Mills River, NC

Census Place

2024 Population

7,281

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

46.4

0.429% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

2.57%

28.3% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$105,398

19.3% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$436,100

Population & Diversity

Mills River, NC is home to a population of 7.28k people, from which 97.7% are citizens.

As of 2024, 7.36% of Mills River, NC residents were born outside of the country (536 people).

In 2024, there were 17.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (5.81k people) in Mills River, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 325 Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 307 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.7%

2024 Citizenship

98.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.7% of Mills River, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Mills River, NC was 98.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Mills River, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
5.81k ± 481
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
325 ± 160
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
307 ± 191

8.9%

Hispanic Population

648 people

8.9% of the people in Mills River, NC are hispanic (648 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Mills River, 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
228,441 ± 11,609 people
India
90,815 ± 7,367 people
Honduras
52,061 ± 5,588 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 228,441 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 90,815 and Honduras with 52,061.

Foreign-Born Population

7.36%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

536 people

5.07%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

366 people

As of 2024, 7.36% of Mills River, NC residents (536 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 Mills River, NC was 5.07%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
210 ± 97
Gulf War (1990s)
80 ± 91
Gulf War (2001-)
64 ± 49

Mills River, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.63 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Mills River, NC employs 3.64k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Mills River, NC were Retail Trade (689 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (549 people), and Manufacturing (494 people), and the highest paying industries were Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($123,654), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($65,972), and Manufacturing ($64,500).

Employment

Occupations

3.64k

2024 Value

± 421

5.35%

1 Year growth

± 15.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Mills River, NC grew at a rate of 5.35%, from 3.46k employees to 3.64k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Mills River, NC, are Sales & Related Occupations (569 people), Management Occupations (429 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (351 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Mills River, 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

3.64k

2024 Value

± 421

5.35%

1 Year growth

± 15.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Mills River, NC grew at a rate of 5.35%, from 3.46k employees to 3.64k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Mills River, NC, are Retail Trade (689 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (549 people), and Manufacturing (494 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Mills River, NC, though some of these residents may live in Mills River, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$61,241

Median earning men ± $6,315

$34,745

Median earning women ± $3,448

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($97,734), Public Administration ($93,235), and Wholesale Trade ($91,818).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($61,463), Public Administration ($58,182), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($53,300).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Mills River, NC was $436,100 in 2024, which is 1.31 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $358,500 to $436,100, a 21.6% increase. The homeownership rate in Mills River, NC is 85.6%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Mills River, NC have an average commute time of 20.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Mills River, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$436,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$46,517

$2,334

Median Property Taxes

±$295

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

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

Rent vs Own

85.6%

Homeownership

2024

69.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 85.6% of the housing units in Mills River, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 86%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Mills River, 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.

$105,398

Median Household Income

± $13,380

2.73k

Number of Households

± 323

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.73k households in Mills River, NC grew to $105,398 from the previous year's value of $88,359.

The following chart displays the households in Mills River, 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 $150k - $200k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Mills River, NC is from North Carolina.

0.466

2024 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2024, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.466 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.16% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 (76.4%)
Worked At Home (11.5%)
Carpooled (9.8%)

In 2024, 76.4% of workers in Mills River, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (11.5%) and those who carpooled to work (9.8%).

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

20.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Mills River, NC have a shorter commute time (20.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.569% of the workforce in Mills River, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

2.57% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Mills River, NC (186 out of 7.23k 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 65 - 74, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 12 - 14.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Mills River, NC is White, followed by Hispanic and Other.

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

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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