• county
  • FIPS 37009
  • Largest town: Jefferson

Ashe County, North Carolina

Ashe County had 27,266 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 426.3 square miles of land. It ranks 73rd of 100 in North Carolina by population and 57th by land area.

Population
27,266
#73 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,532 in US
Area
426.3 sq mi
#57 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,382 in US
Density
64 / sq mi
#73 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,253 in US
Median household income
$54,589
#69 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,361 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Ashe County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Ashe County

Ashe County population, land area and income

Ashe County had 27,266 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 426.3 square miles of land. It ranks 73rd of 100 in North Carolina by population and 57th by land area. That works out to 64.0 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents; Ashe County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $54,589 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

27,266

3144th1st

1532nd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

426 sq mi

3144th1st

2382nd of 3,144 (US)

Density

64.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

1253rd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$54,589

3143rd1st

2361st of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

27,266

100th1st

73rd of 100 (NC)

Land area

426 sq mi

100th1st

57th of 100 (NC)

Density

64.0 / sq mi

100th1st

73rd of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$54,589

100th1st

69th of 100 (NC)

How Ashe County's population changed since 2020

Ashe County gained 676 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.5%. That ranks 54th of 100 in North Carolina for growth. The median North Carolina county changed by +2.7%, and the state as a whole by +5.7%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Ashe County recorded 867 births and 1,809 deaths, a natural change of -942. Net international migration added +80 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,526. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,526 people.

26.6k202026.8k202127.1k202227.1k202327.3k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
867
Deaths
1,809
Net international migration
+80
Net domestic migration
+1,526
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+198

Where Ashe County is

The Census internal point of Ashe County is at 36.443500, -81.499300. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades North Carolina's 100 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Ashe County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Scotland County: +1.4%Rockingham County: +2.5%Franklin County: +15.6%Caswell County: -0.5%Stokes County: +2.9%Granville County: +2.3%Edgecombe County: +0.7%Randolph County: +2.8%Alexander County: +0.8%Person County: +2.4%Cherokee County: +5.2%Ashe County: +2.5%Davidson County: +5.2%Cabarrus County: +7.8%Mecklenburg County: +8.1%Burke County: +1.5%Cumberland County: +0.4%Northampton County: -4.9%Buncombe County: +3.5%Wilson County: +0.8%Bladen County: +0.5%Pitt County: +4.1%Yancey County: +2.7%Stanly County: +7.4%Harnett County: +9.3%Wilkes County: +0.5%Tyrrell County: +8.8%Pamlico County: +1.9%Hoke County: +6.0%Transylvania County: +2.5%Carteret County: +3.8%Durham County: +6.5%Anson County: +1.8%Pender County: +15.6%Alamance County: +6.7%Polk County: +4.9%Lenoir County: +0.5%Washington County: -3.0%Avery County: -0.0%Hyde County: +1.5%Gates County: -1.4%Davie County: +5.8%Jackson County: +7.4%Montgomery County: +2.5%Martin County: -2.0%Pasquotank County: +2.9%Perquimans County: +3.4%Cleveland County: +2.3%Sampson County: +2.3%Catawba County: +3.8%Alleghany County: +4.5%Robeson County: +2.3%Macon County: +4.4%Clay County: +8.0%Haywood County: +1.3%Duplin County: +3.8%Henderson County: +3.6%Craven County: +2.6%Warren County: +2.6%Graham County: +1.7%Union County: +9.9%Wayne County: +2.2%Gaston County: +5.9%Guilford County: +3.7%Yadkin County: +2.0%Watauga County: +1.0%Rowan County: +4.4%Swain County: -1.1%Chatham County: +9.4%Bertie County: -4.4%Halifax County: -2.9%Forsyth County: +4.1%Onslow County: +3.8%Dare County: +3.1%Chowan County: +1.3%Brunswick County: +20.9%Johnston County: +14.9%Orange County: +6.4%Currituck County: +13.6%New Hanover County: +7.5%Richmond County: -1.7%Vance County: -0.5%Iredell County: +9.9%Lincoln County: +12.0%Caldwell County: +0.2%McDowell County: +1.6%Rutherford County: +1.9%Mitchell County: +0.9%Moore County: +8.1%Columbus County: -0.8%Lee County: +8.1%Greene County: +1.1%Madison County: +5.0%Camden County: +7.5%Hertford County: -12.0%Beaufort County: -0.3%Jones County: +3.5%Wake County: +9.0%Nash County: +3.0%Surry County: +0.2%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +0.5%
  2. < +2.3%
  3. < +3.7%
  4. < +7.4%
  5. ≥ +7.4%
no data

Orange pin: Ashe County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
36.443500, -81.499300
DMS
36°26'36.60"N 81°29'57.48"W
UTM
17N 455252.4E 4033256.7N
Geohash
dnqp36q4b
Plus code
868WCGV2+C7

Towns in Ashe County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Ashe County, 2,989 people together, or 11% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Ashe County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Jefferson with 1,648.

  1. 01Jefferson1,648
  2. 02West Jefferson1,341
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Ashe County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Ashe County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Wilkes County, NC, with 66,186 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 166.1 miles ESE of Ashe County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Winston-Salem, NC (population 255,769), 72.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Boone, NC (population 20,080), 18.4 miles away.

Ashe County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Ashe County is 37009: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 009. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $54,589.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Ashe County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 27,266. That is up 676 people (2.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 26,590.

What is the FIPS code of Ashe County?

37009. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (009) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Ashe County?

Jefferson, with 1,648 residents inside Ashe County in 2024.

Which counties border Ashe County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Wilkes County, NC; Watauga County, NC; Johnson County, TN; Grayson County, VA; Alleghany County, NC.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.