Waynesville, NC

Census Place

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2024 Population
10,502
US Senator
Thom Tillis
Republican Party
US Senator
Ted Budd
Republican Party
2024 Median Age
46
2.95% 1-year decrease
2024 Poverty Rate
15.9%
3.7% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$54,923
8.64% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$281,700
10.6% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
5,075
5.97% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Waynesville, 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.

96.3% of the residents in Waynesville, NC are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Waynesville, NC was $281,700, and the homeownership rate was 57.3%.

Most people in Waynesville, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 19.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Waynesville, NC was 2 cars per household.

United StatesNorth CarolinaHaywood County, NCAsheville, NCHaywood, Madison, Swain, Graham & Jackson (North) Counties PUMA, NC

Population & Diversity

Waynesville, NC is home to a population of 10.5k people, from which 96.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 5.81% of Waynesville, NC residents were born outside of the country (610 people).

In 2024, there were 18.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (9.21k people) in Waynesville, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 489 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 364 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.3%
2024 Citizenship
96.5%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.3% of Waynesville, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Waynesville, NC was 96.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Waynesville, 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 Waynesville, NC
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    9.21k ± 356
  2. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    489 ± 273
  3. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    364 ± 172
6.64%
Hispanic Population
697 people

In 2024, there were 18.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (9.21k people) in Waynesville, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 489 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 364 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

6.64% of the people in Waynesville, NC are hispanic (697 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Waynesville, 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

5.81%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
610 people
5.33%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
555 people

As of 2024, 5.81% of Waynesville, NC residents (610 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 Waynesville, NC was 5.33%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    492 ± 166
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    206 ± 98
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    62 ± 37

Waynesville, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.39 times greater than any other conflict.

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

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Economy

The economy of Waynesville, NC employs 5.08k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Waynesville, NC were Health Care & Social Assistance (709 people), Retail Trade (679 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (667 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($91,838), Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation ($70,167), and Finance & Insurance ($66,250).

Employment

Occupations

5.08k
2024 Value
± 564
5.97%
1 Year growth
± 15.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Waynesville, NC grew at a rate of 5.97%, from 4.79k employees to 5.08k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Waynesville, NC, are Sales & Related Occupations (702 people), Management Occupations (535 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (498 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Waynesville, 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

5.08k
2024 Value
± 564
5.97%
1 Year growth
± 15.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Waynesville, NC grew at a rate of 5.97%, from 4.79k employees to 5.08k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Waynesville, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (709 people), Retail Trade (679 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (667 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Waynesville, NC, though some of these residents may live in Waynesville, 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

$44,907
Median earning men ± $3,762
$34,750
Median earning women ± $9,752

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($85,862), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($72,750), and Public Administration ($64,306).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($52,683), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($49,583), and Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodations & Food Services ($47,072).

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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 Waynesville, NC was $281,700 in 2024, which is 0.847 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $254,800 to $281,700, a 10.6% increase. The homeownership rate in Waynesville, NC is 57.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Waynesville, NC have an average commute time of 19.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Waynesville, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$281,700
Median Property Value 2024
±$21,301
$2,884
Median Property Taxes
±$336

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

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

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Rent vs Own

57.3%
Homeownership
2024
61.2%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 57.3% of the housing units in Waynesville, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 58.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Waynesville, 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.
$54,923
Median Household Income
± $7,816
5.04k
Number of Households
± 516

In 2024, the median household income of the 5.04k households in Waynesville, NC grew to $54,923 from the previous year's value of $50,554.

The following chart displays the households in Waynesville, 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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Waynesville, 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 (70%)
  2. Carpooled (13.7%)
  3. Worked At Home (12.4%)

In 2024, 70% of workers in Waynesville, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (13.7%) and those who worked at home (12.4%).

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

19.7 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Waynesville, NC have a shorter commute time (19.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.167% of the workforce in Waynesville, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

15.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Waynesville, NC (1.62k out of 10.2k 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 6 - 11, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males < 5.

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

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

84.7% of the population of Waynesville, NC has health coverage, with 29.1% on employee plans, 18.3% on Medicaid, 17% on Medicare, 17.9% on non-group plans, and 2.5% 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, 48.2% were men and 51.8% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 16.5% under 18 years, 20.3% between 18 and 34 years, 37.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 25.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.2% were men and 51.8% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

15.3%
Uninsured
29.1%
Employer Coverage
18.3%
Medicaid
17%
Medicare
17.9%
Non-Group
2.5%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Waynesville, NC declined by 1.67% from 15.5% to 15.3%.

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

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