Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC

Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA)

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2022 Population

132,273

0.849% 1-year decline

US Senator

N/AThom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

N/ATed Budd

Republican Party

2022 Median Age

41.2

0.488% 1-year increase

2022 Poverty Rate

12.1%

4.49% 1-year increase

2022 Median Household Income

$64,437

9.68% 1-year growth

2022 Median Property Value

$368,100

17.5% 1-year growth

2022 Employed Population

61,890

0.946% 1-year decline

About

In 2022, Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC had a population of 132k people with a median age of 41.2 and a median household income of $64,437. Between 2021 and 2022 the population of Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC declined from 133,406 to 132,273, a −0.849% decrease and its median household income grew from $58,748 to $64,437, a 9.68% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC are White (Non-Hispanic) (78.8%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (8.29%), Two+ (Hispanic) (3.18%), White (Hispanic) (2.95%), and Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (2.87%).

9.55% of the households in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

95.9% of the residents in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC are Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (1,001 degrees awarded in 2022), University of North Carolina at Asheville (782 degrees), and Center for Massage (455910) (53 degrees).

In 2022, the median property value in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC was $368,100, and the homeownership rate was 56.2%.

Most people in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 18.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC was 2 cars per household.

Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC borders Burke & McDowell Counties PUMA, NC, Buncombe County (Northwest) PUMA, NC, Henderson & Transylvania Counties PUMA, NC, and Rutherford, Cleveland (West) & Polk Counties--Shelby City PUMA, NC.

United States North Carolina

Population & Diversity

Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC is home to a population of 132k people, from which 95.9% are citizens. As of 2022, 7.26% of Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC residents were born outside of the country (9.61k people).

In 2022, there were 9.51 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (104k people) in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 11k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 4.21k Two+ (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

The most common non-English languages spoken as the primary langauge in households in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC are Spanish (7,827 households), Russian (1,058 households), and French (Incl. Cajun) (408 households).

Population & Diversity

Residents by Gender and Age

RACE/ETHNICITY

68,415

Women

51.4%

64,808

Men

48.6%

The resident population of United States in 2022 was 133,223 inhabitants, with 48.6% men, and 51.4% women.

The visualization shows the distribution of the residents by gender and age in the United States.

With the upper buttons you can add a filter by race.

Citizenship

95.9%

2022 Citizenship

95.9%

2021 Citizenship

As of 2022, 95.9% of Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.5%. In 2021, the percentage of US citizens in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC was 95.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
104k ± 2.48k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
11k ± 1.12k
Two+ (Hispanic)
4.21k ± 989

7.68%

Hispanic Population

10.2k people

7.68% of the people in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC are hispanic (10.2k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

Most Common Origin

Mexico
1,951 ± 1,076 people
Ukraine
592 ± 596 people
Canada
493 ± 544 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC was Mexico, the natal country of 1,951 Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC residents, followed by Ukraine with 592 and Canada with 493.

Foreign-Born Population

7.26%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

9.61k people

7.12%

2021 Foreign-Born Population

9.5k people

As of 2022, 7.26% of Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC residents (9.61k people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.6%. In 2021, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC was 7.12%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Non-English Households

Most Common Non-English Languages

Spanish
7,827 households (6.21%)
Russian
1,058 households (0.839%)
French (Incl. Cajun)
408 households (0.323%)

9.55% of the households in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language, which is lower than the national average of 21.7%. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

In 2022, the most common non-English language spoken in households in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC was Spanish. 6.21% of the households in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC reported speaking Spanish at home as the primary shared language between all members living in the household.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
2,503 ± 492
Gulf War (2001-)
1,606 ± 431
Gulf War (1990s)
939 ± 275

Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.56 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC employs 61.9k people. The largest industries in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC are Restaurants & Food Services (6,808 people), General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals (3,972 people), and Construction (3,603 people), and the highest paying industries are Electric lighting & electrical equipment manufacturing, & other electrical component manufacturing, n.e.c. ($224,195), Car Dealers ($194,366), and Shoe stores ($162,337).

Males in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC have an average income that is 1.3 times higher than the average income of females, which is $58,392. The income inequality in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC (measured using the Gini index) is 0.492, which is higher than than the national average.

Employment

Workforce Diversity

Measure

RACE/ETHNICITY

30,554

Women

48.6%

32,330

Men

51.4%

The workforce of Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC in 2020 was 62,884 people, with 48.6% woman, and 51.4% men.

The visualization shows the distribution of the workforce by gender and age in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC.

With the upper buttons you can see the distribution of the average salary and add a filter by race.

Occupations

61.9k

2022 Value

−0.946%

1 Year decline

± −0.946%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC declined at a rate of −0.946%, from 62.5k employees to 61.9k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC, are Waiters & waitresses (2,635 people), Retail salespersons (1,948 people), and Elementary & middle school teachers (1,810 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

61.9k

2022 Value

−0.946%

1 Year decline

± −0.946%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC declined at a rate of −0.946%, from 62.5k employees to 61.9k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC, are Restaurants & Food Services (6,808 people), General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals (3,972 people), and Construction (3,603 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC, though some of these residents may live in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$41,691

Median earning men ± $1,846

$36,133

Median earning women ± $2,303

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2022 are Information ($65,980), Public Administration ($60,792), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($56,650).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2022 are Wholesale Trade ($60,227), Public Administration ($52,297), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($47,879).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for N/A.

Y-Axis

N/A%

Year-over-year N/A

Employment change between N/A N/A and N/A N/A

As of N/A N/A, there are N/A people employed in N/A. This represents a N/A% N/A in employment when compared to N/A N/A.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during N/A, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall N/A in employment by N/A%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in N/A.

Civics

Thom Tillis and Ted Budd are the senators currently representing the state of North Carolina. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

North Carolina is currently represented by 14 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Senator Elections

US Senators from North Carolina

N/AThom Tillis

Senator from North Carolina

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

N/ATed Budd

Senator from North Carolina

Assumed office on January 3, 2023

Thom Tillis and Ted Budd are the senators currently representing North Carolina.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in North Carolina over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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US Representative Elections

US Representatives from North Carolina

North Carolina is currently represented by 14 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for North Carolina have changed over time starting in 2008.

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Education

In 2022, universities in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC awarded 1,894 degrees. The student population of Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC in 2022 is skewed towards women, with 3,742 male students and 5,876 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC are White (1,427 and 76.6%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (174 and 9.34%), Black or African American (79 and 4.24%), and Unknown (70 and 3.76%).

The largest universities in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC by number of degrees awarded are Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (1,001 and 52.9%), University of North Carolina at Asheville (782 and 41.3%), and Center for Massage (455910) (53 and 2.8%).

The most popular majors in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (282 and 14.9%), General Psychology (108 and 5.7%), and General Business Administration & Management (88 and 4.65%).

The median tuition cost in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC for a public four year colleges is $4,122 for in-state students and $21,470 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2022 in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 74.3%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 15.9%. The number of students enrolled in 2022 was 9,618 (38.9% men and 61.1% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2022 there were 9,618 students enrolled in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC, 38.9% men and 61.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 7,039 records, of which 60.4% were women and 39.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
50 degrees awarded
Digital Arts
47 degrees awarded
General Psychology
108 degrees awarded

In 2022, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC was General Business Administration & Management with 50 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
1,001 degrees awarded
University of North Carolina at Asheville
782 degrees awarded
Center for Massage (455910)
53 degrees awarded

In 2022, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College with 1,001 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2022, 753 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC, which is 0.66 times less than the 1,141 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2022 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,427 degrees mean that there were 8.2 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 174 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private for-profit, 4-year or above ($65,720) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2022.

Public, 4-year or above ($3,258) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2022.

Public, 2-year ($2,000) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Measure

In 2022, 0.446% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.785% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population of Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC in 2022 were Bachelors Degree (29.8k), High School or Equivalent (23.5k), and Graduate Degree (21.1k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC was $368,100 in 2022, which is 1.31 times larger than the national average of $281,900. Between 2021 and 2022 the median property value increased from $313,300 to $368,100, a 17.5% increase. The homeownership rate in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC is 56.2%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 64.8%.

People in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC have an average commute time of 18.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC is $64,437. In 2022, the PUMA with the highest Median Household Income in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC was Wake County (Southwest)--Apex & Holly Springs Towns PUMA, NC with a value of $136,654, followed by Wake County (Northwest)--Raleigh City (Northwest) & Morrisville Town PUMA, NC and Union County (West)--Indian Trail & Stallings Towns PUMA, NC, with respective values of $132,713 and $120,161.

Housing

Property

$368,100

Median Property Value 2022

±$10,976

$29,471

Median Property Taxes

±$1,367

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

56.2%

Homeownership

2022

70.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2022

In 2022, 56.2% of the housing units in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 56.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

In 2022, the PUMA with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC was Wake County (Southwest)--Apex & Holly Springs Towns PUMA, NC with a value of $136,654, followed by Wake County (Northwest)--Raleigh City (Northwest) & Morrisville Town PUMA, NC and Union County (West)--Indian Trail & Stallings Towns PUMA, NC, with respective values of $132,713 and $120,161.

The following map shows all of the PUMAs in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$64,437

Median Household Income

± $2,745

52.4k

Number of Households

± 1,935

In 2022, the median household income of the 52.4k households in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC grew to $64,437 from the previous year's value of $58,748.

The following chart displays the households in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

0.492

2022 Wage GINI in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC

0.497

2021 Wage GINI in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC

In 2022, the income inequality in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC was 0.492 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.983% decline from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC was higher than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2022

Drove Alone (72%)
Worked At Home (15.8%)
Carpooled (6.52%)

In 2022, 72% of workers in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (15.8%) and those who carpooled to work (6.52%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

18.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC have a shorter commute time (18.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.7 minutes). Additionally, 0.834% of the workforce in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

12.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC (15.6k out of 129k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Males 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

89.4% of the population of Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC has health coverage, with 44.1% on employee plans, 12.9% on Medicaid, 14.1% on Medicare, 16.9% on non-group plans, and 1.47% on military or VA plans.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2022, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 18.5% under 18 years, 22.5% between 18 and 34 years, 39.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48% were men and 52% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

10.6%

Uninsured

44.1%

Employer Coverage

12.9%

Medicaid

14.1%

Medicare

16.9%

Non-Group

1.47%

Military or VA

Between 2021 and 2022, the percent of uninsured citizens in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC declined by 2.16% from 10.8% to 10.6%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Buncombe County (Southeast)--Asheville City PUMA, NC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Keep Exploring

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United States

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