Buncombe County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Buncombe 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 averageHealthier than 90% of counties in North Carolina
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C
Income Below averageWealthier than 80% of counties in North Carolina
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 95% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Buncombe County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 274,254 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 415.7 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.17% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.8 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 101,816 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Buncombe County grew by 21.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 274,254 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Buncombe County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 22.6% of residents. That is 1.2 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 51,071 18.6% -3.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 62,009 22.6% +1.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 58,783 21.4% +0.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 53,462 19.5% +2.5 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 51.4% of the people living in Buncombe County and men 48.6%.
- Women 51.4% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 48.6% North Carolina 48.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Buncombe County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Buncombe County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Buncombe County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $74,474 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.97% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.3% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Buncombe County is about 3% higher than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Buncombe County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $426,146 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,362 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 66.2% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Buncombe County is about 26.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,362 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Buncombe County spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 171 hours, about 7.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Buncombe County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.5 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.1 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 171 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,303 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 17.6% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 11,510 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,886 | 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 Buncombe County is 21 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
Buncombe County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Buncombe County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 39.9% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.62 | 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
Buncombe County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Buncombe County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.9 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.2% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.9% | 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).
Buncombe County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Buncombe County, NC is the largest of the 5 counties compared here, 274,254 residents against a local median of 52,087. Buncombe County, NC's median home price, at $426,146, runs 51% above the $281,462 typical of the counties around it.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $74,474 against a local median of $61,127, 22% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 22% above the local median it puts Buncombe County, NC at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $247,967 on median home price, so Buncombe County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Buncombe County, NC has the 2nd highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buncombe County, NC | 274,254 | $74,474 #1/5 | $426,146 #2/5 | 20.5 min #1/5 |
| Henderson County, NC | 118,522 | $69,064 | $294,864 | 21.0 min |
| Madison County, NC | 21,867 | $58,302 | $450,956 | 28.5 min |
| Haywood County, NC | 59,366 | $63,952 | $268,060 | 20.7 min |
| McDowell County, NC | 44,809 | $57,967 | $202,989 | 22.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Buncombe County, North Carolina.
How big is Buncombe County, North Carolina by population?
About 274,254 people live in Buncombe County, North Carolina, in 101,816 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 40.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Buncombe County, North Carolina urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Buncombe County, North Carolina has 416 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 4.8 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Buncombe County, North Carolina?
The median home costs 5.7 times the median household income ($426,146 against $74,474), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,362 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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