Raleigh's industrial base includes electrical, medical, electronic and telecommunications equipment; clothing and apparel; food processing; paper products; and pharmaceuticals. Raleigh is part of North Carolina's Research Triangle, the country's largest research park and a primary center in the United States for high-tech and biotech research, as well as textile development. The city is a major retail shipping point for eastern North Carolina and a wholesale distributing point for the grocery industry.

As of the 2000 United States census[1], there were 276,093 people and 61,371 families residing in Raleigh. The population density was 2,409.2 people per square mile (930.2/km²). There were 120,699 housing units at an average density of 1,053.2/sq mi (406.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 63.31% White, 27.80% African American, 0.36% Native American, 3.38% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.24% from other races, and 1.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.99% of the population.

There were 112,608 households in the city in 2000, of which 26.5% included children below the age of 18, 39.5% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.5% were classified as nonfamily. 33.1% of all households were individuals living alone, of which 6.2% were someone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size in Raleigh was 2.30 persons, and the average family size was 2.97 persons.

Age-wise, Raleigh's population in 2000 was evenly distributed with 20.9% below the age of 18, 15.9% aged 18 to 24, 36.6% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64. An estimated 8.3% persons were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females aged 18 or older, there were 96.6 males aged 18 or older.

The median household income in the city was $46,612, and the median family income was $60,003. Males had a median income of $39,248 versus $30,656 for females. The median per-capita income for the city was $25,113. An estimated 11.5% of the population and 7.1% of families were living below the poverty line in 2000. Out of the total population, 13.8% of those under the age of 18 and 9.3% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

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