Demographics of Avery County, North Carolina

Avery County, North Carolina had 18,110 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +192 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Avery County, in four figures

18,110
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +1.1%
Change since July 2020: +192 people.; 47.1 ±0.6
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $61,428 ±$7,429
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Avery County, North Carolina's population grew 1.1% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Avery County, North Carolina's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change

About this chart

The figures

Avery County, North Carolina's population grew 1.1% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Avery County, North Carolina's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	17,918	100.0	100.0
2021	17,603	98.2	100.2
2022	17,636	98.4	100.7
2023	17,765	99.1	101.6
2024	18,103	101.0	102.5
2025	18,110	101.1	103.1

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Population of Avery County, North Carolina on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	17,918	+109	−11	0	+117
2021	17,603	−315	−108	+5	−204
2022	17,636	+33	−101	+39	+102
2023	17,765	+129	−92	+45	+174
2024	18,103	+338	−94	+115	+313
2025	18,110	+7	−87	+77	+17

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 47.1 ±0.6: for men 45.9 ±1.1 and for women 48.8 ±1.3. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Avery County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under 5	689 ±52	3.9% ±0.3	5.6% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	1,865 ±200	10.5% ±1.1	16.1% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	1,594 ±268	9.0% ±1.5	9.5% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	4,272 ±306	24.2% ±1.7	26.2% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	5,080 ±368	28.7% ±2.1	25.4% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	4,180 ±342	23.6% ±1.9	17.2% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $61,428 ±$7,429, and income per person $35,831 ±$2,964, in 2024 dollars. The median is $72,388 ±$324 in North Carolina and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Avery County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under $25,000	1,152 ±212	17.0% ±3.0	15.8% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	1,721 ±310	25.3% ±4.3	19.1% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	899 ±197	13.2% ±2.8	16.8% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	1,037 ±212	15.3% ±3.0	13.0% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	1,003 ±206	14.8% ±2.9	16.6% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	536 ±161	7.9% ±2.3	8.3% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	443 ±171	6.5% ±2.5	10.4% ±0.1	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Avery County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	North Carolina	United States
All ages	1,558 ±385	10.2% ±2.5	13.0% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	208 ±91	8.4% ±3.6	17.7% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	852 ±258	11.6% ±3.4	12.1% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	498 ±157	9.1% ±2.8	10.9% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Avery County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Avery County	North Carolina	United States
Housing units	14,201 ±56	4,895,668 ±642	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	47.8% ±2.6	87.5% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	52.2% ±2.5	12.5% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	83.0% ±6.2	66.6% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	17.0% ±3.5	33.4% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$265,800 ±$21,887	$288,900 ±$1,086	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$773 ±$106	$1,228 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1985 ±2	1991 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Avery County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Hispanic or Latino	1,070 ±0	6.1% ±<0.1	11.3% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	15,152 ±276	85.7% ±1.6	60.0% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	676 ±125	3.8% ±0.7	20.0% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0 to 159	0% to 0.9%	3.3% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0 to 38	0% to 0.2%	0.8% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 178	0% to 1.0%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 44	0% to 0.2%	0.5% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	291 to 883	1.6% to 5.0%	4.1% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Avery County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Born in the state	11,088 ±483	62.7% ±2.7	53.6% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	5,713 ±490	32.3% ±2.8	35.9% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	43 to 233	0.2% to 1.3%	1.4% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	741 ±162	4.2% ±0.9	9.1% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	235 ±101	1.3% ±0.6	3.8% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	506 ±147	2.9% ±0.8	5.2% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Avery County among the counties of North Carolina

84th of 100 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the North Carolina page.

Counties of North Carolina near Avery County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Greene County	20,700	+1.3%
Polk County	20,533	+6.0%
Yancey County	19,084	+3.2%
Hertford County	19,015	−11.2%
Warren County	18,898	+1.6%
Avery County	18,110	+1.1%
Bertie County	17,086	−3.6%
Northampton County	16,491	−5.4%
Mitchell County	15,062	+1.1%
Chowan County	14,082	+2.8%
Swain County	14,024	−0.6%

Elsewhere on the site

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026