Graham County, NC

County

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2024 Population

8,072

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

45.6

0.22% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

6.7%

23% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$49,684

1.32% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$170,600

9.5% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

3,193

5.11% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Graham 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.

99.1% of the residents in Graham County, NC are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Graham County, NC was $170,600, and the homeownership rate was 80.7%.

Most people in Graham County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 24.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Graham County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Graham County, NC borders Cherokee County, NC, Macon County, NC, Swain County, NC, Blount County, TN, and Monroe County, TN.

United States North Carolina

Population & Diversity

Graham County, NC is home to a population of 8.07k people, from which 99.1% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.9% of Graham County, NC residents were born outside of the country (153 people).

In 2024, there were 8.89 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (6.85k people) in Graham County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 771 American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) and 104 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.1%

2024 Citizenship

98.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.1% of Graham County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Graham County, NC was 98.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Graham County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
6.85k ± 16
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
771 ± 88
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
104 ± 73

2.97%

Hispanic Population

240 people

2.97% of the people in Graham County, NC are hispanic (240 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Graham 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

1.9%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

153 people

2.44%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

196 people

As of 2024, 1.9% of Graham County, NC residents (153 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 Graham County, NC was 2.44%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
179 ± 82
Gulf War (2001-)
47 ± 45
Gulf War (1990s)
34 ± 38

Graham County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.81 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Graham County, NC employs 3.19k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Graham County, NC were Health Care & Social Assistance (518 people), Construction (450 people), and Educational Services (425 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($78,750), Public Administration ($65,529), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($63,598).

Employment

Occupations

3.19k

2024 Value

± 405

−5.11%

1 Year decline

± 18.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Graham County, NC declined at a rate of −5.11%, from 3.37k employees to 3.19k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Graham County, NC, are Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (388 people), Construction & Extraction Occupations (319 people), and Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (318 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Graham 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

3.19k

2024 Value

± 405

−5.11%

1 Year decline

± 18.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Graham County, NC declined at a rate of −5.11%, from 3.37k employees to 3.19k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Graham County, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (518 people), Construction (450 people), and Educational Services (425 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Graham County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Graham County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,944

Median earning men ± $7,264

$33,221

Median earning women ± $7,711

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($66,082), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($61,059), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($59,861).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($48,083), Public Administration ($41,438), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($40,153).

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

20
Other Services (except Public Administration)
18
Construction
14
Retail Trade

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

$19.1k
Construction
$12.3k
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
$8.38k
Retail Trade

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Graham County, NC was $170,600 in 2024, which is 0.513 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $155,800 to $170,600, a 9.5% increase. The homeownership rate in Graham County, NC is 80.7%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Graham County, NC have an average commute time of 24.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Graham County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 10.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Graham County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.34%.

Housing

Property

$170,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$23,203

$2,844

Median Property Taxes

±$375

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

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

Rent vs Own

80.7%

Homeownership

2024

64.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 80.7% of the housing units in Graham County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 80.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Graham 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.

$49,684

Median Household Income

± $4,545

3.52k

Number of Households

± 415

In 2024, the median household income of the 3.52k households in Graham County, NC grew to $49,684 from the previous year's value of $49,038.

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

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Graham 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 (81.7%)
Carpooled (11.7%)
Other (3.13%)

In 2024, 81.7% of workers in Graham County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.7%) and those who used some unspecified means to get work (3.13%).

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

24.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Graham County, NC have a shorter commute time (24.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.8% of the workforce in Graham County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 10.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Graham County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.34%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

6.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Graham County, NC (531 out of 7.93k 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 Males 55 - 64, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Males 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Graham County, NC is White, followed by Other 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, 23.3% of the children was living in poverty in Graham County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 10.5%.

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 292 in Graham County, NC. From 2019 to 2022, the indicator grew 0 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

87.5% of the population of Graham County, NC has health coverage, with 27.9% on employee plans, 19.6% on Medicaid, 20.6% on Medicare, 16.1% on non-group plans, and 3.27% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Graham County, NC see 2,681 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,681 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 3990 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 1006 patients per year.

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

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,681 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Graham County, NC

Primary care physicians in Graham County, NC see an average of 2,681 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,681 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.2% under 18 years, 18.5% between 18 and 34 years, 36.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 25.2% over 64 years.

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

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

Uninsured People

12.5%

Uninsured

27.9%

Employer Coverage

19.6%

Medicaid

20.6%

Medicare

16.1%

Non-Group

3.27%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Graham County, NC declined by 8.67% from 13.7% to 12.5%.

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