Swain
North Carolina

14K

Population

$53K

Median Income

$328K

Median Home

R+20

Politics

Economy

Median Household Income$53K

This county

national avg ~$75K

Poverty Rate13.5%

This county

national avg ~11.5%

Unemployment Rate3.2%

This county

national avg ~3.8%

GDP per Capita$63,188

Federal Spending per Capita$2,821

Median Individual Earnings$35K

This county

national avg $45K

Professional/Management Workers30.1%

Average Adjusted Gross Income$54K

Avg Credit Score650

Work From Home %7.3%

This county

national avg 17.0%

Population Under 1822.6%

This county

national avg 22.0%

Single-Person Households27.7%

This county

national avg 28.0%

Banks & Finance Firms7

Income (20th Percentile)$21K

Income (80th Percentile)$113K

Income (95th Percentile)$182K

Bachelor's Degree or Higher20.6%

This county

national avg 35.0%

Less Than High School14.9%

This county

national avg 11.0%

Knowledge Economy GDP %2.2%

Dependency Ratio1.24

Medicare Spending / Person$4,984

SS Benefits / Person$5,113

Education Wage Premium1.29x

Median Earnings (Bachelor's)$54K

Median Earnings (Graduate)$46K

Median Earnings (HS Diploma)$36K

Public Assistance Recipients3.0%

Average Annual Wage$47K

Professional Services Concentration0.12x national

This county

1.0 = national average share

Housing

Median Home Value$320K

This county

$335K state avg

$303K national

Market Rent (ZORI)$690/mo

This county

$1450/mo state avg

$1400/mo national

Property Tax Rate0.47%

This county

0.70% state avg

1.10% national

Annual tax on median home: $848

Affordability & Supply

HUD Fair Market Rent (2BR)$925/mo

Home Price Change (1 yr)+1.9%

Home Value to Income Ratio2.5x income

Severely Cost-Burdened Households9.4%

Homeownership Rate72.7%

This county

national avg ~65%

Market Activity

Listings with Price Cuts— Low — market moving fast

14.1%

Active Listings

128

New Listings / Month

Source: Zillow Research · Updated monthly

Days on Market (Redfin)— Slow — buyers have leverage

67 days

Months of Supply (Redfin)— High inventory — buyers market

9.8 mo

Sold Above List (Redfin)

7.7%

Sale-to-List Ratio (Redfin)— Buyers market — homes selling below list

93.3%

Source: Redfin · Updated monthly

Health

Life Expectancy69.3 yrs

This county

national avg ~78.5 years

Food Insecurity15.1%

This county

national avg ~11%

Food Environment Index7.5 / 10

This county

higher = better access

Primary Care Shortage Score20

This county

national avg 5

Mental Health Shortage Score18

Dental Care Shortage Score20

Healthcare Shortage Score19.3

Healthcare Offices15

Obesity Rate (BRFSS)40.8%

This county

national avg 32.0%

Smoking Rate (BRFSS)20.4%

This county

national avg 14.0%

Poor Health Rate (BRFSS)23.7%

This county

national avg 18.0%

Physical Inactivity (BRFSS)26.5%

This county

national avg 24.0%

High Blood Pressure (BRFSS)36.5%

This county

national avg 32.0%

Active Physicians18

Nursing Home Rating1.5 / 5

This county

national avg ~3 stars

ER Visits per 1,000 Medicare Patients592 / 1,000

Medicare Cost per Beneficiary$12,104

Uninsured (under 65)11.1%

This county

national avg ~10%

Adults with Depression27.9%

Education

Math Test Scores2.91 grade level

Reading Test Scores3.01 grade level

HS Diploma Holders2,498

Bachelor's Degree Holders995

HS Completion Rate85.1%

This county

national avg ~85%

Private Schools5

Safety

Violent Crime Rate4.2 / 1,000

This county

national avg ~4.0

Firearm Fatality Rate22.5 / 100K

This county

national avg ~13.6/100K

Drug Overdose Rate49.3 / 100K

This county

national avg ~21/100K

Traffic Fatalities5

Social Vulnerability (CDC SVI)90th pct

Drug Overdose Deaths (2024)38.8 / 100K

Suicide Rate25.2 / 100K

This county

national avg ~14/100K

Climate & Air Quality

Natural Amenity Scale3.0

January Sunshine0.59

January Temperature0.35

Average Temp53°F

Avg High Temp63°F

Avg Low Temp42°F

Median AQIAQI 41

Good Air Days267 days/yr

Unhealthy Air Days2 days/yr

Annual Precipitation53.0 in/yr

Avg Storm Events3.0 storms/yr

Avg Annual Storm Damage$53K

Ozone Days145 days/yr

This county

national avg 50 days/yr

Drought Index (2022)-0.25

Heating Degree Days4,929 HDD/yr

This county

national avg ~4,500 HDD/yr

Cooling Degree Days433 CDD/yr

This county

national avg ~1,200 CDD/yr

Heating Degree Days (1901–2000 Baseline)5,249 HDD/yr

Cooling Degree Days (1901–2000 Baseline)385 CDD/yr

Avg Tornadoes / Year0.2

Avg Flood Events / Year0.4

Avg Hail Events / Year0.2

Avg Hurricane Events / Year0.00

Avg Wildfire Events / Year0.0

Avg Winter Storms / Year0.0

Avg Heat Events / Year0.0

Natural Hazard Risk (FEMA)26 / 100

Community Resilience (FEMA)18 / 100

Federal Disaster Declarations17 since 1953

Fine Particulate Pollution (PM2.5)6.1 µg/m³

This county

EPA standard 9 µg/m³

Outdoor & Recreation

Historic Places (NRHP)11 properties

FAA-Registered Airports3 total

Airports (excl. heliports)1 airports

Brewery Scene

Total Breweries2 breweries

Microbreweries2 microbreweries

Brewpubs0 brewpubs

Internet & Remote Work

Download Speed63 Mbps

This county

national avg ~120 Mbps

Upload Speed10 Mbps

Fixed Internet (Q1 2026)214 Mbps

Mobile Internet (Q1 2026)55 Mbps

Mobile Upload (Q1 2026)10 Mbps

Mobile Latency (Q1 2026)57 ms

Households with 100Mbps+66.4%

This county

national avg 75.0%

Cellular-Only Internet12.8%

This county

national avg 8.0%

Fixed Upload Speed (Q1 2026)119 Mbps

EV Infrastructure

EV Charging Stations7 stations

DC Fast Chargers2 chargers

Level 2 EV Chargers10

Commute & Transit

Remote Workers411 workers

Public Transit Commuters40 workers

Walk to Work76 workers

Extreme Commutes (90+ min)104 workers

Avg Commute Time19.0 min

This county

national avg ~27 min

Walk to Work1.4%

Families & Childcare

Childcare Cost Burden24.4%

This county

national median ~27% of household income

Childcare Centers12.6 per 10K residents

Childcare Facilities5

Civic & Community

Voter Turnout65.4%

This county

national avg ~55%

Volunteering Rate1.0%

Income Inequality (Gini)5.421

Nonprofit Organizations84

Veterans Share6.4%

This county

national avg 7.0%

Married Adults48.5%

Never-Married Adults30.1%

Divorced Adults13.9%

Religious Organizations13

Asian Population0.5%

Native American Population29.1%

Membership Associations8.5 per 10K residents

Lifestyle & Services

Full-Service Restaurants1.41 per 1K residents

Grocery Stores3

Hotels & Lodging36

Recreation Businesses13

Professional Services Firms17

Veterinary Practices4

Real Estate Firms19

Museums3

Debt Burden

Avg Mortgage Balance$47K

Avg Student Loan Balance$6K

Avg Credit Card Balance$3K

Loan Delinquency Rate50.0%

This county

national avg 4.0%

Innovation

Inventor Rate0.15%

Politics

R+20

2024 Presidential · North Carolina was R+3 statewide

vs North Carolina State

Income tax

4.5%Same (state law)

Property tax

0.47%0.7% state avg

Politics

R+20R+3

COL Index

County data94 (state)

Population & Migration

Net Domestic Migration 2023

↑ +42

More people arriving than leaving

IRS Wealth Migration

Wealthier people moving in (IRS: 1.10x avg income)

Economic Mobility

41%

chance a low-income child reaches the middle class

Source: Opportunity Insights

Real Estate

Find Homes in Swain County

Median home value: $328K

View on Zillow →View on Realtor.com →

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Local News — Swain

MaxPreps · 6 days ago

Schedule - Swain County Maroon Devils (Bryson City, NC) Girls Basketball 26-27

Submit the schedule. Help the team by uploading this season's schedule. ... Partnerships: ... PlayOn…

ABC11 News · May 5, 2026

Daniel Swain NC | SC Man accused of threatening to kill the president face federal charges in North Carolina

Daniel Swain was arrested after making public threats toward President Trump at Tidal Wave Auto Spa …

Ballotpedia · 1 month ago

Fred Crawford (Swain County Board of Commissioners Chairman, North Carolina, candidate 2026)

Jeramy Shuler (D), Robert Brown (R), and Fred Crawford (Unaffiliated) are running in the general ele…

WLOS · 5 days ago

Friday Football Frenzy: Scores and highlights for Aug. 28, 2026

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Week two of Friday Football Frenzy is underway, with teams across the regio…

Blue Ridge Public Radio · Apr 22, 2026

Swain County unanimously passes data center moratorium

This coverage is made possible through a partnership between BPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmenta…

Smoky Mountain News · Jul 8, 2026

Ex-Swain County manager ordered unauthorized public record deletion -

At a May 19 Swain County commissioners meeting, IT Specialist Michael Lyons revealed that he'd delet…

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Data: Census ACS, BLS, Zillow, USDA Natural Amenities, OpenElections 2024, CMS, NCES. Vintage 2022–2025. News via Google News.

SwainNorth Carolina

Swain
North Carolina