TOWN OF GARNER / FINANCE
GarnerNC. gov
Police Department marked 30 years of continuous accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.
Garner has six community parks, several neighborhood parks and two dog parks. The municipal parks system includes White Deer Park, comprising 96 acres of passive parkland with a LEED Gold-certified Nature Center, and adjoining Lake Benson Park, which is home to the Garner Veterans Memorial.
The Town sponsors numerous special events throughout the year and also operates the Garner Performing Arts Center, which hosts local events as well as shows by nationally touring acts.
In November 2021, Garner voters overwhelmingly approved a bond program authorizing the Town to issue up to $ 69 million in Street and Sidewalk Bonds, Parks and Recreational Bonds, Public Safety and Services Facilities Bonds and Stormwater Bonds. In FY 24-25, the Town issued $ 30.2 million of those bonds to support the development of Yeargan Park and several street and sidewalk projects.
The Town Council approved a $ 87.3 million operating budget for FY 25-26, a 12.6 percent increase over the FY 24-25 budget. The adopted FY 25-26 budget had no property-tax increase. The budget reflects the Town Council’ s two biggest priorities for FY 25-26: consolidation of Garner Fire- Rescue with the Town and the opening of Yeargan Park, a signature project of the 2021 bond program.
Garner’ s local economy remains strong. The U. S. Census Bureau in 2024 ranked Garner as the 10thfastest growing municipality in the country among jurisdictions with populations of at least 20,000. Building permit data for FY-24-25 shows a 17 % increase over the previous year in number of permits issued.
The town’ s largest employers include an Amazon fulfillment center that employs over 3,000 people, the Wake County Public School System and numerous retail and distribution-sector employers.
Garner by the Numbers
43,376
POPULATION
38 % growth in past five years
64.8 %
OWNER-OCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS
$ 77,496
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME
45.8 %
PERCENT OF RESIDENTS AGE 25 AND OVER WITH BACHELOR’ S DEGREE OR HIGHER
37.6
MEDIAN AGE
Sources: Garner Planning Department, U. S. Census Bureau
POPULAR ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT 2025 | 7