Sylva, NC

Census Place

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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
2.92% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
1,195
9.33% 1-year growth

About

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.

91.8% of the residents in Sylva, NC are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Sylva, NC was $201,200, and the homeownership rate was 45.3%.

Most people in Sylva, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 23.6 minutes. The average car ownership in Sylva, NC was 2 cars per household.

United StatesNorth CarolinaJackson County, NCCullowhee, NCJackson (South), Macon, Cherokee & Clay Counties PUMA, NC

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.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Sylva, NC
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    1.84k ± 277
  2. Other (Hispanic)
    249 ± 165
  3. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    152 ± 165
16.6%
Hispanic Population
438 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.

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.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for North Carolina.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    224,963 ± 11,520 people
  2. India
    83,219 ± 7,055 people
  3. 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.

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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.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    41 ± 34
  2. Gulf War (1990s)
    29 ± 30
  3. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 < $10k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Sylva, 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (72.5%)
  2. Carpooled (21.6%)
  3. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Health

76.3% of the population of Sylva, NC has health coverage, with 25.6% on employee plans, 32.7% on Medicaid, 8.31% on Medicare, 8.43% on non-group plans, and 1.35% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in North Carolina see 1,413 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,413 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1634 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 299 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.4% were men and 50.6% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 30% under 18 years, 25.2% between 18 and 34 years, 32.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 12.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.4% were men and 50.6% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

23.7%
Uninsured
25.6%
Employer Coverage
32.7%
Medicaid
8.31%
Medicare
8.43%
Non-Group
1.35%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Sylva, NC declined by 7.11% from 25.5% to 23.7%.

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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