Avery County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Avery County, 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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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 95% of counties in North Carolina
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Avery County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 17,672 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 71.4 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.03% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 47.2 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 6,789 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Avery County declined by 1.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 17,672 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Avery County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 22.8% of residents. That is 5.8 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,415 19.3% -2.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,634 20.6% -0.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,898 22.1% +1.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,036 22.8% +5.8 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 45.8% of the people living in Avery County and men 54.2%.
- Women 45.8% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 54.2% North Carolina 48.9%
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100% of everyone living in Avery County
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Economy
Avery County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Avery County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $63,446 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 7.46% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.8% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Avery County is about 12% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Avery County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $185,807 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $772 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 83.0% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Avery County is about 20.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $772 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Avery County spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 181 hours, about 7.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Avery County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.8 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 43.5 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 181 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,620 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.2% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,601 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 693 | 1,609 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
North Carolina:
Macon County (17.2 min), Watauga County (17.2 min), Dare County (17.4 min).
Slowest:
Gates County (35.9 min), Currituck County (33.9 min), Tyrrell County (33.6 min).
The average commute time in Avery County is about the same as 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
Avery County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Avery County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.8% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.24 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
North Carolina:
Orange County (0.5), Wake County (0.4), Durham County (0.4).
Lowest:
Hyde County (0.2), Greene County (0.2), Tyrrell County (0.2).
Health
Avery County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Avery County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.2 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.6% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.4% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
North Carolina:
Orange County (0.8), Wake County (0.8), Watauga County (0.8).
Lowest:
Robeson County (0.8), Lenoir County (0.8), Halifax County (0.8).
Avery County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Avery County, NC is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 17,672 residents against a local median of 56,703. Avery County, NC's median home price, at $185,807, runs 28% above the $144,997 typical of the counties around it.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $63,446 against a local median of $52,022, 22% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so Avery County, NC is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $296,755 on median home price, so Avery County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Avery County, NC has the 2nd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avery County, NC | 17,672 | $63,446 #1/4 | $185,807 #2/4 | 21.8 min #3/4 |
| Watauga County, NC | 55,114 | $52,022 | $376,675 | 17.2 min |
| Carter County, TN | 56,703 | $50,141 | $144,997 | 21.8 min |
| Burke County, NC | 87,684 | $59,001 | $79,920 | 18.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Avery County, North Carolina.
How many people live in Avery County, North Carolina?
About 17,672 people live in Avery County, North Carolina, in 6,789 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 47.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 10 years.
Is Avery County, North Carolina mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Avery County, North Carolina has 71 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Avery County, North Carolina?
The median home costs 2.9 times the median household income ($185,807 against $63,446), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $772 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Avery County, North Carolina?
20.8% of adults in Avery County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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