Industry & Labor
Wake Forest has an educated and trainable workforce and a very low unemployment rate. 71% of its workers are employed in white collar jobs. Eighteen percent are employed in blue collar jobs, and the remaining 11% are employed in service-oriented positions.
Wake Forest Labor Force (Ages 16+)
| Employed | Unemployed |
| 96.5% | 3.5% |
Source:ESRI
Area Labor Force –Annual Averages for 2007
| Name | Labor Force | Unemployment Rate |
| Wake County | 436,435 | 3.4% | MSA | 539,855 | 3.6% | CSA | 842,814 | 3.7% |
Source:NC Employment Security Commission
Industry Diversity of Wake Forest Population (Ages 16+)
| Industry | Percentage |
| Agriculture/Mining | 0.3% | Construction | 9.9% | Manufacturing | 9.6% | Wholesale Trade | 3.3% | Retail Trade | 10.3% | Transportation/Utilities | 3.7% | Information | 4.3% | Finance/Insurance/Real Estate | 7.2% | Services | 46.8% | Public Administration | 4.8% |
Source:ESRI
2008 Wake Forest Employed Population (Ages 16+)
| Industry | Percentage of Population |
| White Collar | 70.9% | Management/Business/Financial | 18.8% | Professional | 27.8% | Sales | 11.3% | Administrative Support | 13.0% | Services | 11.4% | Blue Collar | 17.7% | Farming/Forestry/Fishing | 0.1% | Construction/Extraction | 6.8% | Installation, Maintenance, Repair | 3.9% | Production | 3.4% | Transportation/Material Moving | 3.5% |
Source:ESRI
Industry Diversity for Raleigh/Durham/Cary CSA
| Industry | Average Employment | % of Total Workforce |
| Construction | 51,620 | 6.4% | Natural Resouces & Mining | 4,177 | 0.5% | Manufacturing | 76,179 | 9.5% | Trade, Transportation, and Utilities | 132,496 | 16.5% | Information | 21,016 | 2.6% | Financial Activities | 38,469 | 4.8% | Professional and Business Services | 125,831 | 15.7% | Education and Health Services | 104,230 | 13.0% | Leisure and Hospitality | 70,829 | 8.8% | Other | 27,042 | 3.4% | Government | 150,493 | 18.8% | Total All Industries | 802,382 | 100% |