Sylva, NC

Census Place

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2023 Population

2,600

0.0384% 1-year decline

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

30.3

0.664% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

26.6%

8.32% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$41,926

8.32% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$195,500

11.7% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

1,093

5.71% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Sylva, NC had a population of 2.6k people with a median age of 30.3 and a median household income of $41,926. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Sylva, NC declined from 2,601 to 2,600, a −0.0384% decrease and its median household income grew from $38,704 to $41,926, a 8.32% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Sylva, NC are White (Non-Hispanic) (74.1%), Other (Hispanic) (8.58%), American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) (5.15%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (3.92%), and Two+ (Hispanic) (2.69%).

None of the households in Sylva, 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.

91.9% of the residents in Sylva, NC are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in Sylva, NC was $195,500, and the homeownership rate was 40.3%.

Most people in Sylva, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 24.6 minutes. The average car ownership in Sylva, 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

Sylva, NC is home to a population of 2.6k people, from which 91.9% are citizens. As of 2023, 8.96% of Sylva, NC residents were born outside of the country (233 people).

In 2023, there were 8.64 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.93k people) in Sylva, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 223 Other (Hispanic) and 134 American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

91.9%

2023 Citizenship

92.4%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 91.9% of Sylva, NC residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Sylva, NC was 92.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Sylva, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
1.93k ± 292
Other (Hispanic)
223 ± 182
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
134 ± 149

13.1%

Hispanic Population

341 people

13.1% of the people in Sylva, NC are hispanic (341 people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Sylva, 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

8.96%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

233 people

9.23%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

240 people

As of 2023, 8.96% of Sylva, NC residents (233 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 Sylva, NC was 9.23%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
37 ± 33
Gulf War (1990s)
22 ± 37
Gulf War (2001-)
5 ± 23

Sylva, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.68 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Sylva, NC employs 1.09k people. The largest industries in Sylva, NC are Accommodation & Food Services (218 people), Administrative & Support & Waste Management Services (189 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (174 people), and the highest paying industries are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($70,625), Transportation & Warehousing ($70,625), and Educational Services ($51,053).

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

1.09k

2023 Value

± 348

5.71%

1 Year growth

± 43.4%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Sylva, NC grew at a rate of 5.71%, from 1.03k employees to 1.09k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Sylva, NC, are Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance Occupations (325 people), Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (202 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (120 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Sylva, 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

1.09k

2023 Value

± 348

5.71%

1 Year growth

± 43.4%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Sylva, NC grew at a rate of 5.71%, from 1.03k employees to 1.09k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Sylva, NC, are Accommodation & Food Services (218 people), Administrative & Support & Waste Management Services (189 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (174 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Sylva, NC, though some of these residents may live in Sylva, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$30,917

Median earning men ± $13,482

$26,582

Median earning women ± $3,937

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Construction ($65,625), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($54,231), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($37,667).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Retail Trade ($28,125), Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodations & Food Services ($28,063), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($27,329).

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

Completions

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.

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

The median property value in Sylva, NC was $195,500 in 2023, which is 0.644 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $175,000 to $195,500, a 11.7% increase. The homeownership rate in Sylva, NC is 40.3%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Sylva, NC have an average commute time of 24.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Sylva, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$195,500

Median Property Value 2023

±$22,997

$420

Median Property Taxes

±$119

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

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

Rent vs Own

40.3%

Homeownership

2023

69.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 40.3% of the housing units in Sylva, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 40%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

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

$41,926

Median Household Income

± $9,590

1.04k

Number of Households

± 266

In 2023, the median household income of the 1.04k households in Sylva, NC grew to $41,926 from the previous year's value of $38,704.

The following chart displays the households in Sylva, 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 Sylva, 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 (71.1%)
Carpooled (22%)
Worked At Home (2.87%)

In 2023, 71.1% of workers in Sylva, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (22%) and those who worked at home (2.87%).

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

24.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Sylva, NC have a shorter commute time (24.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 1.38% of the workforce in Sylva, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

26.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Sylva, NC (665 out of 2.5k 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 Females 6 - 11, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 18 - 24.

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

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

74.5% of the population of Sylva, NC has health coverage, with 30.5% on employee plans, 28.9% on Medicaid, 7.88% on Medicare, 6.22% on non-group plans, and 1.01% 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 32.1% under 18 years, 28.9% between 18 and 34 years, 28.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 10.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 40.7% were men and 59.3% were women.

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

Uninsured People

25.5%

Uninsured

30.5%

Employer Coverage

28.9%

Medicaid

7.88%

Medicare

6.22%

Non-Group

1.01%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Sylva, NC declined by 6.71% from 27.3% to 25.5%.

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

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