United States › North Carolina
Watauga County, North Carolina
Population 55,123 · Boone, Blowing Rock, Beech Mountain
- 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.
- Median age: 31.4, lower than 98% 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 | $358,900 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,127 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $142/mo | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $8,400/yr | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.39% | 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 | $1,386 | lower than 61% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $51,693 | lower than 85% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3.5% | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +4.7% | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 381 | higher than 81% 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 | 79°F | lower than 93% of US counties |
| January low | 23°F | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 26 in | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 0 days | the lowest in the US |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 127 days | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 10.1% of weeks | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈61.4°F | lower than 61% 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 | 59 in | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $117/yr | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $104/yr | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $1.2/yr | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $3.3/yr | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $5/yr | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.12/yr | lower than 67% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 6.5 µg/m³ | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 241.4 mi | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈2,790.6 ft | higher than 88% 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 | 92.6% | higher than 71% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 48.1% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 21.7% | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 6 | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 11.9:1 | lower than 77% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 89% | lower than 51% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 9.71 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 9.4 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.34 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 1.9 | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 80/100k | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 7 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3★ | lower than 48% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 79.3 yrs | higher than 87% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 12.3% | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 564/100k | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 80/100k | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 55/100k | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 86.6% | higher than 85% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 62 min | higher than 57% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 119 min | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 21 min | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 90.7% | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 1.7% | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 10.4% | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 111 min | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 87 per sq mi | higher than 95% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.2 per 1k | lower than 72% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 8.1 per 1k | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Population | 55,123 | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Median age | 31.4 | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +1.6 per 1k/yr | lower than 54% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 52.3% Dem | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 46.3% Rep | lower than 88% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.4% | higher than 55% of US counties |
| % White | 88.5% | higher than 69% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 6.2% | higher than 57% of US counties |
| % Black | 1.6% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.9% | higher than 61% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 2.7% | lower than 72% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.1% | lower than 67% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 95 parks | higher than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 24.7 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 7.8 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 42 min | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.3% | lower than 79% 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 | 1,016 km | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 14 km | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 12 | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 4 | lower than 68% 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 | 3 | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 54 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 11 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 5 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 52 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 18 km | higher than 59% 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