Buncombe County, NC

County

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2024 Population

274,360

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

42.6

0.472% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

11.8%

0.521% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$74,436

5.47% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$391,800

8.83% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

130,666

0.627% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Buncombe 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.

96.1% of the residents in Buncombe County, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Buncombe County, NC are Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (1,456 degrees awarded in 2023), University of North Carolina Asheville (684 degrees), and Montreat College (208 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Buncombe County, NC was $391,800, and the homeownership rate was 66.2%.

Most people in Buncombe County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 21.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Buncombe County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Buncombe County, NC borders Haywood County, NC, Henderson County, NC, McDowell County, NC, Madison County, NC, Rutherford County, NC, Transylvania County, NC, and Yancey County, NC.

About the photo: North Carolina Welcome Center

Photo by David Ellis

United States North Carolina Asheville, NC

Population & Diversity

Buncombe County, NC is home to a population of 274k people, from which 96.1% are citizens. As of 2024, 6.71% of Buncombe County, NC residents were born outside of the country (18.4k people).

In 2024, there were 15.4 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (222k people) in Buncombe County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 14.4k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 13.2k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.1%

2024 Citizenship

96.1%

2023 Citizenship

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

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Buncombe County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
222k ± 557
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
14.4k ± 1.29k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
13.2k ± 896

8.56%

Hispanic Population

23.5k people

8.56% of the people in Buncombe County, NC are hispanic (23.5k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Buncombe 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

6.71%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

18.4k people

2023 Foreign-Born Population

19k people

As of 2024, 6.71% of Buncombe County, NC residents (18.4k 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 Buncombe County, NC was 7%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
5,082 ± 595
Gulf War (2001-)
2,736 ± 499
Gulf War (1990s)
2,094 ± 321

Buncombe County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.86 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Buncombe County, NC employs 131k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Buncombe County, NC were Health Care & Social Assistance (22,270 people), Retail Trade (15,713 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (13,422 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($207,917), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($67,718), and Finance & Insurance ($65,533).

Employment

Occupations

131k

2024 Value

± 3,710

−0.627%

1 Year decline

± 4.06%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Buncombe County, NC declined at a rate of −0.627%, from 131k employees to 131k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Buncombe County, NC, are Management Occupations (15,274 people), Sales & Related Occupations (14,344 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (11,596 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Buncombe 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

131k

2024 Value

± 3,710

−0.627%

1 Year decline

± 4.06%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Buncombe County, NC declined at a rate of −0.627%, from 131k employees to 131k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Buncombe County, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (22,270 people), Retail Trade (15,713 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (13,422 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Buncombe County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Buncombe County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,050

Median earning men ± $2,055

$38,984

Median earning women ± $1,858

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($68,705), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($67,289), and Public Administration ($66,930).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($63,194), Public Administration ($59,527), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($51,147).

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

895
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
686
Health Care and Social Assistance
665
Construction

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

$1.71M
Health Care and Social Assistance
$814k
Manufacturing
$641k
Retail Trade

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

Education

In 2023, universities in Buncombe County, NC awarded 2,622 degrees. The student population of Buncombe County, NC in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 4,419 male students and 6,909 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Buncombe County, NC are White (1,954 and 75.3%), Hispanic or Latino (262 and 10.1%), Unknown (117 and 4.51%), and Black or African American (112 and 4.32%).

The largest universities in Buncombe County, NC by number of degrees awarded are Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (1,456 and 55.5%), University of North Carolina Asheville (684 and 26.1%), and Montreat College (208 and 7.93%).

The most popular majors in Buncombe County, NC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (306 and 11.7%), General Business Administration & Management (135 and 5.15%), and General Psychology (95 and 3.62%).

The median tuition costs in Buncombe County, NC are $35,380 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 Buncombe County, NC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 85%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 14.1%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 11,328 (39% men and 61% 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 11,328 students enrolled in Buncombe County, NC, 39% men and 61% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 8,043 records, of which 60.3% were women and 39.7% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
78 degrees awarded
Environmental Studies
72 degrees awarded
General Psychology
95 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Buncombe County, NC was General Business Administration & Management with 78 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
1,456 degrees awarded
University of North Carolina Asheville
684 degrees awarded
Montreat College
208 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, 1,007 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Buncombe County, NC, which is 0.624 times less than the 1,615 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 1,954 degrees mean that there were 7.46 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 262 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 ($35,380) 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 Buncombe County, NC was $391,800 in 2024, which is 1.18 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $360,000 to $391,800, a 8.83% increase. The homeownership rate in Buncombe County, NC is 66.2%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Buncombe County, NC have an average commute time of 21.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Buncombe County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 13.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Buncombe County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.49%.

Housing

Property

$391,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,308

$67,411

Median Property Taxes

±$2,087

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

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

Rent vs Own

66.2%

Homeownership

2024

69%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 66.2% of the housing units in Buncombe County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 64.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Buncombe 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.

$74,436

Median Household Income

± $2,206

102k

Number of Households

± 2,833

In 2024, the median household income of the 102k households in Buncombe County, NC grew to $74,436 from the previous year's value of $70,578.

The following chart displays the households in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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 (70.5%)
Worked At Home (17.6%)
Carpooled (7.59%)

In 2024, 70.5% of workers in Buncombe County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (17.6%) and those who carpooled to work (7.59%).

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

21.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Buncombe County, NC have a shorter commute time (21.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.844% of the workforce in Buncombe County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 13.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Buncombe County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.49%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

11.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Buncombe County, NC (31.7k out of 268k 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 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Buncombe 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, 16.4% of the children was living in poverty in Buncombe County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 9.6%.

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 263 in Buncombe County, NC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 4.08 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

89.1% of the population of Buncombe County, NC has health coverage, with 41.6% on employee plans, 13.4% on Medicaid, 15.7% on Medicare, 17.2% on non-group plans, and 1.3% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Buncombe County, NC see 711 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (711 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1278 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 112 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.2% were men and 51.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

711 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Buncombe County, NC

Primary care physicians in Buncombe County, NC see an average of 711 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (711 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 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 19.3% under 18 years, 19.9% between 18 and 34 years, 40% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.2% were men and 51.8% were women.

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

Uninsured People

10.9%

Uninsured

41.6%

Employer Coverage

13.4%

Medicaid

15.7%

Medicare

17.2%

Non-Group

1.3%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Buncombe County, NC declined by 8.86% from 11.9% to 10.9%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 52.7 in Buncombe County, NC.

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

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, 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 26.2% in Buncombe County, NC.

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