How big is Asheville, North Carolina?

Asheville has a population of approximately 33,826 residents according to the latest U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023). It is a town by Census Place size classification.

Is housing in Asheville affordable?

By the years-to-own measure, housing in Asheville is very expensive. The median home value ($524,218) divided by the median household income ($60,689) gives a ratio of 8.6 — meaning the median home costs about 8.6 years of pre-tax household income. (Lower is more affordable; the U.S. median is ~4.) Methodology: /methodology/years-to-own/.

What is the climate like in Asheville?

Asheville has an annual average temperature of 55.2°F. The coldest month is January (average 38.2°F) and the warmest is July (average 75.3°F). Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv, 1991–2020 climate normals.

Is the climate changing in Asheville?

Asheville is steadily warming at a rate of 3.44°F per century, measured as the linear regression slope of annual mean temperature on year since 1970. Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv. Methodology: /methodology/warming-velocity/.

What is the median household income in Asheville?

The median household income in Asheville is $60,689, which ranks at the 34th percentile nationally — higher than 34% of U.S. Census places. Source: U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year 2019–2023.

How did Asheville vote in the 2024 presidential election?

Asheville is Democratic-leaning. In the 2024 presidential election, the underlying county recorded 37% Republican and 62% Democratic. Source: MIT Election Lab.

What is the local economy like in Asheville?

Asheville's economy is diverse across major industry sectors, with a Herfindahl–Hirschman Index of 2,142. The single largest NAICS sector accounts for 37% of local establishments. Source: U.S. Census County Business Patterns. Methodology: /methodology/industry-hhi/.

What county is Asheville in?

Asheville is in Buncombe County, NC. Buncombe County has a total population of 339,140 with a years-to-own ratio of 6.7.

How old is the population in Asheville?

The median resident in Asheville is 44.3 years old, which is older than the U.S. median of about 38.9. Source: U.S. Census ACS.

Asheville, North Carolina — Commerce Institute

55 years

The slow remaking of a buncombe

Per-capita personal income from 1969 to 2024, drawn from BEA County Income data.

Per-capita personal income

BEA Personal Income · Buncombe County

Income up 22.9× in 55 years. Buncombe County per-capita personal income rose from $3,090 in 1969 to $70,623 in 2024.

Time machine

Asheville in 2024 is what Kensington, MD was in 2010.

Across our 8 dimensions, Asheville's 2024 profile most closely matches Kensington, MD's 2010 profile. Similarity score 0.95.

The setting

The lay of the land

Topography

Elevation

2,224 ft

Higher elevation — foothills or interior plateau.

126 years of weather, in one panel

What weather looks like here

Annual averages back to 1900 (NOAA NCEI nClimDiv), severe weather counts since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events Database).

1900–2025 — every year's average temperature

Each stripe is one year. Blue = cooler, red = warmer. The trend is the story. Dashed line marks 1970, when the modern warming era began. 126 years of NOAA nClimDiv records.

Long-run shift

+1.4°F

1900–1929 avg → 2000s+ avg

Warmest year

2024 · 56.0°F

Coldest year

1917 · 51.0°F

By the numbers

Annual avg temp

55.2°F

↗ +1.4°F since 1900

Hottest month

75.3°F

July average

Coldest month

38.2°F

January average

Annual precip

53.3″

Above US avg (30″)

Heating degree days

4,224

mild heating

Cooling degree days

663

light AC use

Severe weather, 1950–2024

Counted events from NOAA Storm Events Database

Tornadoes

75-yr record

Hail

606

≈ 8 per year

Flash floods

108

≈ 1 per year

Floods

75-yr record

Lightning

75-yr record

Within driving distance

In Asheville's orbit

Nearby places — neighbors, the closest county seat, the closest college town. Click through to compare.

Emma

NC · pop

Woodfin

NC · pop

Edneyville

NC · pop

Biltmore Forest

NC · pop

Bent Creek

NC · pop

Weaverville

NC · pop

Avery Creek

NC · pop

Valley Hill

NC · pop

Against every other US town

What stands out

Where Asheville ranks among 32,000+ US Census places. Each dot is this place; the gray band is the national distribution; the red tick is the national median.

Industry mix

Local establishment count by NAICS sector · Census County Business Patterns · 2014–2022

Retail22%

Healthcare21%

Professional19%

Food & lodging16%

Construction16%

Manufacturing5%

Agriculture0%

What's notable about Asheville

Top 7% nationally for education level
Top 3% nationally for housing cost burden
Top quartile nationally for home values (rank 88)
Top quartile nationally for population size (rank 87)
Top quartile nationally for industry diversity (rank 81)

If you like Asheville

Towns that feel familiar

Across our 768-dimensional embedding of demographics, climate, and economy, these are the places most like Asheville.

#1 · 1.0

Woodfin

NC · pop

HHI$74k

#2 · 1.0

Biltmore Forest

NC · pop

HHI$70k

#3 · 1.0

Emma

NC · pop

HHI$59k

Jan temp37°F

#4 · 1.0

Bent Creek

NC · pop

HHI$70k

Jan temp36°F

Frequently asked

Common questions about Asheville

Each answer is computed from the data on this page. Citation sources linked in each answer.

How big is Asheville, North Carolina?: Asheville has a population of approximately 33,826 residents according to the latest U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023). It is a town by Census Place size classification.
Is housing in Asheville affordable?: By the years-to-own measure, housing in Asheville is very expensive. The median home value ($524,218) divided by the median household income ($60,689) gives a ratio of 8.6 — meaning the median home costs about 8.6 years of pre-tax household income. (Lower is more affordable; the U.S. median is ~4.) Methodology: /methodology/years-to-own/.
What is the climate like in Asheville?: Asheville has an annual average temperature of 55.2°F. The coldest month is January (average 38.2°F) and the warmest is July (average 75.3°F). Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv, 1991–2020 climate normals.
Is the climate changing in Asheville?: Asheville is steadily warming at a rate of 3.44°F per century, measured as the linear regression slope of annual mean temperature on year since 1970. Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv. Methodology: /methodology/warming-velocity/.
What is the median household income in Asheville?: The median household income in Asheville is $60,689, which ranks at the 34th percentile nationally — higher than 34% of U.S. Census places. Source: U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year 2019–2023.
How did Asheville vote in the 2024 presidential election?: Asheville is Democratic-leaning. In the 2024 presidential election, the underlying county recorded 37% Republican and 62% Democratic. Source: MIT Election Lab.
What is the local economy like in Asheville?: Asheville's economy is diverse across major industry sectors, with a Herfindahl–Hirschman Index of 2,142. The single largest NAICS sector accounts for 37% of local establishments. Source: U.S. Census County Business Patterns. Methodology: /methodology/industry-hhi/.
What county is Asheville in?: Asheville is in Buncombe County, NC. Buncombe County has a total population of 339,140 with a years-to-own ratio of 6.7.
How old is the population in Asheville?: The median resident in Asheville is 44.3 years old, which is older than the U.S. median of about 38.9. Source: U.S. Census ACS.

Every number on this page comes from a federal data source.

Commerce Institute builds profiles from public-domain federal datasets only — no surveys, no proprietary scoring, no opaque indexes. Every metric on this page is queryable; every methodology is published.

U.S. Census ACS — demographics, housing, education, 2014–2023
BEA Personal Income — per-capita income, 1969–2024
BLS QCEW — wages by NAICS sector, 1990–2024
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv — climate, 1901–2024
NOAA Storm Events — severe weather, 1950–2024
Zillow ZHVI — home values, 2000–2025
FHFA HPI — housing index, 1975–2025
IRS SOI Migration — net flows + AGI, 1991–2022
MIT Election Lab — presidential, 2008–2024
Census CBP — business establishments by NAICS, 2014–2022
USGS Elevation — place elevation
OpenStreetMap — retail brand presence, F&B amenities
+ 23 more sources — covering health, schools, banking, agriculture, mobility, civic life

Rendered 2026-05-12. See methodology for every metric definition.

Asheville,
North Carolina.

28805

Buncombe County, NC

North Carolina

The slow remaking of a buncombe

The lay of the land

What weather looks like here

In Asheville's orbit

What stands out

What's notable about Asheville

Towns that feel familiar

Common questions about Asheville

Every number on this page comes from a federal data source.