Mitchell County, NC

County

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2024 Population

14,992

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Poverty Rate

12.9%

0.288% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$57,602

0.838% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$220,100

8.91% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

6,688

0.829% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Mitchell 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.

98.9% of the residents in Mitchell County, NC are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Mitchell County, NC was $220,100, and the homeownership rate was 76.3%.

Most people in Mitchell County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 24.4 minutes. The average car ownership in Mitchell County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Mitchell County, NC borders Avery County, NC, McDowell County, NC, Yancey County, NC, Carter County, TN, and Unicoi County, TN.

United States North Carolina

Population & Diversity

Mitchell County, NC is home to a population of 15k people, from which 98.9% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.37% of Mitchell County, NC residents were born outside of the country (356 people).

In 2024, there were 35.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (13.6k people) in Mitchell County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 386 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 343 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.9%

2024 Citizenship

98.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.9% of Mitchell County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Mitchell County, NC was 98.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Mitchell County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
13.6k ± 57
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
386 ± 170
Other (Hispanic)
343 ± 171

5.58%

Hispanic Population

836 people

5.58% of the people in Mitchell County, NC are hispanic (836 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Mitchell 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

2.37%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

356 people

3.09%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

463 people

As of 2024, 2.37% of Mitchell County, NC residents (356 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 Mitchell County, NC was 3.09%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
386 ± 139
Gulf War (2001-)
162 ± 89
Korea
82 ± 66

Mitchell County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.38 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Mitchell County, NC employs 6.69k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Mitchell County, NC were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,110 people), Manufacturing (906 people), and Educational Services (873 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($85,063), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($83,750), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($80,714).

Employment

Occupations

6.69k

2024 Value

± 643

0.829%

1 Year growth

± 13.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Mitchell County, NC grew at a rate of 0.829%, from 6.63k employees to 6.69k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Mitchell County, NC, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (717 people), Management Occupations (701 people), and Production Occupations (502 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Mitchell 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

6.69k

2024 Value

± 643

0.829%

1 Year growth

± 13.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Mitchell County, NC grew at a rate of 0.829%, from 6.63k employees to 6.69k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Mitchell County, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,110 people), Manufacturing (906 people), and Educational Services (873 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Mitchell County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Mitchell County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$47,568

Median earning men ± $2,584

$35,981

Median earning women ± $3,660

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($87,899), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($73,650), and Public Administration ($54,756).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($80,045), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($67,880), and Public Administration ($54,448).

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

46
Other Services (except Public Administration)
31
Retail Trade
26
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

$36.5k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$35.8k
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
$23.1k
Manufacturing

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Mitchell County, NC was $220,100 in 2024, which is 0.662 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $202,100 to $220,100, a 8.91% increase. The homeownership rate in Mitchell County, NC is 76.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Mitchell County, NC have an average commute time of 24.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Mitchell County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 8.93% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Mitchell County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.67%.

Housing

Property

$220,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$13,554

$5,023

Median Property Taxes

±$502

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 Mitchell County, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

76.3%

Homeownership

2024

70.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 76.3% of the housing units in Mitchell County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 77.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Mitchell 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.

$57,602

Median Household Income

± $5,146

6.59k

Number of Households

± 572

In 2024, the median household income of the 6.59k households in Mitchell County, NC declined from $57,602 from the previous year's value of $58,089.

The following chart displays the households in Mitchell 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 Mitchell 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 (79%)
Carpooled (10.8%)
Worked At Home (7.21%)

In 2024, 79% of workers in Mitchell County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.8%) and those who worked at home (7.21%).

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

24.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Mitchell County, NC have a shorter commute time (24.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.92% of the workforce in Mitchell County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 8.93% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Mitchell County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.67%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

12.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Mitchell County, NC (1.88k out of 14.6k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 75+.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Mitchell County, 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.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 19.8% of the children was living in poverty in Mitchell County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 9.5%.

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.

Health

90.7% of the population of Mitchell County, NC has health coverage, with 37.7% on employee plans, 13.6% on Medicaid, 19.5% on Medicare, 18.5% on non-group plans, and 1.46% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Mitchell County, NC see 2,138 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,138 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1509 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 789 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.9% were men and 51.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,138 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Mitchell County, NC

Primary care physicians in Mitchell County, NC see an average of 2,138 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,138 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 18.9% under 18 years, 17.7% between 18 and 34 years, 37.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 25.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.9% were men and 51.1% were women.

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

Uninsured People

9.33%

Uninsured

37.7%

Employer Coverage

13.6%

Medicaid

19.5%

Medicare

18.5%

Non-Group

1.46%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Mitchell County, NC declined by 6.78% from 10% to 9.33%.

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