| Wendell | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 4.8% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wendell Park | 0.7 mi | 31 |
| 2. Hollybrook Park | — | 11 |
| 3. Cedamere park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Wendell has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Wendell’s July high is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 14.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 88% of North Carolina’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 18 reported in 2025, 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Wendell home is worth about $366,000, down 1.4% in a year, 10% above the North Carolina typical home. 78% of households own their home in Wendell.
| Wendell | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,457 a month | $1,084 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 67% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the North Carolina average. Wendell has grown 100% since 2020, to 19,687 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 38% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across North Carolina.
| Wendell | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 38 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 24% | 22% | 22% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.8 points. Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Wendell | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.2% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.6% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.9% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.8% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.3% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.2% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.3% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.5% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.2% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.2% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19.9% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.8% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.8% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.9% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.3% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wendell. Close and well known come first.
21 mi Stadium & arenaLenovo Center
21 mi Stadium & arenaCarter–Finley Stadium
40 mi Stadium & arenaKenan Memorial Stadium
23 mi Stadium & arenaWakeMed Soccer Park
16 mi MuseumNorth Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
20 mi MuseumNorth Carolina Museum of ArtLenovo Center: Edward T. Funkhouser, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Carter–Finley Stadium: SMaloney, CC BY 3.0 · Kenan Memorial Stadium: Yeungb, CC BY 3.0 · WakeMed Soccer Park: Hameltion, CC BY-SA 4.0 · North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences: Jmturner, Public domain · North Carolina Museum of Art: Justin Doub, CC BY 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Wendell
About 2 of every 100 Wendell residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
5 places in Wendell on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Wendell.
Town in North Carolina
Wendell ( wen-DEL) is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. It is a satellite town of Raleigh, the state capital. The population was 9,793 at the 2020 census and estimated at 19,687 as of July 2025.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Wendell.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Wendell grades A− overall, better than 83% of U.S. towns and #19 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades A− for health, B for safety and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
3 notable people were born here, including Gregory Walcott and Greg Ellis.
