Yancey County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Yancey 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.
-
C
Health Below average
-
D
Income Well below average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Yancey County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 18,788 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 60.0 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.83% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 47.6 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 8,126 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Yancey County grew by 2.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 18,788 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Yancey County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 24.6% of residents. That is 7.6 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,106 16.5% -5.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,290 17.5% -3.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,165 22.2% +1.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,629 24.6% +7.6 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 50.6% of the people living in Yancey County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 49.4% North Carolina 48.9%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Yancey County
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Economy
Yancey County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Yancey County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,633 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.14% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.3% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Yancey County is about 19% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Yancey County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $291,070 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $882 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 79.4% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Yancey County is about 27.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $882 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Yancey County spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 196 hours, about 8.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Yancey County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.5 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 46.9 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 196 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,062 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.7% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,548 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 396 | 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 Yancey County is 23 minutes, longer 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
Yancey County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Yancey County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.7% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.29 | 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
Yancey County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Yancey County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.7 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.1% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.3% | 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).
Yancey County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Yancey County, NC is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 18,788 residents against a local median of 44,809. Yancey County, NC's median home price, at $291,070, runs 32% below the $426,146 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $247,967 on median home price, so Yancey County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Yancey County, NC has the 3rd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yancey County, NC | 18,788 | $58,633 #2/4 | $291,070 #3/4 | 23.5 min #3/4 |
| McDowell County, NC | 44,809 | $57,967 | $202,989 | 22.0 min |
| Buncombe County, NC | 274,254 | $74,474 | $426,146 | 20.5 min |
| Madison County, NC | 21,867 | $58,302 | $450,956 | 28.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Yancey County, North Carolina.
What is the population of Yancey County, North Carolina?
About 18,788 people live in Yancey County, North Carolina, in 8,126 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 47.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 10 years.
Is Yancey County, North Carolina mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Yancey County, North Carolina has 60 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Yancey County, North Carolina?
The median home costs 5.0 times the median household income ($291,070 against $58,633), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $882 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Yancey County, North Carolina?
Unemployment in Yancey County, North Carolina is 7.3%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How common is a college degree in Yancey County, North Carolina?
20.7% of adults in Yancey 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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