Cullowhee, NC

Census Place

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2023 Population

7,300

8.71% 1-year growth

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

20.9

0.966% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

51.3%

0.708% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$35,076

9.43% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

3,586

9.63% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Cullowhee, NC had a population of 7.3k people with a median age of 20.9 and a median household income of $35,076. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Cullowhee, NC grew from 6,715 to 7,300, a 8.71% increase and its median household income grew from $32,054 to $35,076, a 9.43% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Cullowhee, NC are White (Non-Hispanic) (77.9%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (7.37%), Two+ (Hispanic) (5.95%), White (Hispanic) (1.99%), and Other (Hispanic) (1.74%).

None of the households in Cullowhee, 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.

95.4% of the residents in Cullowhee, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Cullowhee, NC are Western Carolina University (3,493 degrees awarded in 2022).

Most people in Cullowhee, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 19.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Cullowhee, NC was 2 cars per household.

United States North Carolina Jackson County, NC Cullowhee, NC Jackson (South), Macon, Cherokee & Clay Counties PUMA, NC

Population & Diversity

Cullowhee, NC is home to a population of 7.3k people, from which 95.4% are citizens. As of 2023, 6.07% of Cullowhee, NC residents were born outside of the country (443 people).

In 2023, there were 10.6 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (5.69k people) in Cullowhee, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 538 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 434 Two+ (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.4%

2023 Citizenship

94.8%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 95.4% of Cullowhee, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Cullowhee, NC was 94.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Cullowhee, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
5.69k ± 507
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
538 ± 228
Two+ (Hispanic)
434 ± 361

10.5%

Hispanic Population

765 people

10.5% of the people in Cullowhee, NC are hispanic (765 people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Cullowhee, 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

6.07%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

443 people

6.48%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

435 people

As of 2023, 6.07% of Cullowhee, NC residents (443 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 Cullowhee, NC was 6.48%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
139 ± 131
Vietnam
14 ± 35
Gulf War (1990s)
0 ± 27

Cullowhee, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 9.93 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Cullowhee, NC employs 3.59k people. The largest industries in Cullowhee, NC are Retail Trade (799 people), Educational Services (603 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (566 people), and the highest paying industries are Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($35,179), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($35,107), and Administrative & Support & Waste Management Services ($34,000).

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

3.59k

2023 Value

± 594

9.63%

1 Year growth

± 21.7%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Cullowhee, NC grew at a rate of 9.63%, from 3.27k employees to 3.59k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Cullowhee, NC, are Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (658 people), Sales & Related Occupations (615 people), and Personal Care & Service Occupations (310 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Cullowhee, 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

3.59k

2023 Value

± 594

9.63%

1 Year growth

± 21.7%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Cullowhee, NC grew at a rate of 9.63%, from 3.27k employees to 3.59k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Cullowhee, NC, are Retail Trade (799 people), Educational Services (603 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (566 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Cullowhee, NC, though some of these residents may live in Cullowhee, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$15,750

Median earning men ± $10,013

$10,444

Median earning women ± $2,588

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($26,506), Construction ($25,729), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($25,461).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($35,786), Retail Trade ($11,299), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($9,295).

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 Cullowhee, NC awarded 3,493 degrees. The student population of Cullowhee, NC in 2022 is skewed towards women, with 4,797 male students and 6,838 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Cullowhee, NC are White (2,718 and 79.9%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (265 and 7.79%), Black or African American (189 and 5.55%), and Two or More Races (112 and 3.29%).

The largest universities in Cullowhee, NC by number of degrees awarded are Western Carolina University (3,493 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Cullowhee, NC are General Business Administration & Management (302 and 8.65%), Registered Nursing (289 and 8.27%), and Criminal Justice - Safety Studies (149 and 4.27%).

The median tuition cost in Cullowhee, NC for a public four year colleges is $1,000 for in-state students and $5,000 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2022 in Cullowhee, NC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 84.8%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 12.7%. The number of students enrolled in 2022 was 11,635 (41.2% men and 58.8% 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 11,635 students enrolled in Cullowhee, NC, 41.2% men and 58.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 8,905 records, of which 58.7% were women and 41.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Criminal Justice - Safety Studies
149 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
273 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
250 degrees awarded

In 2022, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Cullowhee, NC was Criminal Justice - Safety Studies with 149 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Western Carolina University

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

3,493 degrees awarded

In 2022, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Western Carolina University with 3,493 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2022, 1,420 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Cullowhee, NC, which is 0.685 times less than the 2,073 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 2,718 degrees mean that there were 10.3 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 265 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

Public, 4-year or above ($1,000) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2022.

Public, 4-year or above ($3,453) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2022.

Public, 4-year or above ($621) 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

People in Cullowhee, NC have an average commute time of 19.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Cullowhee, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Rent vs Own

7.74%

Homeownership

2023

72.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 7.74% of the housing units in Cullowhee, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 9.33%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Census Tract 9507

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

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

$35,076

Median Household Income

± $17,932

1.96k

Number of Households

± 452

In 2023, the median household income of the 1.96k households in Cullowhee, NC grew to $35,076 from the previous year's value of $32,054.

The following chart displays the households in Cullowhee, 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 < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Cullowhee, 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 (70.6%)
Walked (15.8%)
Worked At Home (6.36%)

In 2023, 70.6% of workers in Cullowhee, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who walked to work (15.8%) and those who worked at home (6.36%).

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

19.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Cullowhee, NC have a shorter commute time (19.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 0.488% of the workforce in Cullowhee, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

51.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Cullowhee, NC (1.99k out of 3.87k 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 Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Males 25 - 34.

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

90.9% of the population of Cullowhee, NC has health coverage, with 58.5% on employee plans, 7.52% on Medicaid, 1.66% on Medicare, 21.3% on non-group plans, and 1.89% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Jackson County, NC see 1258 patients per year on average, which represents a 5.89% increase from the previous year (1188 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2067 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 214 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

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

1,258 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Jackson County, NC

Primary care physicians in Jackson County, NC see an average of 1,258 patients per year. This represents a 5.89% increase from the previous year (1,188 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 15.9% under 18 years, 74.9% between 18 and 34 years, 7.63% between 35 and 64 years, and 1.56% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.3% were men and 50.7% were women.

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

Uninsured People

9.11%

Uninsured

58.5%

Employer Coverage

7.52%

Medicaid

1.66%

Medicare

21.3%

Non-Group

1.89%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Cullowhee, NC declined by 8.7% from 9.98% to 9.11%.

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

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