SECTION 3: PLANNING AREA PROFILE 3 Planning Area Profile This section provides a general overview of the current conditions in Wake County and its participating municipalities. It consists of the following sub-sections: 3.1 Geography and Climate 3.2 Population and Demographics 3.3 Parcels and Buildings 3.4 Historic Properties 3.5 Housing 3.6 Infrastructure 3.7 Current and Future Land Use 3.8 Employment and Industry 3.1 GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENT Wake County is located in the eastern portion of the Piedmont of North Carolina. It is part of the Raleigh, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which falls within the larger Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Combined Statistical Area. The Planning Area includes Wake County unincorporated areas, Town of Apex, Town of Cary, Town of Fuquay-Varina, Town of Garner, Town of Holly Springs, Town of Knightdale, Town of Morrisville, City of Raleigh, Town of Rolesville, Town of Wake Forest, Town of Wendell, and Town of Zebulon. A location map is provided in Figure 3.1. Wake County comprises a total land area of 834 square miles. The total land area of each participating jurisdiction is listed in Table 3.1. Table 3.1 – Total Land Area of Participating Jurisdictions Jurisdiction Total Land Area Wake County 827.22 square miles Unincorporated areas 537.93 square miles Apex 23.37 square miles Cary 54.34 square miles Fuquay-Varina 12.09 square miles Garner 14.75 square miles Holly Springs 15.01 square miles Knightdale 6.21 square miles Morrisville 8.26 square miles Raleigh 142.90 square miles Rolesville 3.93 square miles Wake Forest 15.10 square miles Wendell 5.20 square miles Zebulon 4.13 square miles Source: US Census Bureau Wake County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019 24 SECTION 3: PLANNING AREA PROFILE Figure 3.1 – Wake County and Participating Jurisdictions Location Map Source: Wake County GIS Open Data Wake County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019 25 SECTION 3: PLANNING AREA PROFILE According to the Köppen climate classification system, Wake County has a humid subtropical climate characterized by mild winters and hot humid summers with significant precipitation even during the driest month. The county experiences an average annual high temperature of 71.6°F and an average annual low of 49.9°F. Average annual rainfall is approximately 43.3 inches and average annual snowfall is 4.8 inches. Figure 3.2 shows the average monthly precipitation for the Raleigh Airport weather station, which approximates temperature and precipitation of the County. Figure 3.2 – Average Monthly Precipitation Source: Northeast RCC CLIMOD 2. As shown in the map of HUC-8 watersheds in Figure 3.3, most of Wake County falls within the Upper Neuse River watershed. Portions of the east and south of the county are in the Haw River watershed and the Upper Cape Fear River watershed, respectively; an area in the northeast of the county falls in the Contentnea Creek watershed. The Neuse River runs through the county from the northwest border to the southeast central border. Wetlands According to data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wetlands Inventory, there are approximately 49,944 acres of wetlands in the County. Wetlands areas are shown by type in Figure 3.4. Natural and Beneficial Wetland Functions: The benefits of wetlands are hard to overestimate. They provide critical habitat for many plant and animal species that could not survive in other habitats. They are also critical for water management as they absorb and store vast quantities of storm water, helping reduce floods and recharge aquifers. Not only do wetlands store water like sponges, they also filter and clean water as well, absorbing toxins and other pollutants. Parks, Preserve, and Conservation Wake County is home to three state parks: Falls Lake State Recreation Area, William B. Umstead State Park, and Jordan Lake State Recreation Area. There are also a number of county and municipal parks located throughout the jurisdictions, as well as several greenways that traverse the county and connect to surrounding regions. Wake County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019 26 SECTION 3: PLANNING AREA PROFILE Threatened and Endangered Species The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service maintains a regular listing of threatened species, endangered species, species of concern, and candidate species for counties across the United States. Wake County has nine species that are listed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. Table 3.2 below lists the species identified as threatened, endangered, or other classification. Table 3.2 – Threatened and Endangered Species Group Common Name Scientific Name Federal Status Amphibians Neuse River waterdog Necturus lewisi Under Review Birds Red-cockaded woodpecker Picoides borealis Endangered Clams Tar River spinymussel Elliptio steinstansana Endangered Clams Dwarf wedgemussel Alasmidonta heterodon Endangered Clams Yellow lance Elliptio lanceolata Threatened Clams Atlantic pigtoe Fusconaia masoni Proposed Threatened Fishes Cape Fear shiner Notropis mekistocholas Endangered Fishes Carolina madtom Noturus furiosus Under Review Flowering Plants Michaux's sumac Rhus michauxii Endangered Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/reports/species-by-current-range-county?fips=37183) Wake County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019 27 SECTION 3: PLANNING AREA PROFILE Figure 3.3 – HUC-8 Drainage Basins Source: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Wake County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019 28 SECTION 3: PLANNING AREA PROFILE Figure 3.4 – Wetlands by Type in Wake County Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Wetlands Inventory - Version 2 Wake County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019 29 SECTION 3: PLANNING AREA PROFILE 3.2 POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHICS Wake County and its municipalities have experienced significant population growth over the last several decades. From 2000 to 2017, Wake County’s population grew by 63 percent, which equates to an average annual growth rate of nearly 3 percent. Overall population density in the County increased from 1,078.8 persons per square mile in 2010 to 1,225.8 persons per square mile in 2017. Trends suggest that this number is likely to continue growing. All jurisdictions experienced growth between 2010 and 2017, with an average population increase across the County of 13.6 percent. The Towns of Fuquay-Varina and Rolesville both grew by more than 30 percent over this period. Table 3.3 provides population counts from 2000, 2010, and 2017 for each of the participating jurisdictions. Figure 3.5 on the following page shows 2017 population density by census tract in persons per square mile. Table 3.3 – Wake County Population Counts 2017 ACS 2000 Census 2010 Census Total Change % Change Jurisdiction Population Population Population 2010-2017 2010-2017 Estimate Wake County 627,846 900,993 1,023,811 122,818 13.6% Unincorporated areas 169,386 181,890 189,996 8,106 4.5% Apex 20,212 37,476 45,899 8,423 22.5% Cary 94,536 135,234 159,715 24,481 15.1% Fuquay-Varina 7,898 17,937 24,373 6,436 35.9% Garner 17,575 25,745 28,048 2,303 8.9% Holly Springs 9,192 24,661 31,827 7,166 29.1% Knightdale 5,958 11,401 14,363 2,962 26.0% Morrisville 5,208 18,576 23,873 5,297 28.5% Raleigh 276,093 403,892 449,477 45,585 11.3% Rolesville 907 3,786 6,308 2,522 40.0% Wake Forest 12,588 30,117 38,473 8,356 27.7% Wendell 4,247 5,845 6,516 671 11.5% Zebulon 4,046 4,433 4,943 510 11.5% Source: US Census Bureau Decennial Census 2000, Decennial Census 2010; American Community Survey 2017 Annual Estimates Note: The total population of Cary, Raleigh, and Wake Forest includes population residing in adjacent counties. Wake County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019 30 SECTION 2: PLANNING AREA PROFILE Figure 3.5 – Population Density, 2016 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2013-2017 5-Year Estimates Wake County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019 31 SECTION 2: PLANNING AREA PROFILE According to 2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the median age in Wake County was 35.8. Of the population aged 25 years and over, 92.5 percent have a high school degree or higher and 51.0 percent have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Approximately 16.8 percent of Wake County residents speak a language other than English at home; of those, 65.1 percent also speak English “very well”. The racial characteristics of the participating jurisdictions are presented in Table 3.4. Generally, white persons make up the majority of the population in the county, accounting for over 66 percent of the population in Wake County overall. However, several jurisdictions have much higher minority populations than others including Garner, Knightdale, Morrisville, Raleigh, and Zebulon. Table 3.4 – Racial Demographics of Wake County Jurisdictions, 2016 Persons of Two or More Jurisdiction White, % Black, % Asian, % Other Race, % Hispanic or Latino Races, % Origin*, % Wake County 66.5% 20.4% 6.5% 3.6% 2.7% 10.0% Apex 79.3% 8.6% 7.4% 1.5% 2.9% 7.3% Cary 69.9% 7.9% 16.8% 2.2% 2.8% 8.1% Fuquay-Varina 77.5% 15.4% 1.6% 2.8% 2.7% 9.4% Garner 61.9% 32.5% 1.9% 1.4% 2.2% 10.8% Holly Springs 79.6% 11.9% 2.5% 1.8% 3.8% 6.5% Knightdale 49.8% 35.9% 4.1% 6.0% 4.1% 15.4% Morrisville 44.3% 12.1% 37.0% 1.2% 4.8% 4.5% Raleigh 59.0% 28.9% 4.6% 4.6% 2.6% 11.0% Rolesville 66.2% 27.1% 3.2% 1.2% 2.4% 3.0% Wake Forest 78.9% 14.5% 1.5% 0.9% 4.1% 4.8% Wendell 67.8% 19.4% 1.0% 3.6% 4.3% 12.9% Zebulon 50.0% 42.1% 1.2% 1.6% 5.1% 13.1% Source: US Census Bureau *Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories Figure 3.6 displays social vulnerability information for Wake County by census tract according to 2016 data and analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).