Avery County, North Carolina
Population 17,756
Overview
| Avery County, NC is a County: Counties (or county equivalents) subdivide each state. In most cases, they have some level of government authority. They can be especially useful when analyzing the population outside of city limits. Louisiana refers to them as parishes and Alaska refers to them as boroughs. In some cases (such as Nashville, TN), the city and county governments are combined. In others (such as Baltimore, MD), the city is completely independent of a county. |
Cities
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Housing
1983 | Median Year Housing was BuiltAll Housing Including Owner/Renter Occupied and Unoccupied |
Year Housing was BuiltAll Housing Including Owner/Renter Occupied and Unoccupied
35.4% | Estimated Vacation Homes |
This estimate includes housing for seasonal, recreational, or occasional use
3.1% | Estimated Abandoned Homes |
This estimate includes vacant housing that is not for rent, rented, for sale, sold, for seasonal/recreational/occasional use, or for migrant workers.
Number of BedroomsOccupied Housing Units
Total
Owners
Renters
76.1% | Home Ownership PercentageOccupied Housing Units |
22 | Price to Rent RatioOccupied Housing Units |
The price to rent ratio compares home values to rental costs. Values over 20 indicate that it is likely more affordable to rent. Values under 15 indicate that it is likely more affordable to buy. Values between 15 and 20 indicate that extra judgment must be taken when making housing decisions. It is calculated as the median home value divided by the median annual contract rent (ie. rent without additional utilities).
$140,800 | Median Owner Occupied Home Value |
Owner Occupied Home Values
$997 | Median Monthly Ownership CostsOwner Occupied Housing Units with a Mortgage |
Monthly housing costs include mortgage payments, real estate taxes, insurance, utilities, and condo fees. When comparing to monthly rental costs, be careful to also look at the median number of bedrooms. Owner occupied homes generally include more bedrooms than rentals.
3.4 | Estimated Median Bedrooms for OwnersOwner Occupied Housing Units |
Owner Occupied Homes by Number of BedroomsOwner Occupied Housing Units
3.8 | Housing Affordability (Median Multiple) |
The median multiple is the ratio of median house price by the median annual household income. In other words, how many years would it take for the median income to pay off the median home price? Higher values indicate that the incomes in the area are not high enough to warrant the higher home prices. Anything under 3 is considered affordable while higher values indicate that housing is not affordable.
29% | Housing Cost Burdened Owners |
Federally subsidized housing programs set the maximum affordable housing cost at 30% of income. This threshold has become a measure of housing affordability and is intended to make sure that households have enough money to for other needs including food, clothing, transportation, etc. Anyone spending more than 30% of their income on housing is considered house burdened because it becomes difficult to afford many of the other necessities of living.
$675 | Median Monthly Rent and Utility CostsRenter Occupied Housing Units with Housing Costs |
Monthly housing costs include rent and utilities. When comparing to monthly ownership costs, be careful to also look at the median number of bedrooms. Owner occupied homes generally include more bedrooms than rentals.
2.8 | Estimated Median Bedrooms for RentersRenter Occupied Housing Units |
Rental Properties by Number of BedroomsRenter Occupied Housing Units
43% | Housing Cost Burdened Renters |
Federally subsidized housing programs set the maximum affordable housing cost at 30% of income. This threshold has become a measure of housing affordability and is intended to make sure that households have enough money to for other needs including food, clothing, transportation, etc. Anyone spending more than 30% of their income on housing is considered house burdened because it becomes difficult to afford many of the other necessities of living.
Employment
$36,969 | Median Household Income |
Household Income
48.3 | Household Income Inequality |
Income inequality is measured using the Gini coefficient. Lower values indicate that household income is spread evenly across the income groups. Higher values indicate that one income group is much more common than others.
18% | Poverty Rate |
Poverty status uses the standards set by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). If a family's total income is less than a certain threshold, every person in the family is considered to be in poverty. The threshold varies based on family size, composition, and age.
$21,905 | Median Annual Individual EarningsPast 12 months for the Population Ages 16+ With Earnings |
Annual Individual EarningsPopulation Ages 16+ with Earnings
84% | Unadjusted Gender Pay GapPopulation Ages 16+ with Earnings |
The unadjusted gender pay gap is the median indvidiual female earnings as a percentage of male earnings. In other words, women who work in Avery County, NC generally make around 8372% of what men do. Much of that difference is likely due to the number of hours worked (see the Full Time vs Part Time Work chart), occupations chosen (see the Employed by Occupation chart), education, and job experience. Adjusting for each of those factors to see what women with similar qualifications and jobs make compared to men is difficult, but the adjusted pay gap would be more likely to show the difference due to discrimination, difference in ability, or willingness to negotiate pay. For these reasons, differences in the gender pay shown here may be more likely to show the gender ideals in an area than the discriminatory practices. It is also worth noting that the 46% of men and 46% of women ages 16+ that did not have earnings were not included in the calculation.
9.1% | Unemployment RatePopulation Ages 16+ in the Civilian Labor Force |
To classify as unemployed, people must not be in the military and must be actively looking for work (also known as the U3 measure of unemployment which is the official unemployment rate). In Avery County, NC, 50% of the population ages 16+ are not employed, but are also not looking for work so they are not considered in the unemployment rate. See the Labor Force Participation Rate for more information.
Unemployment by Education LevelCivilian Population Ages 25-64 in the Labor Force
50% | Labor Force Participation RatePopulation Ages 16+ |
People in the labor force include those in the armed forces as well as civilians who are employed or classified as unemployed. To classify as unemployed, people must be actively looking for work. Common people that are not considered in the labor force are students, homemakers, retired workers, seasonal workers not currently looking for work, and institutionalized people. In Avery County, NC, 50% of people are neither employed or looking for work.
Full Time vs Part Time WorkPopulation Ages 16-64 Who Worked in the Last 12 Months
Full-time employment is typically considered 35-40 hours per week. With the exception of health care coverage, federal law does not regulate the definition of full time employment for compensation and benefits purposes. The Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obamacare) mandates that all employees working an average of 30 or more hours per week at a large employer must be eligible for health care coverage.
Total
Male
Female
Employed by IndustryFull-time, Year-Round Civilians Ages 16+
Employed by OccupationFull-time, Year-Round Civilians Ages 16+
Means Of Transportation To WorkWorkers Ages 16+
22 | Average Commute Time to WorkIn Minutes for Workers Ages 16+ Who Did Not Work at Home |
Travel Time to WorkIn Minutes for Workers Ages 16+ Who Did Not Work at Home
Time Leaving for WorkWorkers Ages 16+ Who Did Not Work at Home
Average Commute by Time Leaving for WorkIn Minutes for Workers Ages 16+ Who Did Not Work at Home
Time Arriving at WorkWorkers Ages 16+ Who Did Not Work at Home
Education
Educational AttainmentPopulation Ages 25+
82% | Percent with a High School DiplomaPopulation Ages 25+ |
High school diplomas include equivalencies, but do not include those who reported completing grade 12 without a diploma.
29% | Percent with a College DegreePopulation Ages 25+ |
College degrees include those with an Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, Professional school, or Doctorate degree.
7% | Percent with a Post Graduate DegreePopulation Ages 25+ |
Post graduate degrees include those with a Master's, Professional school, or Doctorate degree.
School EnrollmentPopulation Ages 5-17
Not being enrolled in school does not necessarily mean that the student dropped out. Only schools that lead to a high school diploma or college degree are included. Home schoolers were instructed to select private school. Ages 3-4 are not included because preschool programs are not usually mandated by law and only 16% of children in this age range were enrolled in Avery County, NC.
0% | Percent Not Enrolled in SchoolPopulation Ages 16-19 without a High School Diploma |
86% | Percent Enrolled in Public SchoolPopulation Ages 5-17 Enrolled in School |
Demographics
17,756 | Total Population |
Historical Population
The historical population of Avery County, NC in each census year since 1790 is derived from census records. Historical populations are based on the present-day geographic area of Avery County, NC and do not account for boundary changes over time. Learn more about the US population migrations and historical populations.
Total Population By Age
Life Stages
8% | Children Under 10 |
9% | Children Ages 10-17 |
17% | Young Adult Singles (Ages 18-39) |
24% | Middle Aged and Married (Ages 40-64) |
18% | Seniors (Ages 65+) |
Marital Status of MalesPopulation Ages 15+
Marital Status of FemalesPopulation Ages 15+
Household Composition
Single female/male families do not necessarily denote single parent households. Single householders living with siblings, their aging parents, or any other relatives would be included.
Race and Ethnicity
The Office of Management Budget (OMB) and Census Bureau consider race and ethnicity as two distinct concepts. A person's race and whether they are of Hispanic origing are self reported to the Census Bureau according to which group they most closely identify. In 1997, the OMB revised the racial classification to include categories for two or more races. Because of criticism for treating these as separate questions and because many residents consider race and ethnicity to be the same, the Race and Ethnicity chart below shows those that consider themselves to be Non-Hispanic for each race with those that consider themselves Hispanic as a separate group.
Race
Hispanic and Latino Races
Race and Ethnicity
Hispanic and Latino Origins
19 | Racial and Ethnic Diversity |
The racial and ethnic diversity index measures the probability that any two people chose at random from Avery County, NC are of different races or ethnicities where higher numbers represent more diversity. It was developed by the University of North Carolina and USA Today in 1991 and adapted in 2000 to account for differences in Census questions. It uses the same calculation methods as the Gini Index used by the Census Bureau to determine household income inequality.
Climate
The climate estimates use Avery County, NC weather from 1971 to 2000 at the nearest official weather station which is located at GRANDFATHER MOUNT.
Average Daily Temperatures by Month (°F)
Average Monthly Precipitation (Inches)
Summer High Temps
This weather station's average summer high temps are lower than 98% of other weather stations.
Winter Low Temps
This weather station's average winter low temps are lower than 55% of other weather stations.
Precipitation Levels
This weather station's average precipitation levels are higher than 95% of other weather stations.
Entity Info
| Property | Source | Value |
|---|---|---|
| State | 2013 ACS | NC |
| Summary Level | 2013 ACS | 050 (county) |
| Logical Record Number | 2010 Census | 0010795 |
| Logical Record Number | 2013 ACS | 0000018 |
| Region | 2013 ACS | 3 |
| Division | 2013 ACS | 5 |
| State FIPS | 2013 ACS | 37 |
| County FIPS | 2013 ACS | 011 |
| Metro Micro Politan Statistical Area | 2010 Census | 99999 |
| Metro Micro Politan Statistical Area Size Code | 2010 Census | 00 |
| Metropolitan Division | 2010 Census | 99999 |
| Combined Statistical Area | 2010 Census | 999 |
| Name | 2010 Census | Avery County |
| Name | 2013 ACS | Avery County, North Carolina |
| Functional Status Code | 2010 Census | A |
| Legal Statistical Area Description Code | 2010 Census | 06 |
| State ANSI | 2010 Census | 01027616 |
| County ANSI | 2010 Census | 01008536 |
| Combined Statistical Area Size Code | 2010 Census | 00 |
| Metropolitan Micropolitan Indicator | 2010 Census | 9 |
| Full GEOID | 2013 ACS | 05000US37011 |
| GEOID | 2013 ACS | 37011 |
| Population | 2010 Census | 17,797 |
| Population | 2013 ACS | 17,756 |
| Housing Units | 2010 Census | 13,890 |
| Housing Units | 2013 ACS | 13,878 |
| Land Area | 2013 ACS | 247.1 square miles |
| Water Area | 2013 ACS | 0.1 square miles |
| Population Density | 2013 ACS | 71.9 people per sq. mile |
| Minimum Bounding Rectangle Or Bounding Box | 2013 ACS | [35.91152,-82.080543], [36.287110187225,-81.735876], |
| Centroid Or Center Coordinates | 2013 ACS | 36.076606091193, -81.922478056339 |
| FIPS County Class Code | 2010 Census | H1 |
| County Size Code | 2010 Census | 14 |
