West Jefferson, NC

Census Place

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2023 Population

1,567

3.91% 1-year growth

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

43.6

0.461% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

15.3%

10.8% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$54,306

32.3% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$217,900

14.1% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

649

10.6% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, West Jefferson, NC had a population of 1.57k people with a median age of 43.6 and a median household income of $54,306. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of West Jefferson, NC grew from 1,508 to 1,567, a 3.91% increase and its median household income grew from $41,036 to $54,306, a 32.3% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in West Jefferson, NC are White (Non-Hispanic) (85.1%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (7.98%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (3%), Two+ (Hispanic) (2.3%), and Other (Hispanic) (0.893%).

None of the households in West Jefferson, 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.

99.1% of the residents in West Jefferson, NC are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in West Jefferson, NC was $217,900, and the homeownership rate was 56.3%.

Most people in West Jefferson, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 18.1 minutes. The average car ownership in West Jefferson, NC was 3 cars per household.

United States North Carolina Ashe County, NC Boone High Country--Watauga, Ashe, Yancey, Avery & Mitchell Counties PUMA, NC

Population & Diversity

West Jefferson, NC is home to a population of 1.57k people, from which 99.1% are citizens. As of 2023, 1.72% of West Jefferson, NC residents were born outside of the country (27 people).

In 2023, there were 10.7 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.33k people) in West Jefferson, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 125 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 47 Two+ (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.1%

2023 Citizenship

98.9%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 99.1% of West Jefferson, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in West Jefferson, NC was 98.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in West Jefferson, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
1.33k ± 356
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
125 ± 99
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
47 ± 44.3

3.96%

Hispanic Population

62 people

3.96% of the people in West Jefferson, NC are hispanic (62 people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in West Jefferson, 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

1.72%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

27 people

2.92%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

44 people

As of 2023, 1.72% of West Jefferson, NC residents (27 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 West Jefferson, NC was 2.92%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
33 ± 33
Korea
9 ± 16
Gulf War (2001-)
2 ± 21

West Jefferson, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.67 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of West Jefferson, NC employs 649 people. The largest industries in West Jefferson, NC are Health Care & Social Assistance (155 people), Retail Trade (124 people), and Educational Services (95 people), and the highest paying industries are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($49,167), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($46,029), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting ($46,029).

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

649

2023 Value

± 215

10.6%

1 Year growth

± 42.3%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in West Jefferson, NC grew at a rate of 10.6%, from 587 employees to 649 employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in West Jefferson, NC, are Sales & Related Occupations (142 people), Management Occupations (95 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (75 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of West Jefferson, 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

649

2023 Value

± 215

10.6%

1 Year growth

± 42.3%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in West Jefferson, NC grew at a rate of 10.6%, from 587 employees to 649 employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in West Jefferson, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (155 people), Retail Trade (124 people), and Educational Services (95 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of West Jefferson, NC, though some of these residents may live in West Jefferson, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$35,521

Median earning men ± $7,563

$33,550

Median earning women ± $3,452

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($35,540), Construction ($27,000), and Retail Trade ($19,688).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($41,833), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($35,486), and Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodations & Food Services ($18,654).

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 West Jefferson, NC was $217,900 in 2023, which is 0.718 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $190,900 to $217,900, a 14.1% increase. The homeownership rate in West Jefferson, NC is 56.3%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in West Jefferson, NC have an average commute time of 18.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in West Jefferson, NC is higher than the national average, with an average of 3 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$217,900

Median Property Value 2023

±$13,215

$319

Median Property Taxes

±$101

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

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

Rent vs Own

56.3%

Homeownership

2023

68.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 56.3% of the housing units in West Jefferson, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 55.1%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Census Tract 9704

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

The following map shows all of the places in West Jefferson, 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.

$54,306

Median Household Income

± $16,425

567

Number of Households

± 132

In 2023, the median household income of the 567 households in West Jefferson, NC grew to $54,306 from the previous year's value of $41,036.

The following chart displays the households in West Jefferson, 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 West Jefferson, 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 (82.7%)
Carpooled (11.3%)
Worked At Home (4.02%)

In 2023, 82.7% of workers in West Jefferson, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.3%) and those who worked at home (4.02%).

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

18.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in West Jefferson, NC have a shorter commute time (18.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 0.484% of the workforce in West Jefferson, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

3 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in West Jefferson, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in West Jefferson, NC have 3 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

15.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in West Jefferson, NC (229 out of 1.5k 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 5, followed by Males 65 - 74 and then Females 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in West Jefferson, NC is White, followed by Hispanic 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

89.9% of the population of West Jefferson, NC has health coverage, with 40% on employee plans, 23.1% on Medicaid, 15.4% on Medicare, 10.9% on non-group plans, and 0.467% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Ashe County, NC see 1940 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.154% decrease from the previous year (1943 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2226 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 607 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the country level. Showing data for Ashe County, NC.

1,940 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Ashe County, NC

Primary care physicians in Ashe County, NC see an average of 1,940 patients per year. This represents a 0.154% decrease from the previous year (1,943 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 18.9% under 18 years, 21.9% between 18 and 34 years, 38.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 45.6% were men and 54.4% were women.

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

Uninsured People

10.1%

Uninsured

40%

Employer Coverage

23.1%

Medicaid

15.4%

Medicare

10.9%

Non-Group

0.467%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in West Jefferson, NC declined by 13.3% from 11.6% to 10.1%.

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

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