Rank #20 of 33
Raleigh, NC
Raleigh-Cary, NC
9.1
Tacos per hour at the local median wage
$2.62
Avg taco price
$23.83
Median hourly wage (2024)
$3.25
Fast-casual taqueria
$1.99
Taco Bell crunchy taco
Raleigh sits below the national average. An hour of local work buys 9.1 tacos here, compared with 9.3 tacos per hour across the 33-city index (−0.2 vs national average).
Local note
The Raleigh–Durham area has a rapidly growing taqueria scene supported by recent Hispanic population growth and the metro's broader food-economy expansion. Prices remain moderate, with most standard tacos landing in the $3–3.50 range.
Where the numbers come from
Fast-casual: Los Tacos de Garcia ($3 standard), G's Tacos, Taqueria la Capital. Chain: Taco Bell crunchy taco $1.99 (national avg).
Average taco price ($2.62) is $0.15 below the national average of $2.77.
How this is calculated. Tacos per hour = median hourly wage ÷ average taco price.
Average taco price is the mean of the fast-casual taqueria anchor and the local Taco Bell crunchy taco price.
Wages come from BLS OEWS, May 2024, MSA-level median for all occupations.
Full methodology.