Avery County, NC

County

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2024 Population

17,680

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

47.1

1.29% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

10.2%

7.35% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$61,428

6.54% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$265,800

14% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

6,908

1.95% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Avery County, NC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

97.1% of the residents in Avery County, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Avery County, NC are Lees-McRae College (215 degrees awarded in 2023) and Mayland Community College (206 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Avery County, NC was $265,800, and the homeownership rate was 83%.

Most people in Avery County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 23.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Avery County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Avery County, NC borders Burke County, NC, Caldwell County, NC, McDowell County, NC, Mitchell County, NC, Watauga County, NC, Carter County, TN, and Johnson County, TN.

United States North Carolina

Population & Diversity

Avery County, NC is home to a population of 17.7k people, from which 97.1% are citizens. As of 2024, 4.19% of Avery County, NC residents were born outside of the country (741 people).

In 2024, there were 22.4 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (15.2k people) in Avery County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 676 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 503 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.1%

2024 Citizenship

97.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.1% of Avery County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Avery County, NC was 97.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Avery County, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Avery County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
15.2k ± 276
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
676 ± 125
Other (Hispanic)
503 ± 206

6.05%

Hispanic Population

1.07k people

6.05% of the people in Avery County, NC are hispanic (1.07k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Avery County, NC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for North Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
224,963 ± 11,520 people
India
83,219 ± 7,055 people
Honduras
48,247 ± 5,380 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 224,963 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 83,219 and Honduras with 48,247.

Foreign-Born Population

4.19%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

741 people

4.1%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

723 people

As of 2024, 4.19% of Avery County, NC residents (741 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Avery County, NC was 4.1%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Avery County, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
506 ± 123
Gulf War (1990s)
355 ± 145
Gulf War (2001-)
233 ± 121

Avery County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.43 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Avery County, NC.

Economy

The economy of Avery County, NC employs 6.91k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Avery County, NC were Retail Trade (823 people), Construction (821 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (714 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($130,625), Wholesale Trade ($107,941), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($65,875).

Employment

Occupations

6.91k

2024 Value

± 640

1.95%

1 Year growth

± 12.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Avery County, NC grew at a rate of 1.95%, from 6.78k employees to 6.91k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Avery County, NC, are Management Occupations (836 people), Sales & Related Occupations (789 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (776 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Avery County, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

6.91k

2024 Value

± 640

1.95%

1 Year growth

± 12.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Avery County, NC grew at a rate of 1.95%, from 6.78k employees to 6.91k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Avery County, NC, are Retail Trade (823 people), Construction (821 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (714 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Avery County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Avery County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$45,550

Median earning men ± $3,271

$31,348

Median earning women ± $4,637

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Manufacturing ($95,094), Other Services Except Public Administration ($60,446), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($51,875).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($46,957), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($40,391), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($36,107).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

Y-Axis

3.04%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.86M people employed in North Carolina. This represents a 3.04% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in North Carolina.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

46
Construction
41
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
39
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$32.6k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$30.9k
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
$27.4k
Accommodation and Food Services

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2023, universities in Avery County, NC awarded 421 degrees. The student population of Avery County, NC in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 658 male students and 1,044 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Avery County, NC are White (340 and 81.5%), Unknown (32 and 7.67%), Hispanic or Latino (19 and 4.56%), and Black or African American (16 and 3.84%).

The largest universities in Avery County, NC by number of degrees awarded are Lees-McRae College (215 and 51.1%) and Mayland Community College (206 and 48.9%).

The most popular majors in Avery County, NC are Wildlife Biology (48 and 11.4%), Liberal Arts & Sciences (36 and 8.55%), and General Human Services (36 and 8.55%).

The median tuition cost in Avery County, NC for private four year colleges is $28,790.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Avery County, NC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 80.7%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 13.8%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 1,702 (38.7% men and 61.3% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 1,702 students enrolled in Avery County, NC, 38.7% men and 61.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,367 records, of which 61.4% were women and 38.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Wildlife Biology
48 degrees awarded
General Human Services
36 degrees awarded
Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Administration
25 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Avery County, NC was Wildlife Biology with 48 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Avery County, NC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Lees-McRae College
215 degrees awarded
Mayland Community College
206 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Lees-McRae College with 215 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 167 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Avery County, NC, which is 0.657 times less than the 254 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 340 degrees mean that there were 10.6 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 32 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($28,790) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($2,950) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,194) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Avery County, NC was $265,800 in 2024, which is 0.799 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $233,200 to $265,800, a 14% increase. The homeownership rate in Avery County, NC is 83%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Avery County, NC have an average commute time of 23.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Avery County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 10.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Avery County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5.76%.

Housing

Property

$265,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$21,887

$5,637

Median Property Taxes

±$496

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Avery County, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Avery County, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

83%

Homeownership

2024

70.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 83% of the housing units in Avery County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 80%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Avery County, NC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$61,428

Median Household Income

± $7,429

6.79k

Number of Households

± 568

In 2024, the median household income of the 6.79k households in Avery County, NC grew to $61,428 from the previous year's value of $57,657.

The following chart displays the households in Avery County, NC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Avery County, NC is from North Carolina.

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.47

2022 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2023, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.467 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.639% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Carolina in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in North Carolina across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (78.2%)
Worked At Home (9.18%)
Carpooled (8.92%)

In 2024, 78.2% of workers in Avery County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (9.18%) and those who carpooled to work (8.92%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

23.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Avery County, NC have a shorter commute time (23.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.41% of the workforce in Avery County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Avery County, NC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Avery County, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Avery County, NC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 10.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Avery County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5.76%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

10.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Avery County, NC (1.56k out of 15.3k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 45 - 54, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Avery County, NC is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 22.1% of the children was living in poverty in Avery County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 10.3%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 174 in Avery County, NC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 47.3 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

87.5% of the population of Avery County, NC has health coverage, with 32.4% on employee plans, 15% on Medicaid, 19.5% on Medicare, 16.1% on non-group plans, and 4.55% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Avery County, NC see 4,466 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (4,466 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2196 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 209 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.7% were men and 50.3% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

4,466 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Avery County, NC

Primary care physicians in Avery County, NC see an average of 4,466 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (4,466 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Avery County, NC in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 17.7% under 18 years, 18.3% between 18 and 34 years, 38.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 25.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.7% were men and 50.3% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

12.5%

Uninsured

32.4%

Employer Coverage

15%

Medicaid

19.5%

Medicare

16.1%

Non-Group

4.55%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Avery County, NC declined by 11.7% from 14.1% to 12.5%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Avery County, NC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.