United States › North Carolina
Avery County, North Carolina
Population 17,680 · Banner Elk, Newland, Elk Park
- Overall cost of living: −11.6% vs the US average, lower than 50% of US counties.
- Hot days (90°F+): 0 days, the lowest in the US.
- July high: 76°F, lower than 97% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−11.6% | lower than 50% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of North Carolina outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $265,800 | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Median rent | $773 | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $145/mo | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $7,077/yr | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.38% | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 4.75% | lower than 70% of US counties |
| State income tax | 4.5% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $1,010 | lower than 77% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $61,428 | lower than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4% | higher than 49% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +11.6% | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 311.6 | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈193 days | lower than 75% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 76°F | lower than 97% of US counties |
| January low | 22°F | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 31 in | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 0 days | the lowest in the US |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 126 days | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 10.8% of weeks | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈61.6°F | lower than 60% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 55.8 in | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $118/yr | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $101/yr | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $2.2/yr | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $2.6/yr | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $5.4/yr | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.14/yr | lower than 65% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 6.2 µg/m³ | lower than 82% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 238.7 mi | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈3,334.2 ft | higher than 90% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 87.8% | lower than 66% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 25% | higher than 62% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 8.5% | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 9 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 12.4:1 | lower than 71% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 87.5% | lower than 60% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.05 | higher than 59% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.19 | higher than 70% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.8 | lower than 73% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 1.5 | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 23/100k | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 9 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3★ | lower than 48% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 75.1 yrs | lower than 55% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 14.7% | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 477/100k | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 46/100k | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 14.1/100k | higher than 84% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 100% | the highest in the US |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 61 min | higher than 56% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 112 min | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 24 min | lower than 47% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 85.2% | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.5% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 9.2% | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 119 min | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 9 per sq mi | lower than 73% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.7 per 1k | lower than 57% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 10.6 per 1k | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Population | 17,680 | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Median age | 47.1 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +4.5 per 1k/yr | higher than 61% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 23.4% Dem | lower than 64% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 75.8% Rep | higher than 66% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 0.7% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| % White | 85.7% | higher than 62% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 6.1% | higher than 56% of US counties |
| % Black | 3.8% | higher than 60% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.4% | lower than 64% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.5% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 3.3% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.1% | lower than 67% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 79 parks | higher than 58% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 23.8 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 12.4 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 62 min | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.1% | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 21 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 21 | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 1,779 km | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 4 km | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 22 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 13 | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 6 | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 57 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 13 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 63 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 40 km | higher than 70% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data