Mitchell County, North Carolina Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Mitchell County, North Carolina, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Mitchell County, North Carolina. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Mitchell County, North Carolina. The estimated population of Mitchell County, North Carolina is 14,951 people, with a median age of 47.2.

We can look at the total population in Mitchell County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
14,951
 -0.05% -1.35%
2020
14,959
 -0.3% -
2019
15,004
 -0.24% -
2018
15,040
 -0.76% -
2017
15,155
 - -

Population of Mitchell County, North Carolina by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
91.5%
92.7%
 -1.29%
Black/African American
0.3%
0.3%
 0.00%
Native
0.5%
0.6%
 -16.67%
Hispanic
6%
5%
 +20.00%
Asian
0.3%
0.2%
 +50.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
1.5%
1.2%
 +25.00%
Other
0%
0%
 0.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Mitchell County, North Carolina by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 47.2 0% 45.4 0% 49.6 -0.2%
2020 47.2 +0.43% 45.4 +0.67% 49.7 +1.02%
2019 47 -0.21% 45.1 -0.44% 49.2 +0.2%
2018 47.1 0% 45.3 0% 49.1 +1.03%
2017 47.1 - 45.3 - 48.6 -

The median age of Mitchell County, North Carolina gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 752 +1.38% 683 +5.13% 760 709
10 to 19 926 -4.82% 875 -16.97% 881 735
20 to 29 786 +0.84% 736 +11.82% 790 821
30 to 39 824 -11.45% 696 0.37% 726 690
40 to 49 893 +7.21% 948 -10.24% 953 846
50 to 59 1,081 -2.42% 1,109 +2.1% 1,054 1,131
60 to 69 1,140 +0.47% 1,217 +7.27% 1,144 1,291
70+ 1,031 +8.82% 1,458 -11.33% 1,123 1,297

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Mitchell County, North Carolina is $48,320.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Mitchell County.

  • Under 25
    $0.00
  • 25 to 44
    $59,492.00
  • 45 to 64
    $54,464.00
  • 65 and over
    $36,354.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Mitchell County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Mitchell County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Mitchell County, North Carolina is currently $65,064.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

1.86% of households in Mitchell County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Mitchell County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    24.53%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    26.11%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    21.85%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    10.70%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    12.47%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    2.47%
  • $200,000 or more
    1.86%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Mitchell County is $28,125.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Mitchell County by the total population of Mitchell County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Mitchell County, North Carolina, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Mitchell County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    12.80%
  • Bachelor's degree
    26.52%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    12.35%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    45.22%
  • Less than high school diploma
    3.11%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Mitchell County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Mitchell County over the age of 16 is 12,601.

Of those people, a total of 54.30% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Mitchell County is 50.80%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 735 41.40% 17.40%
20 to 24 years 739 76.30% 5.00%
25 to 29 years 872 90.60% 0.90%
30 to 34 years 834 88.50% 15.70%
35 to 44 years 1,530 79.70% 6.40%
45 to 54 years 1,905 70.30% 3.50%
55 to 59 years 1,131 73.80% 3.40%
60 to 64 years 1,170 37.90% 1.40%
65 to 74 years 2,145 23.40% 12.00%
75 years and over 1,540 6.80% 13.50%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Mitchell County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 11,926 53.70% 6.40%
Black or African American 45 4.40% 100.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 73 34.20% 0.00%
Asian 42 35.70% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 131 84.00% 15.50%
Two or more races 384 72.90% 3.20%
Hispanic or Latino 587 70.90% 4.10%
Not Hispanic or Latino 11,683 53.60% 6.50%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Mitchell County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Mitchell County is 6,402, with median earnings of $35,417.00.

Women in Mitchell County, North Carolina earning approximately 74.20% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 6,402 $35,417.00
Male 3,447 $41,508.00
Female 2,955 $30,793.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 585 $61,706.00
Business and Financial 182 $59,318.00
Computer and Mathematical 56 $44,643.00
Architecture and Engineering 97 $52,875.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 29 $56,250.00
Community and Social Service 85 $43,594.00
Legal 17 $0.00
Educational and Library 479 $42,656.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 109 $24,813.00
Healthcare Practitioners 487 $42,445.00
Healthcare Support 412 $13,929.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 19 $0.00
Law Enforcement 201 $47,014.00
Food Preparation and Serving 344 $9,000.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 273 $15,677.00
Personal Care and Service 108 $10,870.00
Sales 487 $31,192.00
Office and Administrative Support 617 $30,942.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 15 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 466 $41,528.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 380 $44,083.00
Production 620 $40,819.00
Transportation and Material Moving 140 $30,000.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 383 $75,089.00 202 $52,826.00
Business and Financial 136 $73,542.00 46 $41,364.00
Computer and Mathematical 26 $66,250.00 30 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 90 $52,583.00 7 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 17 $0.00 12 $0.00
Community and Social Service 46 $45,833.00 39 $40,893.00
Legal 17 $0.00 0 $0.00
Educational and Library 75 $45,583.00 404 $36,447.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 64 $28,026.00 45 $23,813.00
Healthcare Practitioners 21 $0.00 466 $42,059.00
Healthcare Support 165 $0.00 247 $26,831.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 0 $0.00 19 $0.00
Law Enforcement 190 $50,111.00 11 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 143 $11,250.00 201 $7,148.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 131 $32,934.00 142 $6,613.00
Personal Care and Service 22 $0.00 86 $11,304.00
Sales 182 $40,882.00 305 $30,230.00
Office and Administrative Support 144 $52,857.00 473 $28,029.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 15 $0.00 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 466 $41,528.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 368 $44,583.00 12 $0.00
Production 471 $41,600.00 149 $31,033.00
Transportation and Material Moving 140 $30,000.00 0 $0.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 6,438 households in Mitchell County, with an average household size of 2.27 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 4,102 families in Mitchell County with an average family size of 2.84 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 3,287 198 617 2,336
Average Household Size 2.79 2.06 3.65 1.2
Total Families 3,287 198 617 0
Average Household Size 2.78 1.87 3.48 0

Poverty

Of the 4,102 families in Mitchell County, 8.10% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Mitchell County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 8,663 housing units in Mitchell County, North Carolina.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 6,438 74.32%
Vacant 2,225 25.68%

13.24% of the total 8,663 housing units in Mitchell County are rental units. This is approximately 1,147 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 5,052 are occupied by the owner - or 58.32% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Mitchell County is $637.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Mitchell County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    239
  • Less than $500
    337
  • $500 to $999
    677
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    48
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    62
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    23

Property Value

The median value of a property in Mitchell County is $170,200.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Mitchell County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    293
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    739
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    810
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    1,137
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    1,278
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    557
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    187
  • $1,000,000 or more
    51

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Mitchell County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Mitchell County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    1,024
  • 1940 to 1949
    756
  • 1950 to 1959
    821
  • 1960 to 1969
    881
  • 1970 to 1979
    1,064
  • 1980 to 1989
    1,204
  • 1990 to 1999
    1,488
  • 2000 to 2009
    1,050
  • 2010 to 2013
    358
  • 2014 or later
    17

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Mitchell County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    459
  • 1 vehicle available
    1,826
  • 2 vehicles available
    2,269
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    1,884

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Mitchell County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Mitchell County that commute to work in a particular way.

23.2 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Mitchell County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    304
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    917
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    969
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    652
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    809
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    365
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    864
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    96
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    109
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    387
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    449
  • 90 or more minutes
    52

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Mitchell County, North Carolina in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Mitchell County, North Carolina

We have data for 10 places in Mitchell County, North Carolina. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.