Demographics of Yancey County, North Carolina

Yancey County, North Carolina had 19,084 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +592 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.

Yancey County, in four figures

19,084
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +3.2%
Change since July 2020: +592 people.; 49.2 ±0.6
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $58,709 ±$5,720
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.

Yancey County, North Carolina's population grew 3.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Yancey 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).

Source: The Census Bureau

About this chart

The figures

Yancey County, North Carolina's population grew 3.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Yancey 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	18,492	100.0	100.0
2021	18,759	101.4	100.2
2022	18,772	101.5	100.7
2023	18,918	102.3	101.6
2024	19,062	103.1	102.5
2025	19,084	103.2	103.1

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Population of Yancey 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	18,492	+22	−10	0	+32
2021	18,759	+267	−129	+5	+407
2022	18,772	+13	−138	+28	+121
2023	18,918	+146	−122	+9	+256
2024	19,062	+144	−87	+61	+165
2025	19,084	+22	−90	+16	+96

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 49.2 ±0.6: for men 47.9 ±1.3 and for women 50.4 ±0.7. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Yancey County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under 5	933 ±75	5.0% ±0.4	5.6% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	2,446 ±262	13.0% ±1.4	16.1% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	1,117 ±228	5.9% ±1.2	9.5% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	4,000 ±268	21.3% ±1.4	26.2% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	5,216 ±327	27.7% ±1.7	25.4% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	5,085 ±407	27.1% ±2.2	17.2% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $58,709 ±$5,720, and income per person $36,664 ±$3,880, 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 Yancey County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under $25,000	1,895 ±303	23.3% ±3.6	15.8% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	1,469 ±272	18.1% ±3.3	19.1% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	1,408 ±251	17.3% ±3.0	16.8% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	1,054 ±207	13.0% ±2.5	13.0% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	1,191 ±221	14.6% ±2.6	16.6% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	575 ±187	7.1% ±2.3	8.3% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	538 ±185	6.6% ±2.3	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 Yancey County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	North Carolina	United States
All ages	2,833 ±418	15.2% ±2.2	13.0% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	589 ±165	17.5% ±4.6	17.7% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	1,338 ±245	15.1% ±2.7	12.1% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	906 ±203	14.1% ±3.0	10.9% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Yancey County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Yancey County	North Carolina	United States
Housing units	11,376 ±39	4,895,668 ±642	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	71.5% ±3.1	87.5% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	28.5% ±3.1	12.5% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	79.4% ±2.1	66.6% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	20.6% ±3.7	33.4% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$243,100 ±$17,235	$288,900 ±$1,086	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$882 ±$83	$1,228 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1988 ±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 Yancey County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Hispanic or Latino	1,091 ±0	5.8% ±<0.1	11.3% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	17,068 ±90	90.8% ±0.5	60.0% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	62 to 244	0.3% to 1.3%	20.0% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	86 ±6	0.5% ±<0.1	3.3% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0 to 29	0% to 0.2%	0.8% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 21	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 25	0% to 0.1%	0.5% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	376 ±125	2.0% ±0.7	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 Yancey County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Born in the state	12,151 ±535	64.6% ±2.8	53.6% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	5,960 ±515	31.7% ±2.7	35.9% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	8 to 162	< 0.1% to 0.9%	1.4% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	601 ±153	3.2% ±0.8	9.1% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	266 ±109	1.4% ±0.6	3.8% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	335 ±137	1.8% ±0.7	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%.

Yancey County among the counties of North Carolina

81st of 100 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the North Carolina page.

Counties of North Carolina near Yancey County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Madison County	22,553	+5.9%
Anson County	21,758	−2.1%
Martin County	21,601	−1.6%
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%

Elsewhere on the site

Rankings this appears in

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

Compiled automatically from Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change and American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File by a checked SQL query · Editor: Kian O'Connor · How this site is built

Data retrieved September 25, 2026