What it's like to live in Wendell
Wendell is a small city in North Carolina with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Wendell deals with commute times longer than most cities.
The good
- Low unemployment in the county
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
- Fast-growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Above-average commute times
How Wendell compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Wendell
Based on Wendell's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,914
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $58,280 a year
- 50% of Wendell renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$66,100
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $33,050
- Homes cost 3.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,457/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,457 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $330,500. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $330,500 · 50% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.2% county unemployment
Unemployment in Wake County is 3.2%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Wake County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 70% below US
99 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 1021/100k · Wendell Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 12% above US
29 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 29 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 26% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 88°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 32°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforceNear US average
38% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 38% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
3 public schools inside the boundary
There are 3 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Guilford Courthouse National Military Park (85 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Wendell's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoff is commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($1,457/mo) equals 18% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), anyone prioritizing low crime, and remote workers (26% of workers here already work from home).
Other places near Wendell
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