Wake Forest, Rolesville, Raleigh and Knightdale side by side: 2026 tax rates, high school results, August 2026 home values, Census income and commute.
Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: Wake County’s table of tax rates, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 accountability data, Zillow Research, the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey and the four governments’ own websites, linked below.
Wake Forest’s three nearest neighbors that are incorporated cities or towns are Rolesville, about four miles away, Raleigh, about 12 miles, and Knightdale, about 12 miles, measured between the Census Bureau’s center points for each place. All four are in Wake County and share its property tax and its school system. They differ in their town or city tax rate, their high schools, home values, commute times and who provides services. Every figure below is from an official or published source, for the same year in all four places. This page does not rank them.
Property taxes
In North Carolina the county funds the public schools, so there is no separate school tax. Every property in the Wake County part of all four places pays the Wake County rate of $0.5371 per $100 of assessed value for 2026, then its town or city rate, according to the county’s table of tax rates.
| Place | Town or city rate, 2026 | Combined with county | On a $400,000 assessed value | Vehicle fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest | $0.42 | $0.9571 | $3,828.40 | $30 |
| Rolesville | $0.40 | $0.9371 | $3,748.40 | $30 |
| Raleigh | $0.372 | $0.9091 | $3,636.40 | $30 |
| Knightdale | $0.44 | $0.9771 | $3,908.40 | $30 |
The $400,000 column is arithmetic on the published rates, before any exclusion. The county’s table notes that Wake Forest and Raleigh property may also owe a special district tax, that Wake Forest has charged a stormwater fee on some property since 2024, and that Rolesville has added a solid waste fee to some tax bills since 2019. In Wake Forest, the downtown special district adds 13 cents per $100. Homes in the Franklin County part of Wake Forest pay Franklin County’s rate instead, $0.925 in all with the town’s; see our property tax guide.
None of the four has a homestead exemption of its own. North Carolina’s relief programs for older, disabled and disabled-veteran homeowners are run by the county, on its tax relief page.
Town and city tax rates
Schools
All four are in the Wake County Public School System, which assigns students by address. Many homes are zoned for a high school in another town; our neighborhoods guide shows which areas of Wake Forest go where. These are the traditional public high schools with an address in each place in the state’s school directory, with 2025-26 figures from the state’s accountability data.
| Place | High school | At grade level | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest | Wake Forest High | 66.5% | Exceeded |
| Wake Forest | Heritage High | 67.3% | Met |
| Rolesville | Rolesville High | 43.6% | Not met |
| Raleigh | Athens Drive High | 59.9% | Met |
| Raleigh | Broughton High | 73.3% | Exceeded |
| Raleigh | Enloe High | 76.1% | Met |
| Raleigh | Leesville Road High | 77.7% | Exceeded |
| Raleigh | Millbrook High | 63.2% | Met |
| Raleigh | Sanderson High | 56.5% | Exceeded |
| Raleigh | Southeast Raleigh High | 44.8% | Exceeded |
| Raleigh | Wakefield High | 63.7% | Exceeded |
| Knightdale | Knightdale High | 43.4% | Exceeded |
“At grade level” is the share of state tests at grade level or above; “growth” is the state’s measure of whether students gained as much as expected in a year. An address is not the same as a zone, and magnet and early college programs draw students from across the county; Wake Forest also has North Wake College and Career Academy, which students apply to. More in our schools guide.
Home values
The Zillow Home Value Index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price. These are Zillow’s figures for each town or city.
| Place | August 2026 | August 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest | $507,240 | $512,240 | -1.0% |
| Rolesville | $493,311 | $499,444 | -1.2% |
| Raleigh | $428,671 | $436,286 | -1.7% |
| Knightdale | $363,989 | $371,224 | -1.9% |
More on Wake Forest in our home prices guide.
Census figures
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates, the same vintage for all four. Median home value here is what owners told the survey their homes were worth, a different measure from Zillow’s.
| Place | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Mean travel time to work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest | 52,844 | $123,802 | $474,500 | 30.9 minutes |
| Rolesville | 10,766 | $149,565 | $535,000 | 31.5 minutes |
| Raleigh | 481,031 | $85,395 | $415,800 | 23.0 minutes |
| Knightdale | 20,214 | $103,220 | $380,100 | 24.0 minutes |
The links go to each place’s Census QuickFacts page. More on Wake Forest in our population guide.
Who provides town and city services
Each runs its own police department inside its limits: Wake Forest, Rolesville, Raleigh and Knightdale. The Wake County Sheriff’s Office covers unincorporated areas.
| Place | Fire | Trash and recycling |
|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest | Wake Forest Fire Department, a town department | Weekly town collection by Republic Services under contract (town page; our trash guide) |
| Rolesville | Rolesville Fire Department | An annual solid waste fee on the residential property tax bill covers a standard garbage cart and recycling cart (town page) |
| Raleigh | Raleigh Fire Department | City Solid Waste Services crews (city page) |
| Knightdale | Knightdale Fire Department, a town department | GFL Environmental under a town contract, billed on the City of Raleigh water bill (town page) |
Wake Forest also runs its own electric utility, Wake Forest Power.
How to check an address
- Which town and county is it in? Look up the parcel on Wake County’s iMAPS property map. A Wake Forest mailing address is not proof that a home is inside the town; for the town’s own map, see its corporate limits map (PDF).
- Which schools? Enter the address in the district’s base school lookup. For a Franklin County address, ask Franklin County Schools.
- What will the tax be? Multiply the assessed value by the combined rate above, or see the county’s tax rate table and our property tax guide.
Frequently asked questions
Which has lower property taxes, Wake Forest, Rolesville, Raleigh or Knightdale?
For 2026 the town and city rates are $0.372 per $100 of value in Raleigh, $0.40 in Rolesville, $0.42 in Wake Forest and $0.44 in Knightdale. All four also pay the Wake County rate of $0.5371 in their Wake County parts.
What is the typical home value in Wake Forest compared with Rolesville and Raleigh?
In August 2026 the Zillow Home Value Index was $507,240 in Wake Forest, $493,311 in Rolesville, $428,671 in Raleigh and $363,989 in Knightdale.
Are Wake Forest and Rolesville in the same school district?
Yes. Both, and Raleigh and Knightdale, are in the Wake County Public School System, which assigns schools by address, not by town. The Franklin County part of Wake Forest is served by Franklin County Schools.
How long is the commute from Wake Forest?
The mean travel time to work was 30.9 minutes for Wake Forest residents in the 2020-2024 American Community Survey, against 31.5 in Rolesville, 23.0 in Raleigh and 24.0 in Knightdale.
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