Watauga County, North Carolina Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Watauga 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 Watauga County, North Carolina. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Watauga County, North Carolina. The estimated population of Watauga County, North Carolina is 54,077 people, with a median age of 32.9.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
54,077
 -2.86% +1.23%
2020
55,669
+1.35%
-
2019
54,925
+1.49%
-
2018
54,117
+1.3%
-
2017
53,421
 - -

Population of Watauga 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
91.4%
91.9%
 -0.54%
Black/African American
1.8%
1.5%
 +20.00%
Native
0.4%
0.3%
 +33.33%
Hispanic
3.9%
3.4%
 +14.71%
Asian
1.2%
0.8%
 +50.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.1%
0.1%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
1.3%
1.8%
 -27.78%
Other
0%
0.1%
 -100.00%

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 Watauga 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 32.9 +0.61% 32.2 +4.21% 33.5 -1.18%
2020 32.7 +2.51% 30.9 +1.31% 33.9 +2.11%
2019 31.9 +2.24% 30.5 +0.99% 33.2 +1.22%
2018 31.2 +1.96% 30.2 +3.07% 32.8 +1.23%
2017 30.6 - 29.3 - 32.4 -

The median age of Watauga 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 1,983 -0.51% 1,928 -6.52% 1,971 1,804
10 to 19 3,899 -2.9% 4,136 +28.12% 3,784 5,379
20 to 29 7,644 -8.41% 6,768 -17.3% 7,015 5,653
30 to 39 2,534 +9.43% 2,424 +3.66% 2,744 2,505
40 to 49 2,516 -1.33% 2,509 +4.15% 2,457 2,609
50 to 59 3,003 0.16% 3,018 -2.35% 3,002 2,945
60 to 69 2,725 +15.19% 3,178 +9.4% 3,158 3,482
70+ 2,353 +9.3% 2,803 +6.92% 2,579 2,990

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Watauga County, North Carolina is $48,786.00.

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 Watauga County.

  • Under 25
    $13,265.00
  • 25 to 44
    $60,391.00
  • 45 to 64
    $62,658.00
  • 65 and over
    $51,786.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Watauga 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 Watauga County, North Carolina is currently $70,308.00.

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.

5.20% of households in Watauga 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 Watauga County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    27.16%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    23.73%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    15.67%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    11.08%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    13.32%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    3.84%
  • $200,000 or more
    5.20%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Watauga County is $28,552.00.

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

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Watauga 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 Watauga 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
    21.51%
  • Bachelor's degree
    39.36%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    9.26%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    28.81%
  • Less than high school diploma
    1.06%

Employment

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

The total population of Watauga County over the age of 16 is 48,149.

Of those people, a total of 59.80% 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 Watauga County is 54.40%.

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 7,010 36.20% 31.80%
20 to 24 years 9,461 64.20% 15.40%
25 to 29 years 3,207 84.30% 4.40%
30 to 34 years 2,547 82.40% 4.20%
35 to 44 years 5,078 86.80% 5.10%
45 to 54 years 5,469 84.90% 2.90%
55 to 59 years 3,168 74.50% 7.30%
60 to 64 years 3,464 57.00% 0.60%
65 to 74 years 5,438 32.00% 3.50%
75 years and over 3,307 7.50% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Watauga 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 45,052 59.70% 8.30%
Black or African American 878 58.50% 32.70%
American Indian and Alaska Native 213 48.40% 0.00%
Asian 630 53.20% 6.60%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 28 100.00% 0.00%
Other 386 65.50% 2.80%
Two or more races 962 69.10% 19.50%
Hispanic or Latino 1,709 61.00% 10.30%
Not Hispanic or Latino 44,237 59.80% 8.30%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Watauga 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 Watauga County is 26,207, with median earnings of $27,254.00.

Women in Watauga County, North Carolina earning approximately 71.80% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 26,207 $27,254.00
Male 13,811 $31,880.00
Female 12,396 $22,876.00

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 3,409 $54,134.00
Business and Financial 1,394 $61,622.00
Computer and Mathematical 378 $60,179.00
Architecture and Engineering 150 $45,238.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 111 $48,092.00
Community and Social Service 571 $46,125.00
Legal 85 $79,583.00
Educational and Library 2,609 $41,575.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 447 $27,337.00
Healthcare Practitioners 987 $50,386.00
Healthcare Support 552 $19,481.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 142 $9,539.00
Law Enforcement 144 $40,341.00
Food Preparation and Serving 2,612 $11,816.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 1,268 $20,561.00
Personal Care and Service 853 $12,513.00
Sales 3,842 $16,000.00
Office and Administrative Support 2,442 $27,236.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 62 $22,045.00
Construction and Extraction 1,340 $30,488.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 659 $33,375.00
Production 628 $19,597.00
Transportation and Material Moving 732 $21,786.00

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 2,182 $54,951.00 1,227 $53,472.00
Business and Financial 637 $70,179.00 757 $47,772.00
Computer and Mathematical 308 $67,778.00 70 $2,499.00
Architecture and Engineering 103 $46,726.00 47 $4,948.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 87 $48,882.00 24 $35,833.00
Community and Social Service 190 $66,053.00 381 $39,926.00
Legal 48 $103,906.00 37 $65,573.00
Educational and Library 863 $57,325.00 1,746 $27,258.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 261 $40,231.00 186 $23,393.00
Healthcare Practitioners 255 $67,875.00 732 $48,913.00
Healthcare Support 83 $21,891.00 469 $18,913.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 99 $20,398.00 43 $2,499.00
Law Enforcement 126 $41,364.00 18 $4,375.00
Food Preparation and Serving 1,484 $12,316.00 1,128 $11,597.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 817 $20,839.00 451 $17,205.00
Personal Care and Service 223 $4,598.00 630 $13,906.00
Sales 1,827 $22,120.00 2,015 $13,211.00
Office and Administrative Support 507 $31,414.00 1,935 $25,845.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 52 $107,593.00 10 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 1,333 $30,701.00 7 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 637 $34,292.00 22 $0.00
Production 410 $29,167.00 218 $12,093.00
Transportation and Material Moving 636 $21,518.00 96 $25,938.00

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 20,805 households in Watauga County, with an average household size of 2.32 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 10,817 families in Watauga County with an average family size of 2.87 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 9,046 525 1,246 9,988
Average Household Size 2.93 3.71 2.94 1.62
Total Families 9,046 525 1,246 0
Average Household Size 2.9 2.78 2.74 0

Poverty

Of the 10,817 families in Watauga County, 7.70% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Watauga 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 32,602 housing units in Watauga County, North Carolina.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 20,805 63.82%
Vacant 11,797 36.18%

22.19% of the total 32,602 housing units in Watauga County are rental units. This is approximately 7,233 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 12,970 are occupied by the owner - or 39.78% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Watauga County is $948.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Watauga 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
    602
  • Less than $500
    483
  • $500 to $999
    3,491
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    2,122
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    792
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    292
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    48
  • $3,000 or more
    5

Property Value

The median value of a property in Watauga County is $249,500.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    627
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    795
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    1,103
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    1,766
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    3,550
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    3,288
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    1,544
  • $1,000,000 or more
    297

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    1,532
  • 1940 to 1949
    848
  • 1950 to 1959
    1,715
  • 1960 to 1969
    2,870
  • 1970 to 1979
    5,591
  • 1980 to 1989
    5,897
  • 1990 to 1999
    6,501
  • 2000 to 2009
    5,804
  • 2010 to 2013
    1,824
  • 2014 or later
    20

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 Watauga County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    883
  • 1 vehicle available
    6,500
  • 2 vehicles available
    8,326
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    5,096

Commuting to Work

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

20.7 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Watauga 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
    934
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    2,921
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    4,785
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    4,820
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    3,237
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    1,065
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    2,255
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    533
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    622
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    811
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    396
  • 90 or more minutes
    520

Summary

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

We have data for 18 places in Watauga County, North Carolina. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.