• county
  • FIPS 37021
  • Largest town: Asheville

Buncombe County, North Carolina

Buncombe County had 279,210 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 656.5 square miles of land. It ranks 7th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 19th by land area.

Population
279,210
#7 of 100 in North Carolina · #262 in US
Area
656.5 sq mi
#19 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,432 in US
Density
425 / sq mi
#11 of 100 in North Carolina · #326 in US
Median household income
$71,218
#21 of 100 in North Carolina · #915 in US

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

Buncombe County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Buncombe County

Buncombe County population, land area and income

Buncombe County had 279,210 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 656.5 square miles of land. It ranks 7th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 19th by land area. That works out to 425.3 people per square mile, 4.4 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents, so Buncombe County is 5.3 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $71,218 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

279,210

3144th1st

262nd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

656 sq mi

3144th1st

1432nd of 3,144 (US)

Density

425.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

326th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$71,218

3143rd1st

915th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

279,210

100th1st

7th of 100 (NC)

Land area

656 sq mi

100th1st

19th of 100 (NC)

Density

425.3 / sq mi

100th1st

11th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$71,218

100th1st

21st of 100 (NC)

How Buncombe County's population changed since 2020

Buncombe County gained 9,506 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 3.5%. That ranks 43rd 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, Buncombe County recorded 10,235 births and 12,850 deaths, a natural change of -2,615. Net international migration added +3,273 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +9,009. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 9,009 people.

269.7k2020272.0k2021274.1k2022276.8k2023279.2k2024
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
10,235
Deaths
12,850
Net international migration
+3,273
Net domestic migration
+9,009
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+2,421

Where Buncombe County is

The Census internal point of Buncombe County is at 35.609400, -82.530400. 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 Buncombe 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: Buncombe County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.609400, -82.530400
DMS
35°36'33.84"N 82°31'49.44"W
UTM
17N 361386.4E 3941704.7N
Geohash
dnm69frpy
Plus code
867VJF59+QR

Towns in Buncombe County

6 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Buncombe County, 119,027 people together, or 43% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Buncombe County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Asheville with 94,992.

  1. 01Asheville94,992
  2. 02Black Mountain8,572
  3. 03Woodfin8,158
  4. 04Weaverville4,799
  5. 05Biltmore Forest1,462
  6. 06Montreat1,044
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Buncombe County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Buncombe County. The most populous is Henderson County, NC, with 120,771 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 218.7 miles E of Buncombe County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Knoxville, TN (population 198,722), 83.3 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Asheville, NC (population 94,992), 2.9 miles away.

Buncombe County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Buncombe County is 37021: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 021. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $71,218.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Buncombe County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 279,210. That is up 9,506 people (3.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 269,704.

What is the FIPS code of Buncombe County?

37021. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (021) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Buncombe County?

Asheville, with 94,992 residents inside Buncombe County in 2024.

Which counties border Buncombe County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Henderson County, NC; Rutherford County, NC; Haywood County, NC; McDowell County, NC; Transylvania County, NC; Madison County, NC; Yancey 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.