City · Transylvania County, North Carolina

Brevard, North Carolina

Brevard is a city in Transylvania County, North Carolina, part of the Brevard, NC metro area. It has 7,897 residents. Brevard, North Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 76 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,704 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within North Carolina it ranks #78 of 458 cities and towns. It ranks best on hot days (low), time spent in the emergency room (low) and preventable hospital stays (low). It ranks worst on suicide rate (high), home price to income ratio (high) and hospital quality rating (low).

76High

Quality-of-life score: #3,704 of 15,651 cities and towns
North Carolina: #78 of 458 in NC
Population: 7,897 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 1,469.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 3707720

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety85#2,420/15,637
Economy34#10,367/15,631
Housing47#7,892/14,977
Health50#7,832/15,609
Healthcare41#9,196/15,650
Environment98#248/15,453
Education79#3,361/15,649
Infrastructure43#8,857/15,650
Community90#1,517/15,651
Leisure & amenities90#1,586/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Brevard, North Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Transylvania County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Hot days · low0 days
100/100North Carolina 32 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationTransylvania County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low98 min
97/100North Carolina 189 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesTransylvania County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,599 /100k
95/100North Carolina 2,742 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTransylvania County value
Social associations · high16.7 /10k
95/100North Carolina 11.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTransylvania County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high9.9 /10k
95/100North Carolina 4.9 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTransylvania County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100North Carolina 6.9 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataTransylvania County value

Weaknesses

Suicide rate · high35.8 /100k
2/100North Carolina 14.7 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataTransylvania County value
Home price to income ratio · high8.3×
5/100North Carolina 4.0×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Hospital quality rating · low2.0
9/100North Carolina 3.3United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesTransylvania County value
Drought exposure · high82%
10/100North Carolina 79%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAATransylvania County value
Broadband subscriptions · low82.9%
12/100North Carolina 90.1%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.479
14/100North Carolina 0.477United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Child poverty rateImproving
37.5% (2015-2019) → 21.6% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
5.5× (2015-2019) → 8.3× (2020-2024)
+51%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
35.2% (2015-2019) → 43.5% (2020-2024)
+8.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$42,213 (2015-2019) → $54,103 (2020-2024)
+28%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Average commute timeImproving
19.7 min (2015-2019) → 15.5 min (2020-2024)
−21%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
High school diploma or higherImproving
91.1% (2015-2019) → 94.9% (2020-2024)
+3.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Brevard, North Carolina improved on 0 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 14 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined1

Price / income+2.8×5.5× → 8.3×

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Brevard, North Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.7 min2015-2019	15.5 min2020-2024	−4.2 min	Within the margin of error	86%
Bachelor's degree or higher	35.2%2015-2019	43.5%2020-2024	+8.4 points	Within the margin of error	85%
Broadband subscriptions	82.5%2015-2019	82.9%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Child poverty rate	37.5%2015-2019	21.6%2020-2024	−16 points	Within the margin of error	90%
Effective property tax rate	0.77%2015-2019	0.55%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	63%
High school diploma or higher	91.1%2015-2019	94.9%2020-2024	+3.8 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Home price to income ratio	5.5×2015-2019	8.3×2020-2024	+2.8×	Declined	1%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4572015-2019	0.4792020-2024	+0.021	Within the margin of error	33%
Median household income	$42,2132015-2019	$54,1032020-2024	+28%	Within the margin of error	51%
Poverty rate	16.1%2015-2019	15.1%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	28.7%2015-2019	29.3%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Rent-burdened households	46.8%2015-2019	47.2%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Unemployment rate	7.2%2015-2019	3.6%2020-2024	−3.7 points	Within the margin of error	92%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.4%2015-2019	12.6%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	67%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Brevard, North Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Brevard, North Carolina in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Brevard, North Carolina itself moved −0.4 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

7,897 residents (±23)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

3,752 households (±186)

Brevard, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $25k23%859
$25k–50k26%975
$50k–75k17%†620

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

3,752 households (±186)

Brevard, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Own51%1,910
Rent49%1,842

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−9.7 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

2,865 workers (±318)

Brevard, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Drive alone65%1,860
Carpool14%†400
Public transit0.0%0

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Brevard, NC

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Transylvania County, the county holding most of Brevard's residents.

Transylvania County has 1,011 employer establishments, 298 for every 10,000 residents (1.20× the US rate of 248; 1.25× North Carolina's), with 8,603 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,503. The Census Bureau also counts 3,515 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,011; 3,515 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 298; US 248 · North Carolina 237
Paid employees: 8,603
Average annual pay: $43,503; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Transylvania County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	91	26.8	1.73×More than typical	479	$49,956	327
Restaurants and other eating places	79	23.3	1.27×More than typical	1,041	$24,974	10
Ambulatory health care services	73	21.5	1.03×About typical	437	$70,764	200
Construction of buildings	70	20.6	2.73×More than typical	191	$48,539	223
Lessors of real estate	65	19.2	1.56×More than typical	88	$56,682	387
Building equipment contractors	44	13	2.15×More than typical	280	$50,171	40
Religious organizations	44	13	2.34×More than typical	316	$23,782	—
Full-service restaurants	42	12.4	1.61×More than typical	506	$28,968	4
Services to buildings and dwellings	42	12.4	1.84×More than typical	210	$41,767	353
Real estate agents and brokers	34	10	2.06×More than typical	42	$79,762	132
Offices of physicians	32	9.4	1.46×More than typical	182	$84,209	28
Landscaping services	29	8.5	2.44×More than typical	117	$43,470	163

Rank places for an industry Open Transylvania County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 33,930 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $579.5K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Brevard, North Carolina: $73.39 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $579.5K; −28% vs FY2025
Per resident: $73.39; US $1,994
Sole-source: 3.3%; US 30%
Single offer: 97%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Agricultural Marketing Service$552.3K95%
Defense Logistics Agency$18.9K3.3%
Department of the Air Force$8,3021.4%

Top recipients

TRANSYLVANIA VOCATIONAL SERVICES, INC$571.2K99%
R-J INTN'L, INC.$8,3021.4%
CAUBLE & SONS GRADING & STONE WORK, INC$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

529.6KFY2017
946.8KFY2018
1.8MFY2019
2.5MFY2020
2.8MFY2021
3.7MFY2022
1.5MFY2023
2.2M

Top industries (NAICS)

Dairy product manufacturing · 3115$552.3K95%
Grocery and related product merchant wholesalers · 4244$18.9K3.3%
Pesticide, fertilizer, and other agricultural chemical manufacturing · 3253$8,3021.4%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Brevard, North Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

Brevard, North Carolina's figures are part of those of Transylvania County, NC ($26.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 2.2% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Brevard is mostly in Transylvania County.

See federal money in Transylvania County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Brevard, North Carolina is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Chuck EdwardsR-NC-11 · 100% of residentsWith party 96%Missed 1.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Transylvania County86100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Brevard, NC90

Other cities and towns in Transylvania County

Largest first.

Rosman699

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3707720

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends