Census-designated place · Franklin County, North Carolina

Lake Royale, North Carolina

Lake Royale is a census-designated place in Franklin County, North Carolina, part of the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area. It has 3,168 residents. Lake Royale, North Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 45 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #8,602 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within North Carolina it ranks #204 of 458 cities and towns. It ranks best on rent as share of income (low), job growth (high) and voter turnout (high). It ranks worst on primary care physicians (low), dentists (low) and drought exposure (high).

45Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #8,602 of 15,651 cities and towns
North Carolina: #204 of 458 in NC
Population: 3,168 (2020-2024)
Land area: 7 mi²
Density: 486.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 3736513

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 71 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety32#10,582/15,637
Economy83#2,625/15,631
Housing93#998/14,977
Health37#9,776/15,609
Healthcare11#13,958/15,650
Environment63#5,664/15,453
Education31#10,730/15,649
Infrastructure41#9,206/15,650
Community62#5,934/15,651
Leisure & amenities8#14,322/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Lake Royale, North Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Franklin County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Rent as share of income · low12.8%
100/100North Carolina 29.5%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Job growth · high3.3%
95/100North Carolina 0.8%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataFranklin County value
Voter turnout · high77.0%
91/100North Carolina 72.9%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionFranklin County value
Unemployment rate · low1.3%
89/100North Carolina 3.8%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Child care cost burden · low22.7%
85/100North Carolina 25.1%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin County value
Median household income · high$107,806
78/100North Carolina $74,055United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013

Weaknesses

Primary care physicians · low7 /100k
0/100North Carolina 71 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin County value
Dentists · low12 /100k
1/100North Carolina 62 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin County value
Drought exposure · high98%
3/100North Carolina 79%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAFranklin County value
Restaurants and bars · low3.7 /10k
4/100North Carolina 8.8 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFranklin County value
Distance to an emergency room · high17.6 mi
5/100North Carolina 7.9 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesFranklin County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.9 /10k
10/100North Carolina 5.2 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyFranklin County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
3,485 (2015-2019) → 3,168 (2020-2024)
−9.1%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
44.1% (2015-2019) → 11.9% (2020-2024)
−32 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
20.9% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−21 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$57,750 (2015-2019) → $107,806 (2020-2024)
+87%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeImproving
23.8% (2015-2019) → 12.8% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
30.4% (2015-2019) → 22.1% (2020-2024)
−8.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Lake Royale, North Carolina improved on 0 of 7 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 7 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 7 measures

Change of every measure of Lake Royale, North Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	36.7 min2015-2019	36.6 min2020-2024	−0.1 min	Within the margin of error	49%
Bachelor's degree or higher	30.4%2015-2019	22.1%2020-2024	−8.3 points	Within the margin of error	3%
Broadband subscriptions	89.3%2015-2019	91.2%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Effective property tax rate	0.67%2015-2019	0.65%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	20%
High school diploma or higher	91.7%2015-2019	92.9%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3992015-2019	0.3802020-2024	−0.019	Within the margin of error	67%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15075 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Lake Royale, North Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Lake Royale, North Carolina in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

No place that looked like Lake Royale, North Carolina five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

For comparison, Lake Royale, North Carolina itself moved −8.7 points in standing on average over the same 6 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

3,168 residents (±704)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 10–19 men (−8.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

3,168 residents (±704)

Lake Royale, North Carolina
North Carolina share

White86%2,711
Black6.6%†209
Hispanic or Latino4.8%†152

Education

2,568 residents (±498)

Lake Royale, North Carolina
North Carolina share

No high school diploma7.1%†182
High school or GED36%†935
Some college21%

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,375 households (±257)

Lake Royale, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $25k16%†222
$25k–50k11%†146
$50k–75k12%†171
$75k–100k9.5%†130
$100k–150k32%†445
$150k–200k12%†160
$200k or more7.3%†101

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $150k–200k (+11.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,375 households (±257)

Lake Royale, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Own95%1,300
Rent5.5%†75

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+22.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

67 households (±83)

Lake Royale, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,50090%†60

Home values

1,300 homes (±248)

Lake Royale, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $150k19%†241
$150k–250k23%†297
$250k–400k31%†

Age of homes

2,198 homes (±329)

Lake Royale, North Carolina
North Carolina share

2010 or later24%†531
2000–200926%†566
1980–199947%†

Size of homes

2,198 homes (±329)

Lake Royale, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Studio0.9%†19
1 bedroom14%†310
2 bedrooms14%†315

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,726 workers (±537)

Lake Royale, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Drive alone89%†1,536
Carpool5.2%†89
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home5.9%†101
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+5.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,625 workers (±525)

Lake Royale, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under 15 min8.6%†139
15–29 min18%†285
30–44 min31%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Raleigh-Cary, NC

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Franklin County, the county holding most of Lake Royale's residents.

Franklin County has 1,228 employer establishments, 159 for every 10,000 residents (0.64× the US rate of 248; 0.67× North Carolina's), with 12,194 paid employees at an average annual pay of $56,404. The Census Bureau also counts 6,762 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,228; 6,762 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 159; US 248 · North Carolina 237
Paid employees: 12,194
Average annual pay: $56,404; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Franklin County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	201	26.1	1.69×More than typical	1,206	$59,911	702
Construction of buildings	73	9.5	1.25×More than typical	247	$59,611	259
Building equipment contractors	71	9.2	1.53×More than typical	396	$53,606	110
Services to buildings and dwellings	71	9.2	1.37×More than typical	398	$35,487	575
Restaurants and other eating places	64	8.3	0.45×Fewer than typical	940	$17,743	28
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	54	7	2.22×More than typical	294	$60,248	142
Religious organizations	53	6.9	1.24×About typical	175	$15,743	—
Ambulatory health care services	51	6.6	0.32×Fewer than typical	353	$52,901	247
Landscaping services	50	6.5	1.85×More than typical	273	$41,974	248
Building finishing contractors	47	6.1	1.60×More than typical	176	$66,216	246
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors	40	5.2	1.57×More than typical	245	$55,629	55
Automotive repair and maintenance	37	4.8	0.95×About typical	185	$43,973	148

Rank places for an industry Open Franklin County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 77,039 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $9,344 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Lake Royale, North Carolina: $2.95 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $9,344; +99% vs FY2025
Per resident: $2.95; US $1,995
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$9,344100%

Top recipients

LANCASTER FUNERAL AND CREMATION SERVICES, LLC$9,344100%

Spending by fiscal year

85.5FY2017
88.6FY2022
890.2FY2024
4.7KFY2025
9.3KFY2026

What was bought

Other equipment & supplies$9,344100%

Top industries (NAICS)

Death care services · 8122$9,344100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Lake Royale, North Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

Lake Royale, North Carolina's figures are part of those of Franklin County, NC ($436.6K in FY2026), never added to them: 2.1% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Lake Royale is mostly in Franklin County.

See federal money in Franklin County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Lake Royale, North Carolina is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Brad KnottR-NC-13 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 1.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Franklin County37100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Raleigh-Cary, NC94

Other cities and towns in Franklin County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

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