The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Buncombe County is a county of North Carolina with 274,360 residents. Its economy produced $21,262 million in 2024 (ranked #7 of 100 counties) and had 136,495 jobs with an average annual pay of $58,785 (#12 for pay). The unemployment rate was 2.8% in 2026M09. It is part of the Asheville, NC metropolitan area (central county).
Buncombe County produced about $21,262 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 2.5% of the combined output of the 100 counties of North Carolina that BEA reports (about 2.6% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 7th of 100 on that measure. Per resident that is $77,497, about the same as the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $78,674. In current dollars output grew 5.7% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 136,495 jobs located in Buncombe County on average in 2024, spread over 13,107 employer sites (about 10 jobs per site). That is 0.50 jobs for every resident, above the 0.33 of the typical county in North Carolina, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $58,785, 11% below the average of all counties in the state ($58,785 against $66,360). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs fell 1.3% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are health care and social assistance (19.4% of private jobs, $66,490 a year on average), accommodation and food services (14.4% of private jobs, $31,006 a year on average), retail trade (14.3% of private jobs, $36,955 a year on average). Together they hold 48.1% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is professional and technical services at $84,341 a year, followed by construction ($68,609). The county is specialised in several industries: arts, entertainment, recreation (1.6 times the US share, 3,548 jobs); accommodation and food services (1.4 times the US share, 17,364 jobs); other services (except public administration) (1.4 times the US share, 5,756 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: accommodation and food services ($31,006), retail trade ($36,955). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Buncombe County was 2.8%, 10% below the average of the state's counties (2.8% against 3.1%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 137,407. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 2.8% (2026M09) to 4.0% (2026M01); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $74,436 (ACS 2020–2024), about the same as the state median ($74,436 against $72,388). The guide covers 1 city with this as the main county: Asheville. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate.
Counties close to Buncombe County in output are Forsyth County, Cumberland County, New Hanover County, Iredell County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 100 counties of North Carolina ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 274,360 | 7 of 100 |
| GDP 2024 | $21,262 million | 7 of 100 |
| GDP per resident | $77,497 | 10 of 100 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 136,495 | 6 of 100 |
| Average annual pay | $58,785 | 12 of 100 |
| Job change vs 2023 | -1.3% | 87 of 100 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 2.8% | 15 of 100 |
| Median household income | $74,436 | 19 of 100 |
Federal jobs in North Carolina (496) →All cities of North CarolinaState guide: North Carolina
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Buncombe County.
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asheville | 94,535 | $71,102 | $1,402 | $440,000 | 53.4% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 23,432 | 19.4% | $66,490 | 1.20 |
| Accommodation and food services | 17,364 | 14.4% | $31,006 | 1.40 |
| Retail trade | 17,265 | 14.3% | $36,955 | 1.27 |
| Manufacturing | 12,790 | 10.6% | $66,643 | 1.14 |
| Professional and technical services | 6,949 | 5.8% | $84,341 | 0.73 |
| Administrative and waste services | 6,834 | 5.7% | $51,779 | 0.85 |
| Construction | 6,765 | 5.6% | $68,609 | 0.94 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 5,756 | 4.8% | $44,112 | 1.40 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 3,816 | 3.2% | $54,587 | 0.66 |
| Wholesale trade | 3,556 | 2.9% | $78,134 | 0.66 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 3,548 | 2.9% | $39,900 | 1.55 |
| Educational services | 3,449 | 2.9% | $56,994 | 1.22 |
| Finance and insurance | 2,625 | 2.2% | $99,397 | 0.47 |
| Real estate and rental | 2,565 | 2.1% | $56,793 | 1.21 |
| Information | 1,930 | 1.6% | $120,489 | 0.75 |
| Management of companies | 1,128 | 0.9% | $91,218 | 0.49 |
| Utilities | 532 | 0.4% | $137,133 | 1.03 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 303 | 0.3% | $41,138 | 0.27 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 118 | 0.1% | $81,036 | 0.23 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 137,407 |
| Employed residents | 133,507 |
| Unemployed residents | 3,900 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.8% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 136,495 |
| Employer sites | 13,107 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County | 1,178,653 | $128,428 million | $108,962 | 653,153 | $76,807 | 2.8% |
| Mecklenburg County | 1,154,681 | $186,114 million | $161,182 | 788,436 | $88,111 | 3.3% |
| Guilford County | 547,940 | $46,945 million | $85,675 | 287,996 | $61,546 | 3.4% |
| Forsyth County | 389,977 | $34,373 million | $88,141 | 192,587 | $66,257 | 3.3% |
| Cumberland County | 338,545 | $24,445 million | $72,205 | 122,995 | $55,785 | 4.0% |
| Durham County | 332,353 | $53,291 million | $160,344 | 236,749 | $98,601 | 2.8% |
| Buncombe County | 274,360 | $21,262 million | $77,497 | 136,495 | $58,785 | 2.8% |
| Union County | 250,958 | $13,113 million | $52,250 | 74,299 | $61,500 | 2.9% |
| Cabarrus County | 236,133 | $12,962 million | $54,894 | 87,725 | $56,529 | 3.0% |
| New Hanover County | 235,229 | $21,041 million | $89,450 | 130,464 | $61,611 | 2.8% |
| Gaston County | 234,881 | $11,264 million | $47,958 | 79,486 | $54,211 | 3.2% |
| Johnston County | 234,263 | $11,573 million | $49,402 | 61,005 | $55,305 | 2.7% |
| Onslow County | 207,906 | $12,502 million | $60,132 | 54,121 | $46,885 | 3.4% |
| Iredell County | 196,544 | $13,548 million | $68,932 | 81,195 | $63,307 | 2.9% |
| Pitt County | 177,193 | $12,529 million | $70,707 | 81,371 | $59,866 | 3.5% |
| Alamance County | 176,893 | $9,014 million | $50,959 | 67,668 | $52,502 | 3.2% |
| Davidson County | 172,954 | $7,125 million | $41,196 | 46,653 | $54,593 | 3.2% |
| Catawba County | 163,573 | $12,403 million | $75,828 | 89,388 | $55,761 | 3.1% |
| Brunswick County | 152,568 | $8,081 million | $52,969 | 41,268 | $51,701 | 3.6% |
| Rowan County | 149,875 | $7,886 million | $52,618 | 50,595 | $57,503 | 3.1% |
| Orange County | 149,678 | $13,069 million | $87,312 | 78,431 | $79,229 | 2.8% |
| Randolph County | 146,348 | $5,991 million | $40,939 | 44,093 | $51,663 | 3.1% |
| Harnett County | 139,150 | $3,965 million | $28,495 | 28,081 | $46,955 | 3.4% |
| Wayne County | 118,652 | $6,769 million | $57,053 | 41,880 | $49,087 | 3.3% |
| Henderson County | 118,484 | $6,372 million | $53,778 | 44,207 | $54,106 | 2.6% |
| Robeson County | 116,902 | $5,045 million | $43,153 | 38,484 | $45,957 | 4.3% |
| Moore County | 104,876 | $5,743 million | $54,763 | 40,121 | $54,059 | 2.8% |
| Craven County | 102,612 | $6,913 million | $67,367 | 40,890 | $55,634 | 3.3% |
| Cleveland County | 100,991 | $6,025 million | $59,662 | 36,696 | $53,753 | 3.7% |
| Nash County | 96,216 | $7,179 million | $74,610 | 39,498 | $54,440 | 4.1% |
| Lincoln County | 92,716 | $4,745 million | $51,176 | 28,110 | $55,677 | 2.9% |
| Rockingham County | 92,131 | $3,846 million | $41,740 | 24,908 | $45,428 | 3.3% |
| Burke County | 87,795 | $3,724 million | $42,421 | 29,553 | $48,986 | 2.9% |
| Caldwell County | 80,536 | $3,308 million | $41,074 | 25,506 | $50,605 | 3.1% |
| Chatham County | 80,151 | $2,919 million | $36,424 | 18,540 | $51,876 | 2.7% |
| Wilson County | 79,290 | $5,166 million | $65,156 | 35,117 | $54,643 | 4.2% |
| Franklin County | 74,386 | $2,884 million | $38,764 | 13,747 | $57,174 | 2.8% |
| Surry County | 71,425 | $3,540 million | $49,563 | 29,147 | $49,330 | 2.8% |
| Carteret County | 69,148 | $3,739 million | $54,078 | 25,022 | $45,708 | 2.8% |
| Wilkes County | 65,935 | $3,234 million | $49,041 | 18,933 | $48,003 | 3.2% |
| Lee County | 65,816 | $4,261 million | $64,746 | 27,674 | $58,075 | 3.1% |
| Pender County | 65,550 | $2,516 million | $38,389 | 14,704 | $47,159 | 2.9% |
| Rutherford County | 64,930 | $2,490 million | $38,351 | 17,994 | $48,125 | 3.6% |
| Stanly County | 64,651 | $2,785 million | $43,074 | 23,093 | $44,697 | 2.6% |
| Haywood County | 62,662 | $2,601 million | $41,511 | 17,496 | $46,227 | 2.8% |
| Granville County | 60,877 | $4,941 million | $81,161 | 20,301 | $59,314 | 2.9% |
| Sampson County | 59,470 | $2,548 million | $42,849 | 17,090 | $49,873 | 3.1% |
| Watauga County | 55,123 | $3,193 million | $57,918 | 25,106 | $48,024 | 2.6% |
| Lenoir County | 54,919 | $3,627 million | $66,045 | 29,083 | $50,091 | 3.3% |
| Hoke County | 53,835 | $1,640 million | $30,460 | 9,046 | $46,891 | 3.9% |
| Columbus County | 50,140 | $1,918 million | $38,247 | 14,466 | $47,896 | 3.7% |
| Duplin County | 49,335 | $2,914 million | $59,073 | 19,429 | $45,993 | 2.8% |
| Edgecombe County | 48,736 | $1,991 million | $40,845 | 15,302 | $48,402 | 4.7% |
| Halifax County | 47,675 | $1,936 million | $40,615 | 15,156 | $47,039 | 4.6% |
| Stokes County | 45,139 | $1,756 million | $38,906 | 7,708 | $41,766 | 3.0% |
| McDowell County | 44,817 | $2,767 million | $61,733 | 15,350 | $47,365 | 3.2% |
| Beaufort County | 44,499 | $2,369 million | $53,241 | 15,848 | $50,313 | 3.1% |
| Davie County | 44,122 | $1,975 million | $44,752 | 13,854 | $51,139 | 3.0% |
| Jackson County | 43,771 | $2,188 million | $49,981 | 14,477 | $48,540 | 2.6% |
| Richmond County | 42,344 | $2,619 million | $61,851 | 14,036 | $46,814 | 3.5% |
| Vance County | 42,322 | $1,689 million | $39,906 | 14,120 | $47,261 | 4.0% |
| Pasquotank County | 40,834 | $2,206 million | $54,031 | 16,026 | $50,275 | 3.1% |
| Person County | 39,542 | $2,102 million | $53,165 | 9,288 | $50,063 | 2.9% |
| Macon County | 37,941 | $2,130 million | $56,133 | 12,334 | $46,461 | 2.9% |
| Dare County | 37,875 | $3,087 million | $81,512 | 20,359 | $46,480 | 2.7% |
| Yadkin County | 37,574 | $1,334 million | $35,494 | 10,066 | $45,124 | 2.8% |
| Alexander County | 36,412 | $1,196 million | $32,860 | 8,510 | $46,164 | 2.9% |
| Transylvania County | 33,691 | $2,391 million | $70,978 | 9,754 | $49,543 | 2.9% |
| Scotland County | 33,590 | $1,560 million | $46,441 | 11,960 | $50,042 | 4.1% |
| Currituck County | 30,601 | $1,150 million | $37,576 | 7,450 | $45,407 | 2.3% |
| Bladen County | 29,566 | $1,864 million | $63,051 | 13,453 | $48,430 | 4.4% |
| Cherokee County | 29,562 | $1,184 million | $40,039 | 7,976 | $45,626 | 3.3% |
| Ashe County | 26,950 | $1,069 million | $39,679 | 7,486 | $48,252 | 2.6% |
| Montgomery County | 26,007 | $1,470 million | $56,508 | 8,933 | $48,929 | 3.5% |
| Caswell County | 22,404 | $531 million | $23,715 | 3,002 | $48,611 | 3.1% |
| Anson County | 22,289 | $1,165 million | $52,276 | 6,594 | $47,962 | 4.0% |
| Madison County | 21,867 | $632 million | $28,908 | 4,310 | $47,583 | 2.8% |
| Martin County | 21,644 | $808 million | $37,334 | 6,150 | $38,562 | 3.5% |
| Greene County | 20,486 | $626 million | $30,574 | 4,501 | $48,291 | 2.8% |
| Hertford County | 19,908 | $1,076 million | $54,073 | 8,625 | $48,251 | 3.5% |
| Polk County | 19,891 | $734 million | $36,926 | 5,441 | $46,331 | 2.7% |
| Yancey County | 18,797 | $605 million | $32,192 | 4,648 | $47,951 | 2.6% |
| Warren County | 18,795 | $407 million | $21,668 | 2,889 | $42,054 | 3.9% |
| Avery County | 17,680 | $890 million | $50,357 | 7,186 | $44,456 | 2.6% |
| Bertie County | 17,170 | $798 million | $46,472 | 5,174 | $44,841 | 4.2% |
| Northampton County | 16,931 | $739 million | $43,639 | 4,859 | $49,460 | 3.8% |
| Mitchell County | 14,992 | $681 million | $45,444 | 5,085 | $48,859 | 3.1% |
| Swain County | 14,013 | $916 million | $65,388 | 11,309 | $46,512 | 2.5% |
| Chowan County | 13,836 | $723 million | $52,258 | 5,071 | $49,249 | 2.9% |
| Perquimans County | 13,244 | $392 million | $29,571 | 2,412 | $44,891 | 3.5% |
| Pamlico County | 12,390 | $378 million | $30,505 | 3,692 | $37,034 | 3.2% |
| Clay County | 11,610 | $328 million | $28,270 | 2,182 | $46,931 | 3.1% |
| Alleghany County | 11,174 | $420 million | $37,587 | 3,434 | $42,104 | 3.1% |
| Camden County | 10,927 | $226 million | $20,691 | 1,270 | $49,743 | 2.5% |
| Washington County | 10,812 | $356 million | $32,898 | 3,099 | $49,932 | 4.3% |
| Gates County | 10,376 | $240 million | $23,128 | 1,408 | $44,429 | 2.9% |
| Jones County | 9,302 | $307 million | $32,962 | 1,678 | $48,166 | 3.3% |
| Graham County | 8,072 | $330 million | $40,866 | 2,011 | $48,748 | 3.0% |
| Hyde County | 4,592 | $231 million | $50,235 | 1,768 | $42,753 | 4.0% |
| Tyrrell County | 3,423 | $126 million | $36,714 | 963 | $44,054 | 3.9% |
274,360 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$21,262 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
2.8% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
136,495 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $58,785 (BLS QCEW).