Ashe County, NC

County

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2022 Population

26,759

0.605% 1-year growth

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2022 Median Age

49.6

1.02% 1-year increase

2022 Poverty Rate

14.1%

1.16% 1-year increase

2022 Median Household Income

$49,176

11.9% 1-year growth

2022 Median Property Value

$199,200

16.7% 1-year growth

About

In 2022, Ashe County, NC had a population of 26.8k people with a median age of 49.6 and a median household income of $49,176. Between 2021 and 2022 the population of Ashe County, NC grew from 26,598 to 26,759, a 0.605% increase and its median household income grew from $43,938 to $49,176, a 11.9% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Ashe County, NC are White (Non-Hispanic) (91.9%), White (Hispanic) (3.68%), Two+ (Hispanic) (1.32%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (1.08%), and Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (0.983%).

None of the households in Ashe 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.

98.5% of the residents in Ashe County, NC are U.S. citizens.

In 2022, the median property value in Ashe County, NC was $199,200, and the homeownership rate was 79.8%.

Most people in Ashe County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 25 minutes. The average car ownership in Ashe County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Ashe County, NC borders Alleghany County, NC, Watauga County, NC, Wilkes County, NC, Johnson County, TN, and Grayson County, VA.

United States North Carolina

Population & Diversity

Ashe County, NC is home to a population of 26.8k people, from which 98.5% are citizens. As of 2022, 3.07% of Ashe County, NC residents were born outside of the country (821 people).

In 2022, there were 24.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (24.6k people) in Ashe County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 986 White (Hispanic) and 353 Two+ (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Citizenship

98.5%

2022 Citizenship

98%

2021 Citizenship

As of 2022, 98.5% of Ashe County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.5%. In 2021, the percentage of US citizens in Ashe County, NC was 98%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Ashe County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
24.6k ± 24
White (Hispanic)
986 ± 263
Two+ (Hispanic)
353 ± 228

5.25%

Hispanic Population

1.41k people

5.25% of the people in Ashe County, NC are hispanic (1.41k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Ashe County, NC as a share of the total population.

Foreign-Born Population

3.07%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

821 people

3.27%

2021 Foreign-Born Population

871 people

As of 2022, 3.07% of Ashe County, NC residents (821 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.6%. In 2021, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Ashe County, NC was 3.27%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
840 ± 199
Gulf War (2001-)
192 ± 89
Gulf War (1990s)
170 ± 98

Ashe County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 4.38 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Ashe County, NC employs 11.7k people. The largest industries in Ashe County, NC are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,664 people), Retail Trade (1,570 people), and Manufacturing (1,500 people), and the highest paying industries are Utilities ($92,788), Wholesale Trade ($70,876), and Information ($60,417).

Employment

Occupations

11.7k

2022 Value

± 836

−4.32%

1 Year decline

± 10.4%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Ashe County, NC declined at a rate of −4.32%, from 12.2k employees to 11.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Ashe County, NC, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,276 people), Sales & Related Occupations (1,181 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (1,175 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Ashe County, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

11.7k

2022 Value

± 836

−4.32%

1 Year decline

± 10.4%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Ashe County, NC declined at a rate of −4.32%, from 12.2k employees to 11.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Ashe County, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,664 people), Retail Trade (1,570 people), and Manufacturing (1,500 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Ashe County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Ashe County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$37,090

Median earning men ± $2,319

$30,887

Median earning women ± $2,634

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2022 are Wholesale Trade ($71,005), Information ($58,359), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($46,477).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2022 are Wholesale Trade ($69,375), Information ($65,800), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($54,601).

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

69
Construction
62
Retail Trade
46
Other Services (except Public Administration)

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

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Civics

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Ashe County, NC went to Donald J. Trump with 72.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Joseph R Biden Jr. (26.3%), followed by Jo Jorgensen (0.797%).

Thom Tillis and Ted Budd are the senators currently representing the state of North Carolina. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

North Carolina is currently represented by 14 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

2020 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (72.4%)
Republican Party
Joseph R Biden Jr. (26.3%)
Democratic Party
Jo Jorgensen (0.797%)
Libertarian Party

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Ashe County, NC went to Donald J. Trump with 72.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Joseph R Biden Jr. (26.3%), followed by Jo Jorgensen (0.797%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Ashe County, NC for each registered party from 1976 to 2020.

Senator Elections

US Senators from North Carolina

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

Thom Tillis

Senator from North Carolina

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

Ted Budd

Senator from North Carolina

Assumed office on January 3, 2023

Thom Tillis and Ted Budd are the senators currently representing North Carolina.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in North Carolina over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from North Carolina

North Carolina is currently represented by 14 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for North Carolina have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

Completions

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.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2022, 0.944% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.805% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

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

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (2.16M), Some college (1.84M), and Bachelors Degree (1.63M).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Ashe County, NC was $199,200 in 2022, which is 0.707 times smaller than the national average of $281,900. Between 2021 and 2022 the median property value increased from $170,700 to $199,200, a 16.7% increase. The homeownership rate in Ashe County, NC is 79.8%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 64.8%.

People in Ashe County, NC have an average commute time of 25 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Ashe County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Ashe County, NC is $49,176. In 2022, the tract with the highest Median Household Income in Ashe County, NC was Census Tract 9704 with a value of $54,097, followed by Census Tract 9703 and Census Tract 9702, with respective values of $52,870 and $45,755.

Property

$199,200

Median Property Value 2022

±$17,312

$9,431

Median Property Taxes

±$688

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 Ashe County, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

79.8%

Homeownership

2022

66.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2022

In 2022, 79.8% of the housing units in Ashe County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 78.8%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 9704
Census Tract 9703
Census Tract 9702

In 2022, the tract with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Ashe County, NC was Census Tract 9704 with a value of $54,097, followed by Census Tract 9703 and Census Tract 9702, with respective values of $52,870 and $45,755.

The following map shows all of the tracts in Ashe County, NC colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

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

$49,176

Median Household Income

± $3,543

11.8k

Number of Households

± 855

In 2022, the median household income of the 11.8k households in Ashe County, NC grew to $49,176 from the previous year's value of $43,938.

The following chart displays the households in Ashe 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 Ashe County, NC is from North Carolina.

0.47

2022 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.47

2021 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2022, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.47 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0732% decline from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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 2022

Drove Alone (78.4%)
Carpooled (11%)
Worked At Home (8.22%)

In 2022, 78.4% of workers in Ashe County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11%) and those who worked at home (8.22%).

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

25 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Ashe County, NC have a shorter commute time (25 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.7 minutes). Additionally, 3.01% of the workforce in Ashe County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Ashe 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 Ashe County, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Ashe County, NC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

14.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Ashe County, NC (3.73k out of 26.5k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Males 25 - 34 and then Males 45 - 54.

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

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.

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.

Health

89% of the population of Ashe County, NC has health coverage, with 38% on employee plans, 15.7% on Medicaid, 18.7% on Medicare, 15.7% on non-group plans, and 0.892% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Ashe County, NC see 1940 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.154% decrease from the previous year (1943 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2226 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 607 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.5% were men and 51.5% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,940 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Ashe County, NC

Primary care physicians in Ashe County, NC see an average of 1,940 patients per year. This represents a 0.154% decrease from the previous year (1,943 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2022, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 18.4% under 18 years, 15.6% between 18 and 34 years, 39.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 26.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.5% were men and 51.5% were women.

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

Uninsured People

11%

Uninsured

38%

Employer Coverage

15.7%

Medicaid

18.7%

Medicare

15.7%

Non-Group

0.892%

Military or VA

Between 2021 and 2022, the percent of uninsured citizens in Ashe County, NC declined by 3.61% from 11.4% to 11%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2023, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was N/A in Ashe County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Ashe County, NC.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2023, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 33.7% in Ashe County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Ashe County, NC.