Asheville, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Asheville, NC Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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C
Income Below average
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A
Education Above average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Asheville | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 77,998 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1700.6 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.61% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.2 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 30,528 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Asheville grew by 29.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 77,998 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Asheville is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 25.4% of residents. That is 4.0 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 15,864 20.3% -1.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 19,824 25.4% +4.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 16,378 21.0% +0.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 13,119 16.8% -0.2 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below North Carolina, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.7% of the people living in Asheville and men 48.3%.
- Women 51.7% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 48.3% North Carolina 48.9%
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Economy
Asheville has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Asheville | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $70,688 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.31% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Asheville is about 2% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Asheville | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $469,309 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,379 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 54.5% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Asheville is about 28.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,379 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Asheville spend about 35 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 147 hours, about 6.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Asheville | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.6 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 35.3 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 147 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,554 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 21.2% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 16,552 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,753 | 1,609 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Asheville is 18 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in North Carolina.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Asheville has a education index of A, which means it is very educated.
| Metric | Asheville | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 47.2% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.45 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Health
Asheville has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Asheville | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.7 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.0% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.2% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Asheville, North Carolina.
How big is Asheville, North Carolina by population?
About 77,998 people live in Asheville, North Carolina, in 30,528 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 41.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Asheville, North Carolina?
Averaged over its land area, Asheville, North Carolina has 1,701 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 20 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Asheville, North Carolina?
The median home costs 6.6 times the median household income ($469,309 against $70,688), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,379 a month takes about 23% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Asheville, North Carolina?
47.2% of adults in Asheville, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 2), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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