Demographics of Buncombe County, North Carolina

Buncombe County, North Carolina had 277,417 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +7,714 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.

Buncombe County, in four figures

277,417
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +2.9%
Change since July 2020: +7,714 people.; 42.6 ±0.2
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $74,436 ±$2,206
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.

Buncombe County, North Carolina's population grew 2.9% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Buncombe 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

Buncombe County, North Carolina's population grew 2.9% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Buncombe 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	269,703	100.0	100.0
2021	272,030	100.9	100.2
2022	274,019	101.6	100.7
2023	276,463	102.5	101.6
2024	279,227	103.5	102.5
2025	277,417	102.9	103.1

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Population of Buncombe 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	269,703	+273	−152	+7	+376
2021	272,030	+2,327	−731	+182	+2,870
2022	274,019	+1,989	−741	+661	+2,067
2023	276,463	+2,444	−620	+927	+2,111
2024	279,227	+2,764	−549	+1,533	+1,768
2025	277,417	−1,810	−490	+754	−2,056

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 42.6 ±0.2: for men 41.5 ±0.4 and for women 43.9 ±0.3. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Buncombe County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under 5	12,341 ±73	4.5% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	36,584 ±1,289	13.3% ±0.5	16.1% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	20,483 ±1,197	7.5% ±0.4	9.5% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	76,023 ±1,574	27.7% ±0.6	26.2% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	70,638 ±1,640	25.7% ±0.6	25.4% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	58,291 ±1,749	21.2% ±0.6	17.2% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $74,436 ±$2,206, and income per person $43,371 ±$1,377, 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 Buncombe County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under $25,000	14,931 ±1,139	14.7% ±1.1	15.8% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	19,040 ±1,396	18.7% ±1.3	19.1% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	17,318 ±1,130	17.0% ±1.1	16.8% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	14,233 ±956	14.0% ±0.9	13.0% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	16,737 ±1,013	16.4% ±0.9	16.6% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	8,540 ±855	8.4% ±0.8	8.3% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	11,056 ±913	10.9% ±0.9	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 Buncombe County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	North Carolina	United States
All ages	31,661 ±2,348	11.8% ±0.9	13.0% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	7,014 ±1,026	14.7% ±2.1	17.7% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	17,118 ±1,674	11.8% ±1.1	12.1% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	7,529 ±684	10.2% ±0.9	10.9% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Buncombe County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Buncombe County	North Carolina	United States
Housing units	134,483 ±159	4,895,668 ±642	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	75.7% ±1.5	87.5% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	24.3% ±1.5	12.5% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	66.2% ±1.3	66.6% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	33.8% ±1.4	33.4% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$391,800 ±$8,308	$288,900 ±$1,086	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$1,362 ±$42	$1,228 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1991 ±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 Buncombe County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Hispanic or Latino	23,475 ±0	8.6% ±<0.1	11.3% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	221,607 ±557	80.8% ±0.2	60.0% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	13,207 ±896	4.8% ±0.3	20.0% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	3,085 ±397	1.1% ±0.1	3.3% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	165 ±78	0.1% ±<0.1	0.8% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 195	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	1,018 ±346	0.4% ±0.1	0.5% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	11,717 ±1,027	4.3% ±0.4	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 Buncombe County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Born in the state	129,297 ±3,475	47.1% ±1.3	53.6% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	122,549 ±3,567	44.7% ±1.3	35.9% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	4,004 ±677	1.5% ±0.2	1.4% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	18,510 ±1,372	6.7% ±0.5	9.1% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	7,863 ±994	2.9% ±0.4	3.8% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	10,647 ±1,060	3.9% ±0.4	5.2% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

Buncombe County among the counties of North Carolina

7th of 100 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the North Carolina page.

Counties of North Carolina near Buncombe County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Mecklenburg County	1,233,383	+10.5%
Guilford County	562,234	+4.4%
Forsyth County	401,718	+5.0%
Durham County	347,240	+7.7%
Cumberland County	338,473	+0.4%
Buncombe County	277,417	+2.9%
Union County	267,674	+11.7%
Johnston County	256,448	+17.9%
Cabarrus County	249,725	+9.9%
Gaston County	246,558	+7.8%
New Hanover County	245,959	+8.6%

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