Yancey County, North Carolina Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Yancey 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 Yancey County, North Carolina. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Yancey County, North Carolina. The estimated population of Yancey County, North Carolina is 18,357 people, with a median age of 48.2.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
18,357
+2.73%
+4.27%
2020
17,870
+0.62%
-
2019
17,760
+0.53%
-
2018
17,667
+0.35%
-
2017
17,605
 - -

Population of Yancey 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
92.3%
92.8%
 -0.54%
Black/African American
0.6%
0.8%
 -25.00%
Native
0.5%
0.4%
 +25.00%
Hispanic
5.4%
4.9%
 +10.20%
Asian
0.3%
0.2%
 +50.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0.1%
 -100.00%
Two Or More Races
0.9%
0.7%
 +28.57%
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 Yancey 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 48.2 +0.63% 47.4 +3.04% 49 -2.2%
2020 47.9 +0.63% 46 +0.22% 50.1 +2.24%
2019 47.6 +0.42% 45.9 +0.88% 49 -0.61%
2018 47.4 +1.28% 45.5 +1.11% 49.3 +0.41%
2017 46.8 - 45 - 49.1 -

The median age of Yancey 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 9 820 +9.49% 823 +8.83% 891 888
10 to 19 1,137 -2.82% 882 -5.18% 1,098 835
20 to 29 911 +1.08% 836 +16.53% 920 982
30 to 39 906 -0.12% 962 -10.41% 898 863
40 to 49 1,163 -12.42% 1,049 +5.98% 1,018 1,113
50 to 59 1,227 +9.84% 1,284 -9.45% 1,351 1,165
60 to 69 1,360 +2.46% 1,456 +4.82% 1,389 1,527
70+ 1,165 +27.17% 1,624 +16.3% 1,514 1,905

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Yancey County, North Carolina is $45,324.00.

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 Yancey County.

  • Under 25
    $34,200.00
  • 25 to 44
    $48,009.00
  • 45 to 64
    $61,081.00
  • 65 and over
    $40,290.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Yancey 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 Yancey County, North Carolina is currently $63,204.00.

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.

2.34% of households in Yancey 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 Yancey County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    25.54%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    27.92%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    18.18%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    11.26%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    12.10%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    2.65%
  • $200,000 or more
    2.34%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Yancey County is $27,194.00.

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

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Yancey 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 Yancey 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
    10.95%
  • Bachelor's degree
    23.65%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    11.41%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    51.75%
  • Less than high school diploma
    2.24%

Employment

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

The total population of Yancey County over the age of 16 is 15,403.

Of those people, a total of 53.60% 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 Yancey County is 49.10%.

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 758 38.30% 24.50%
20 to 24 years 906 70.20% 17.80%
25 to 29 years 996 79.70% 17.90%
30 to 34 years 869 88.50% 7.00%
35 to 44 years 1,898 78.80% 8.80%
45 to 54 years 2,516 74.10% 3.60%
55 to 59 years 1,125 75.60% 2.70%
60 to 64 years 1,588 44.10% 3.90%
65 to 74 years 2,758 22.70% 3.80%
75 years and over 1,989 11.10% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Yancey 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 14,746 53.50% 7.30%
Black or African American 103 16.50% 35.30%
American Indian and Alaska Native 68 57.40% 64.10%
Asian 44 65.90% 20.70%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 6 0.00% 0.00%
Other 214 67.30% 0.70%
Two or more races 222 58.60% 26.90%
Hispanic or Latino 610 59.00% 5.50%
Not Hispanic or Latino 14,487 53.40% 7.40%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Yancey 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 Yancey County is 7,569, with median earnings of $32,753.00.

Women in Yancey County, North Carolina earning approximately 73.70% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 7,569 $32,753.00
Male 3,758 $38,020.00
Female 3,811 $28,004.00

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 686 $42,000.00
Business and Financial 202 $42,011.00
Computer and Mathematical 32 $88,750.00
Architecture and Engineering 160 $44,063.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 24 $51,071.00
Community and Social Service 132 $50,268.00
Legal 9 $0.00
Educational and Library 466 $30,063.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 44 $21,410.00
Healthcare Practitioners 496 $44,417.00
Healthcare Support 433 $14,099.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 37 $26,964.00
Law Enforcement 248 $45,750.00
Food Preparation and Serving 278 $10,489.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 376 $15,114.00
Personal Care and Service 144 $19,286.00
Sales 770 $16,806.00
Office and Administrative Support 670 $30,515.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 92 $21,983.00
Construction and Extraction 544 $37,941.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 325 $34,063.00
Production 891 $34,141.00
Transportation and Material Moving 210 $34,000.00

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 400 $56,207.00 286 $34,318.00
Business and Financial 72 $54,125.00 130 $41,304.00
Computer and Mathematical 23 $119,688.00 9 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 114 $34,397.00 46 $47,870.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 21 $0.00 3 $0.00
Community and Social Service 46 $53,125.00 86 $50,179.00
Legal 3 $0.00 6 $0.00
Educational and Library 109 $61,384.00 357 $25,734.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 0 $0.00 44 $21,410.00
Healthcare Practitioners 69 $42,361.00 427 $44,856.00
Healthcare Support 49 $13,413.00 384 $15,278.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 16 $63,864.00 21 $0.00
Law Enforcement 221 $45,594.00 27 $60,391.00
Food Preparation and Serving 75 $18,304.00 203 $10,245.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 304 $12,283.00 72 $15,577.00
Personal Care and Service 19 $0.00 125 $22,566.00
Sales 301 $12,552.00 469 $21,895.00
Office and Administrative Support 128 $41,458.00 542 $29,271.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 81 $22,431.00 11 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 492 $39,833.00 52 $21,100.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 309 $30,536.00 16 $0.00
Production 455 $36,088.00 436 $32,500.00
Transportation and Material Moving 210 $34,000.00 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 7,618 households in Yancey County, with an average household size of 2.39 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 5,119 families in Yancey County with an average family size of 2.94 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 4,260 224 635 2,499
Average Household Size 2.86 4.33 3.37 1.18
Total Families 4,260 224 635 0
Average Household Size 2.85 3.88 3.24 0

Poverty

Of the 5,119 families in Yancey County, 9.30% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Yancey 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 11,224 housing units in Yancey County, North Carolina.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 7,618 67.87%
Vacant 3,606 32.13%

12.74% of the total 11,224 housing units in Yancey County are rental units. This is approximately 1,430 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 5,844 are occupied by the owner - or 52.07% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Yancey County is $672.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Yancey 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
    344
  • Less than $500
    354
  • $500 to $999
    838
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    189
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    46
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    3
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in Yancey County is $175,200.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    466
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    821
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    933
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    1,125
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    1,527
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    817
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    137
  • $1,000,000 or more
    18

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    1,075
  • 1940 to 1949
    597
  • 1950 to 1959
    445
  • 1960 to 1969
    1,111
  • 1970 to 1979
    1,597
  • 1980 to 1989
    1,943
  • 1990 to 1999
    2,310
  • 2000 to 2009
    1,668
  • 2010 to 2013
    478
  • 2014 or later
    0

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 Yancey County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    312
  • 1 vehicle available
    1,811
  • 2 vehicles available
    2,961
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    2,534

Commuting to Work

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

26.3 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Yancey 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
    291
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    807
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    1,174
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    1,248
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    668
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    237
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    592
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    217
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    290
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    720
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    602
  • 90 or more minutes
    149

Summary

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

We have data for 11 places in Yancey County, North Carolina. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.