Asheville, NC

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2024 Population

414,711

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

0.457% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

11.8%

0.366% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$71,838

3.76% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$370,900

9.6% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

195,391

0.0752% 1-year decline

About

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.

96% of the residents in Asheville, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Asheville, NC are Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (1,456 degrees awarded in 2023), Blue Ridge Community College (801 degrees), and University of North Carolina Asheville (684 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Asheville, NC was $370,900, and the homeownership rate was 69.6%.

Most people in Asheville, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 22.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Asheville, NC was 2 cars per household.

Asheville, NC borders Brevard, NC, Cullowhee, NC, Forest City, NC, Greeneville, TN, Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC, Johnson City, TN, Marion, NC, Newport, TN, and Sevierville, TN.

Photo by Cayce

United States North Carolina

Population & Diversity

Asheville, NC is home to a population of 415k people, from which 96% are citizens. As of 2024, 6.88% of Asheville, NC residents were born outside of the country (28.5k people).

In 2024, there were 17.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (336k people) in Asheville, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 19.4k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 16.6k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96%

2024 Citizenship

96.1%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96% of Asheville, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Asheville, NC was 96.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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)
336k ± 739
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
19.4k ± 1.7k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
16.6k ± 980

9.59%

Hispanic Population

39.8k people

9.59% of the people in Asheville, NC are hispanic (39.8k people).

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

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA 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

6.88%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

28.5k people

6.89%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

28.3k people

As of 2024, 6.88% of Asheville, NC residents (28.5k 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 Asheville, NC was 6.89%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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
8,718 ± 714
Gulf War (2001-)
4,343 ± 610
Gulf War (1990s)
3,251 ± 385

Asheville, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.01 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Asheville, NC employs 195k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Asheville, NC were Health Care & Social Assistance (32,185 people), Retail Trade (24,512 people), and Manufacturing (19,554 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($90,921), Utilities ($71,380), and Finance & Insurance ($67,050).

Employment

Occupations

195k

2024 Value

± 4,267

−0.0752%

1 Year decline

± 3.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Asheville, NC declined at a rate of −0.0752%, from 196k employees to 195k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Asheville, NC, are Management Occupations (21,785 people), Sales & Related Occupations (20,321 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (17,758 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 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

195k

2024 Value

± 4,267

−0.0752%

1 Year decline

± 3.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Asheville, NC declined at a rate of −0.0752%, from 196k employees to 195k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Asheville, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (32,185 people), Retail Trade (24,512 people), and Manufacturing (19,554 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

$47,671

Median earning men ± $1,545

$37,280

Median earning women ± $1,072

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($71,765), Information ($69,000), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($63,884).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($57,594), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($50,256), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($47,081).

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

1,126
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
1,029
Construction
846
Health Care and Social Assistance

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

$2.15M
Health Care and Social Assistance
$1.24M
Manufacturing
$867k
Retail Trade

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

Education

In 2023, universities in Asheville, NC awarded 3,649 degrees. The student population of Asheville, NC in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 6,070 male students and 9,129 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Asheville, NC are White (2,715 and 75.6%), Hispanic or Latino (383 and 10.7%), Black or African American (177 and 4.93%), and Unknown (144 and 4.01%).

The largest universities in Asheville, NC by number of degrees awarded are Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (1,456 and 39.9%), Blue Ridge Community College (801 and 22%), and University of North Carolina Asheville (684 and 18.7%).

The most popular majors in Asheville, NC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (476 and 13%), General Business Administration & Management (248 and 6.8%), and Registered Nursing (116 and 3.18%).

The median tuition costs in Asheville, NC are $37,270 for private four year colleges, and $4,122 and $21,470 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Asheville, NC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 84%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 16.1%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 15,199 (39.9% men and 60.1% 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 2023 there were 15,199 students enrolled in Asheville, NC, 39.9% men and 60.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 10,751 records, of which 59.7% were women and 40.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
108 degrees awarded
Environmental Studies
72 degrees awarded
General Psychology
112 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Asheville, NC was General Business Administration & Management with 108 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
1,456 degrees awarded
Blue Ridge Community College
801 degrees awarded
University of North Carolina Asheville
684 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College with 1,456 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 1,463 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Asheville, NC, which is 0.669 times less than the 2,186 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 2,715 degrees mean that there were 7.09 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 383 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 ($37,270) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($3,339) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Private for-profit, 4-year or above ($3,600) 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 Asheville, NC was $370,900 in 2024, which is 1.11 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $338,400 to $370,900, a 9.6% increase. The homeownership rate in Asheville, NC is 69.6%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Asheville, NC have an average commute time of 22.1 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.

Housing

Property

$370,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$5,777

$112,183

Median Property Taxes

±$2,593

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

69.6%

Homeownership

2024

69.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 69.6% of the housing units in Asheville, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 68.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Asheville, 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.

$71,838

Median Household Income

± $1,824

161k

Number of Households

± 3,439

In 2024, the median household income of the 161k households in Asheville, NC grew to $71,838 from the previous year's value of $69,236.

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.

0.467

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 (72.4%)
Worked At Home (15.2%)
Carpooled (8.74%)

In 2024, 72.4% of workers in Asheville, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (15.2%) and those who carpooled to work (8.74%).

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

22.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Asheville, NC have a shorter commute time (22.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.12% 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

11.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Asheville, NC (47.7k out of 405k 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 Females 35 - 44, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Asheville, 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

88.8% of the population of Asheville, NC has health coverage, with 39.4% on employee plans, 14% on Medicaid, 17.1% on Medicare, 17.1% on non-group plans, and 1.29% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in North Carolina see 1,413 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,413 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1634 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 299 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.4% were men and 51.6% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

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

1,413 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in North Carolina

Primary care physicians in North Carolina see an average of 1,413 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,413 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 19.4% under 18 years, 18.9% between 18 and 34 years, 39.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 22.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.4% were men and 51.6% were women.

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

Uninsured People

11.2%

Uninsured

39.4%

Employer Coverage

14%

Medicaid

17.1%

Medicare

17.1%

Non-Group

1.29%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Asheville, NC declined by 5.49% from 11.8% to 11.2%.

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.

Keep Exploring

North Carolina

State

Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC