Swain County, NC

County

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2024 Population

14,013

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Poverty Rate

19.1%

9.23% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$52,349

5.56% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$207,000

1.33% 1-year decline

2024 Employed Population

6,061

4.59% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Swain 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.

97.9% of the residents in Swain County, NC are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Swain County, NC was $207,000, and the homeownership rate was 72.7%.

Most people in Swain County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 20.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Swain County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Swain County, NC borders Graham County, NC, Haywood County, NC, Jackson County, NC, Macon County, NC, Blount County, TN, and Sevier County, TN.

United States North Carolina

Population & Diversity

Swain County, NC is home to a population of 14k people, from which 97.9% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.79% of Swain County, NC residents were born outside of the country (391 people).

In 2024, there were 2.17 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (8.29k people) in Swain County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.82k American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) and 649 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.9%

2024 Citizenship

99.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.9% of Swain County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Swain County, NC was 99.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Swain County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
8.29k ± 82
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
3.82k ± 252
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
649 ± 81

5.47%

Hispanic Population

767 people

5.47% of the people in Swain County, NC are hispanic (767 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Swain 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

2.79%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

391 people

1.61%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

227 people

As of 2024, 2.79% of Swain County, NC residents (391 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 Swain County, NC was 1.61%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
203 ± 103
Vietnam
156 ± 90
Gulf War (1990s)
47 ± 37

Swain County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.3 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Swain County, NC employs 6.06k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Swain County, NC were Health Care & Social Assistance (924 people), Public Administration (689 people), and Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation (667 people), and the highest paying industries were Public Administration ($60,737), Utilities ($58,636), and Wholesale Trade ($53,750).

Employment

Occupations

6.06k

2024 Value

± 586

4.59%

1 Year growth

± 13.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Swain County, NC grew at a rate of 4.59%, from 5.8k employees to 6.06k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Swain County, NC, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (605 people), Construction & Extraction Occupations (568 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (524 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Swain 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

6.06k

2024 Value

± 586

4.59%

1 Year growth

± 13.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Swain County, NC grew at a rate of 4.59%, from 5.8k employees to 6.06k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Swain County, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (924 people), Public Administration (689 people), and Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation (667 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Swain County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Swain County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$40,684

Median earning men ± $3,842

$34,758

Median earning women ± $4,230

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($75,625), Public Administration ($59,118), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($45,500).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($83,669), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($57,614), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($41,859).

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

61
Retail Trade
35
Accommodation and Food Services
29
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

$67.7k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$18.1k
Accommodation and Food Services
$17k
Retail Trade

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Swain County, NC was $207,000 in 2024, which is 0.622 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $209,800 to $207,000, a 1.33% decrease. The homeownership rate in Swain County, NC is 72.7%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Swain County, NC have an average commute time of 20.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Swain County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 13.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Swain County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.915%.

Housing

Property

$207,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$19,733

$4,369

Median Property Taxes

±$442

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

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

Rent vs Own

72.7%

Homeownership

2024

64.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 72.7% of the housing units in Swain County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 73.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Swain 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.

$52,349

Median Household Income

± $5,811

6.01k

Number of Households

± 549

In 2024, the median household income of the 6.01k households in Swain County, NC declined from $52,349 from the previous year's value of $55,429.

The following chart displays the households in Swain 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 $100k - $125k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Swain 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 (80.4%)
Carpooled (9.93%)
Worked At Home (6.02%)

In 2024, 80.4% of workers in Swain County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.93%) and those who worked at home (6.02%).

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

20.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Swain County, NC have a shorter commute time (20.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.26% of the workforce in Swain County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 13.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Swain County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.915%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

19.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Swain County, NC (2.6k out of 13.6k 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 Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 45 - 54 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Swain County, NC is White, followed by Native American and Two Or More.

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 Swain County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 9%.

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 195 in Swain County, NC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 231 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

76.2% of the population of Swain County, NC has health coverage, with 30.5% on employee plans, 20.9% on Medicaid, 14.5% on Medicare, 9.28% on non-group plans, and 0.929% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Swain County, NC see 1,571 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,571 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1164 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 240 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.9% were men and 52.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,571 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Swain County, NC

Primary care physicians in Swain County, NC see an average of 1,571 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,571 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 22.4% under 18 years, 18.5% between 18 and 34 years, 39.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.9% were men and 52.1% were women.

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

Uninsured People

23.8%

Uninsured

30.5%

Employer Coverage

20.9%

Medicaid

14.5%

Medicare

9.28%

Non-Group

0.929%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Swain County, NC grew by 2.63% from 23.2% to 23.8%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Swain 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 109 in Swain County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Swain 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 36.8% in Swain County, NC.

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