Transylvania County, North Carolina Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Transylvania 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 Transylvania County, North Carolina. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Transylvania County, North Carolina. The estimated population of Transylvania County, North Carolina is 32,979 people, with a median age of 52.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
32,979
-3.11% -0.94%
2020
34,039
+0.78%
-
2019
33,775
+0.78%
-
2018
33,513
+0.67%
-
2017
33,291
- -

Population of Transylvania 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
90%
89.4%
+0.67%
Black/African American
4.2%
4%
+5.00%
Native
0.2%
0.4%
-50.00%
Hispanic
3.4%
3.2%
+6.25%
Asian
0.1%
0.6%
-83.33%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
0.00%
Two Or More Races
2%
1.4%
+42.86%
Other
0.1%
0.9%
-88.89%

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 Transylvania 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 52 +0.19% 48.9 -1.61% 53.6 +0.56%
2020 51.9 +1.57% 49.7 0% 53.3 +0.95%
2019 51.1 +0.79% 49.7 +0.4% 52.8 +0.38%
2018 50.7 +0.2% 49.5 +0.41% 52.6 +0.38%
2017 50.6 - 49.3 - 52.4 -

The median age of Transylvania 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 1,371 -1.97% 1,385 +8.3% 1,340 1,496
10 to 19 2,007 -9.56% 1,620 -19.55% 1,812 1,325
20 to 29 1,689 +5.55% 1,768 -11.57% 1,783 1,570
30 to 39 1,339 +8.27% 1,558 +0.43% 1,449 1,561
40 to 49 1,796 -3.29% 1,791 +5.93% 1,729 1,895
50 to 59 2,172 -10.98% 2,463 -5.55% 1,941 2,324
60 to 69 2,640 +2.18% 2,986 -3.47% 2,687 2,876
70+ 3,004 +8.66% 3,702 +6.51% 3,259 3,932

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Transylvania County, North Carolina is $57,830.00.

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 Transylvania County.

  • Under 25
    $35,926.00
  • 25 to 44
    $51,865.00
  • 45 to 64
    $68,100.00
  • 65 and over
    $58,027.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Transylvania 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 Transylvania County, North Carolina is currently $74,141.00.

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.

4.95% of households in Transylvania 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 Transylvania County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    18.23%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    25.80%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    18.04%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    15.47%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    12.41%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    5.10%
  • $200,000 or more
    4.95%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Transylvania County is $32,718.00.

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

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Transylvania 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 Transylvania 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
    16.94%
  • Bachelor's degree
    38.96%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    10.88%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    32.07%
  • Less than high school diploma
    1.15%

Employment

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

The total population of Transylvania County over the age of 16 is 28,306.

Of those people, a total of 53.10% 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 Transylvania County is 50.50%.

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 1,300 37.10% 19.10%
20 to 24 years 1,778 73.10% 10.40%
25 to 29 years 1,575 83.90% 11.10%
30 to 34 years 1,662 89.40% 2.30%
35 to 44 years 3,281 84.70% 4.40%
45 to 54 years 3,544 73.80% 2.90%
55 to 59 years 2,412 74.80% 2.50%
60 to 64 years 2,814 59.70% 1.50%
65 to 74 years 5,531 20.60% 5.80%
75 years and over 4,409 9.80% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Transylvania 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 26,141 52.70% 4.70%
Black or African American 1,153 56.70% 14.10%
American Indian and Alaska Native 58 43.10% 0.00%
Asian 31 0.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 204 78.40% 0.00%
Two or more races 719 59.00% 0.90%
Hispanic or Latino 752 76.30% 0.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 25,912 52.50% 4.80%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Transylvania 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 Transylvania County is 14,299, with median earnings of $32,853.00.

Women in Transylvania County, North Carolina earning approximately 79.10% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 14,299 $32,853.00
Male 7,489 $36,654.00
Female 6,810 $28,999.00

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 1,570 $57,552.00
Business and Financial 498 $59,914.00
Computer and Mathematical 118 $96,071.00
Architecture and Engineering 147 $28,125.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 78 $50,800.00
Community and Social Service 460 $55,385.00
Legal 58 $30,313.00
Educational and Library 930 $40,218.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 387 $28,673.00
Healthcare Practitioners 940 $54,097.00
Healthcare Support 475 $25,837.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 68 $46,250.00
Law Enforcement 150 $50,435.00
Food Preparation and Serving 1,138 $16,071.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 905 $25,721.00
Personal Care and Service 297 $17,478.00
Sales 1,386 $21,108.00
Office and Administrative Support 1,789 $32,231.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 137 $25,348.00
Construction and Extraction 951 $36,250.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 513 $35,018.00
Production 722 $35,298.00
Transportation and Material Moving 231 $49,028.00

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 1,030 $54,953.00 540 $58,378.00
Business and Financial 242 $73,125.00 256 $52,941.00
Computer and Mathematical 68 $97,115.00 50 $95,455.00
Architecture and Engineering 128 $24,135.00 19 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 17 $0.00 61 $19,911.00
Community and Social Service 183 $56,907.00 277 $41,152.00
Legal 15 $0.00 43 $14,420.00
Educational and Library 188 $57,900.00 742 $39,258.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 188 $28,750.00 199 $28,512.00
Healthcare Practitioners 330 $91,042.00 610 $49,316.00
Healthcare Support 78 $26,050.00 397 $25,673.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 45 $0.00 23 $0.00
Law Enforcement 128 $51,630.00 22 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 445 $20,906.00 693 $12,322.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 588 $32,727.00 317 $18,420.00
Personal Care and Service 38 $30,000.00 259 $16,942.00
Sales 640 $20,789.00 746 $21,208.00
Office and Administrative Support 566 $40,424.00 1,223 $31,065.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 125 $25,594.00 12 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 951 $36,250.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 462 $34,765.00 51 $55,625.00
Production 552 $37,679.00 170 $33,390.00
Transportation and Material Moving 192 $55,132.00 39 $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 14,113 households in Transylvania County, with an average household size of 2.25 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 9,500 families in Transylvania County with an average family size of 2.7 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 7,321 584 1,595 4,613
Average Household Size 2.64 3.72 2.88 1.23
Total Families 7,321 584 1,595 0
Average Household Size 2.63 3.44 2.76 0

Poverty

Of the 9,500 families in Transylvania County, 8.70% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Transylvania 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 19,035 housing units in Transylvania County, North Carolina.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 14,113 74.14%
Vacant 4,922 25.86%

15.12% of the total 19,035 housing units in Transylvania County are rental units. This is approximately 2,879 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 10,820 are occupied by the owner - or 56.84% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Transylvania County is $787.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Transylvania 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
    414
  • Less than $500
    483
  • $500 to $999
    1,648
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    525
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    110
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    19
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    12
  • $3,000 or more
    82

Property Value

The median value of a property in Transylvania County is $250,200.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    541
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    1,102
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    926
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    1,520
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    2,553
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    3,041
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    1,022
  • $1,000,000 or more
    115

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    770
  • 1940 to 1949
    1,226
  • 1950 to 1959
    1,342
  • 1960 to 1969
    2,043
  • 1970 to 1979
    3,046
  • 1980 to 1989
    3,545
  • 1990 to 1999
    2,995
  • 2000 to 2009
    3,393
  • 2010 to 2013
    617
  • 2014 or later
    58

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 Transylvania County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    598
  • 1 vehicle available
    4,056
  • 2 vehicles available
    6,221
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    3,238

Commuting to Work

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

22.5 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Transylvania 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
    579
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    1,743
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    2,145
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    1,927
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    1,507
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    756
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    1,794
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    238
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    449
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    719
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    431
  • 90 or more minutes
    204

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Transylvania 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 Transylvania County, North Carolina

We have data for 9 places in Transylvania County, North Carolina. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.