Asheville, NC

Census Place

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2023 Population

94,369

0.719% 1-year growth

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

40.7

0.494% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

14.6%

9.94% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$67,221

5.35% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$411,000

9.08% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

48,585

0.511% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Asheville, NC had a population of 94.4k people with a median age of 40.7 and a median household income of $67,221. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Asheville, NC grew from 93,695 to 94,369, a 0.719% increase and its median household income grew from $63,810 to $67,221, a 5.35% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Asheville, NC are White (Non-Hispanic) (78.4%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (9.65%), Two+ (Hispanic) (3.68%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (2.86%), and White (Hispanic) (1.7%).

None of the households in Asheville, 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.

95.8% of the residents in Asheville, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Asheville, NC are Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (1,001 degrees awarded in 2022), University of North Carolina at Asheville (782 degrees), and Center for Massage (455910) (53 degrees).

In 2023, the median property value in Asheville, NC was $411,000, and the homeownership rate was 50.3%.

Most people in Asheville, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 18 minutes. The average car ownership in Asheville, NC was 2 cars per household.

United States North Carolina Buncombe County, NC Asheville, NC Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC Buncombe County (Northwest) PUMA, NC Henderson & Transylvania Counties PUMA, NC

Population & Diversity

Asheville, NC is home to a population of 94.4k people, from which 95.8% are citizens. As of 2023, 7.62% of Asheville, NC residents were born outside of the country (7.19k people).

In 2023, there were 8.12 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (73.9k people) in Asheville, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 9.11k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 3.48k Two+ (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.8%

2023 Citizenship

95.7%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 95.8% of Asheville, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Asheville, NC was 95.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Asheville, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
73.9k ± 1.39k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
9.11k ± 1.13k
Two+ (Hispanic)
3.48k ± 1.01k

7.13%

Hispanic Population

6.73k people

7.13% of the people in Asheville, NC are hispanic (6.73k people).

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

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
214,508 ± 11,254 people
India
79,868 ± 6,912 people
Honduras
39,759 ± 4,886 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 214,508 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 79,868 and Honduras with 39,759.

Foreign-Born Population

7.62%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

7.19k people

7.57%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

7.09k people

As of 2023, 7.62% of Asheville, NC residents (7.19k people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Asheville, NC was 7.57%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,690 ± 477
Gulf War (2001-)
1,014 ± 299
Gulf War (1990s)
771 ± 278

Asheville, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.67 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Asheville, NC employs 48.6k people. The largest industries in Asheville, NC are Health Care & Social Assistance (7,326 people), Accommodation & Food Services (7,011 people), and Retail Trade (5,207 people), and the highest paying industries are Finance & Insurance ($92,898), Public Administration ($65,090), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($63,636).

Males in North Carolina have an average income that is 1.31 times higher than the average income of females, which is $57,464. The income inequality in North Carolina (measured using the Gini index) is 0.47, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

48.6k

2023 Value

± 2,309

0.511%

1 Year growth

± 6.66%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Asheville, NC grew at a rate of 0.511%, from 48.3k employees to 48.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Asheville, NC, are Sales & Related Occupations (5,638 people), Management Occupations (5,195 people), and Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (5,097 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Asheville, 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

48.6k

2023 Value

± 2,309

0.511%

1 Year growth

± 6.66%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Asheville, NC grew at a rate of 0.511%, from 48.3k employees to 48.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Asheville, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (7,326 people), Accommodation & Food Services (7,011 people), and Retail Trade (5,207 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Asheville, NC, though some of these residents may live in Asheville, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$42,101

Median earning men ± $2,928

$37,833

Median earning women ± $2,514

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Public Administration ($68,150), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($63,750), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($59,606).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Wholesale Trade ($102,625), Public Administration ($60,838), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($55,593).

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.

Education

In 2022, universities in Asheville, NC awarded 1,894 degrees. The student population of Asheville, NC in 2022 is skewed towards women, with 3,742 male students and 5,876 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Asheville, NC are White (1,427 and 76.6%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (174 and 9.34%), Black or African American (79 and 4.24%), and Unknown (70 and 3.76%).

The largest universities in Asheville, NC by number of degrees awarded are Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (1,001 and 52.9%), University of North Carolina at Asheville (782 and 41.3%), and Center for Massage (455910) (53 and 2.8%).

The most popular majors in Asheville, NC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (282 and 14.9%), General Psychology (108 and 5.7%), and General Business Administration & Management (88 and 4.65%).

The median tuition cost in Asheville, NC for a public four year colleges is $4,122 for in-state students and $21,470 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2022 in Asheville, NC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 74.3%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 15.9%. The number of students enrolled in 2022 was 9,618 (38.9% men and 61.1% 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 2022 there were 9,618 students enrolled in Asheville, NC, 38.9% men and 61.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 7,039 records, of which 60.4% were women and 39.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
50 degrees awarded
Digital Arts
47 degrees awarded
General Psychology
108 degrees awarded

In 2022, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Asheville, NC was General Business Administration & Management with 50 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
1,001 degrees awarded
University of North Carolina at Asheville
782 degrees awarded
Center for Massage (455910)
53 degrees awarded

In 2022, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College with 1,001 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2022, 753 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Asheville, NC, which is 0.66 times less than the 1,141 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2022 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,427 degrees mean that there were 8.2 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 174 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 for-profit, 4-year or above ($65,720) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2022.

Public, 4-year or above ($3,258) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2022.

Public, 2-year ($2,000) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

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 Asheville, NC was $411,000 in 2023, which is 1.35 times larger than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $376,800 to $411,000, a 9.08% increase. The homeownership rate in Asheville, NC is 50.3%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Asheville, NC have an average commute time of 18 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Asheville, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Asheville, NC is $67,221. In 2023, the place with the highest median household income in Asheville, NC was Census Tract 17 with a value of $109,838, followed by Census Tract 5 and Census Tract 22.06, with respective values of $107,009 and $105,462.

Housing

Property

$411,000

Median Property Value 2023

±$15,237

$19,138

Median Property Taxes

±$1,148

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 Asheville, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

50.3%

Homeownership

2023

65.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 50.3% of the housing units in Asheville, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 50%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Asheville, 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 17
Census Tract 5
Census Tract 22.06

In 2023, the place with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Asheville, NC was Census Tract 17 with a value of $109,838, followed by Census Tract 5 and Census Tract 22.06, with respective values of $107,009 and $105,462.

The following map shows all of the places in Asheville, 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.

$67,221

Median Household Income

± $3,139

38k

Number of Households

± 1,683

In 2023, the median household income of the 38k households in Asheville, NC grew to $67,221 from the previous year's value of $63,810.

The following chart displays the households in Asheville, 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 Asheville, 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 2023

Drove Alone (68.4%)
Worked At Home (18.7%)
Carpooled (5.82%)

In 2023, 68.4% of workers in Asheville, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (18.7%) and those who carpooled to work (5.82%).

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

18 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Asheville, NC have a shorter commute time (18 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 0.682% of the workforce in Asheville, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

14.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Asheville, NC (13.3k out of 91.2k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Asheville, NC is White, followed by Black 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.

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

87.3% of the population of Asheville, NC has health coverage, with 42.3% on employee plans, 12.3% on Medicaid, 13.5% on Medicare, 17.9% on non-group plans, and 1.24% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Buncombe County, NC see 712 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.565% increase from the previous year (708 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1331 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 133 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the country level. Showing data for Buncombe County, NC.

712 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Buncombe County, NC

Primary care physicians in Buncombe County, NC see an average of 712 patients per year. This represents a 0.565% increase from the previous year (708 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 17.7% under 18 years, 24.2% between 18 and 34 years, 39.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.1% were men and 52.9% were women.

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

Uninsured People

12.7%

Uninsured

42.3%

Employer Coverage

12.3%

Medicaid

13.5%

Medicare

17.9%

Non-Group

1.24%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Asheville, NC grew by 11.5% from 11.4% to 12.7%.

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

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