Sylva, NC

Census Place

2024 Population

2,646

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

31.4

3.63% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

19.4%

27.3% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$44,086

5.15% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$201,200

Population & Diversity

Sylva, NC is home to a population of 2.65k people, from which 91.8% are citizens.

As of 2024, 9.45% of Sylva, NC residents were born outside of the country (250 people).

In 2024, there were 7.37 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.84k people) in Sylva, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 249 Other (Hispanic) and 152 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

91.8%

2024 Citizenship

91.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 91.8% of Sylva, NC residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Sylva, NC was 91.9%, 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)
1.84k ± 277
Other (Hispanic)
249 ± 165
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
152 ± 165

16.6%

Hispanic Population

438 people

16.6% of the people in Sylva, NC are hispanic (438 people).

The following chart shows the 8 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
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

9.45%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

250 people

8.96%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

233 people

As of 2024, 9.45% of Sylva, NC residents (250 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 Sylva, NC was 8.96%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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
41 ± 34
Gulf War (1990s)
29 ± 30
Gulf War (2001-)
7 ± 23

Sylva, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.41 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Sylva, NC employs 1.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Sylva, NC were Accommodation & Food Services (296 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (201 people), and Educational Services (175 people), and the highest paying industries were Educational Services ($51,198), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($45,750), and Construction ($41,250).

Employment

Occupations

1.2k

2024 Value

± 319

9.33%

1 Year growth

± 38%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Sylva, NC grew at a rate of 9.33%, from 1.09k employees to 1.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Sylva, NC, are Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance Occupations (298 people), Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (224 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (161 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 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

1.2k

2024 Value

± 319

9.33%

1 Year growth

± 38%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Sylva, NC grew at a rate of 9.33%, from 1.09k employees to 1.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Sylva, NC, are Accommodation & Food Services (296 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (201 people), and Educational Services (175 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

$35,549

Median earning men ± $6,827

$28,359

Median earning women ± $4,742

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($54,167), Construction ($41,492), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($36,563).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodations & Food Services ($30,101), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($27,365), and Retail Trade ($22,292).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Sylva, NC was $201,200 in 2024, which is 0.605 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $195,500 to $201,200, a 2.92% increase. The homeownership rate in Sylva, NC is 45.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Sylva, NC have an average commute time of 23.6 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

$201,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$31,369

$466

Median Property Taxes

±$115

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

45.3%

Homeownership

2024

69.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 45.3% of the housing units in Sylva, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 40.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Sylva, 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.

$44,086

Median Household Income

± $6,090

1.03k

Number of Households

± 234

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.03k households in Sylva, NC grew to $44,086 from the previous year's value of $41,926.

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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Sylva, 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 (72.5%)
Carpooled (21.6%)
Worked At Home (2.85%)

In 2024, 72.5% of workers in Sylva, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (21.6%) and those who worked at home (2.85%).

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

23.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Sylva, NC have a shorter commute time (23.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.04% 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

19.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Sylva, NC (492 out of 2.54k 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 65 - 74, followed by Males 25 - 34 and then Females 55 - 64.

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

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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