Town · Ashe County, North Carolina

Jefferson, North Carolina

Jefferson is a town in Ashe County, North Carolina. It has 1,864 residents. Jefferson, North Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 32 out of 100 (low), ranking #10,651 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within North Carolina it ranks #269 of 458 cities and towns. It ranks best on hot days (low), job growth (high) and violent crime rate (low). It ranks worst on broadband subscriptions (low), median household income (low) and primary care shortage (high).

32Low

Quality-of-life score: #10,651 of 15,651 cities and towns
North Carolina: #269 of 458 in NC
Population: 1,864 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 882.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 3734440

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.

Safety53#7,336/15,637
Economy29#11,092/15,631
Housing47#7,970/14,977
Health28#11,253/15,609
Healthcare20#12,578/15,650
Environment88#1,801/15,453
Education35#10,227/15,649
Infrastructure12#13,822/15,650
Community45#8,611/15,651
Leisure & amenities45#8,639/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Jefferson, North Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Ashe 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 InformationAshe County value
Job growth · high3.9%
97/100North Carolina 0.8%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataAshe County value
Violent crime rate · low84 /100k
90/100North Carolina 330 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAshe County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low6.2 µg/m³
88/100North Carolina 7.5 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAshe County value
Voter turnout · high74.7%
85/100North Carolina 72.9%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionAshe County value
Grocery stores · high2.2 /10k
80/100North Carolina 1.8 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAshe County value

Weaknesses

Broadband subscriptions · low82.0%
4/100North Carolina 90.1%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Median household income · low$40,590
7/100North Carolina $74,055United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Primary care shortage · high17.0
9/100North Carolina 9.9United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationAshe County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · low11.9%
11/100North Carolina 35.7%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Average weekly wage · low$955
11/100North Carolina $1,376United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAshe County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.4 /10k
12/100North Carolina 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAshe County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,441 (2015-2019) → 1,864 (2020-2024)
+29%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
68.9% (2015-2019) → 82.0% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
22.5% (2015-2019) → 15.3% (2020-2024)
−7.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Median household incomeImproving
$30,994 (2015-2019) → $40,590 (2020-2024)
+31%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Average commute timeWorsening
15.4 min (2015-2019) → 19.7 min (2020-2024)
+28%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
High school diploma or higherImproving
80.0% (2015-2019) → 85.4% (2020-2024)
+5.4 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, Jefferson, North Carolina improved on 1 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 13 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.

Improved1

Broadband+13 points68.9% → 82.0%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Jefferson, North Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	15.4 min2015-2019	19.7 min2020-2024	+4.3 min	Within the margin of error	13%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.3%2015-2019	11.9%2020-2024	−3.4 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Broadband subscriptions	68.9%2015-2019	82.0%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	73%
Child poverty rate	36.0%2015-2019	37.7%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Effective property tax rate	0.69%2015-2019	0.72%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	12%
High school diploma or higher	80.0%2015-2019	85.4%2020-2024	+5.4 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Home price to income ratio	5.0×2015-2019	5.8×2020-2024	+0.8×	Within the margin of error	29%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4152015-2019	0.4192020-2024	+0.004	Within the margin of error	47%
Median household income	$30,9942015-2019	$40,5902020-2024	+31%	Within the margin of error	57%
Poverty rate	26.9%2015-2019	22.9%2020-2024	−4 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	29.2%2015-2019	29.5%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Rent-burdened households	48.6%2015-2019	47.9%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	59%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	22.5%2015-2019	15.3%2020-2024	−7.2 points	Within the margin of error	93%

“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 Jefferson, North Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Jefferson, 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, Jefferson, North Carolina itself moved −2.9 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

1,864 residents (±367)

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

779 households (±165)

Jefferson, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $25k34%†263
$25k–50k29%†224
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

779 households (±165)

Jefferson, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Own45%350
Rent55%†429

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

669 workers (±170)

Jefferson, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Drive alone80%536
Carpool9.9%†66
Public transit0.0%0

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 Ashe County, the county holding most of Jefferson's residents.

Ashe County has 571 employer establishments, 211 for every 10,000 residents (0.85× the US rate of 248; 0.89× North Carolina's), with 6,441 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,745. The Census Bureau also counts 2,613 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 571; 2,613 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 211; US 248 · North Carolina 237
Paid employees: 6,441
Average annual pay: $44,745; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	55	20.3	1.31×More than typical	307	$45,264	313
Restaurants and other eating places	48	17.7	0.96×About typical	655	$16,661	3
Ambulatory health care services	37	13.7	0.66×Fewer than typical	407	$42,936	87
Lessors of real estate	31	11.4	0.93×About typical	54	$38,352	259
Religious organizations	30	11.1	2.00×More than typical	75	$18,160	—
Construction of buildings	29	10.7	1.42×More than typical	468	$106,459	203
Building equipment contractors	27	10	1.66×More than typical	140	$47,743	38
Services to buildings and dwellings	25	9.2	1.37×More than typical	128	$26,836	281
Full-service restaurants	24	8.9	1.15×About typical	270	$18,452	—
Limited-service restaurants	19	7	0.87×About typical	305	$17,239	—
Landscaping services	16	5.9	1.69×More than typical	73	$30,068	82
Electrical contractors and wiring installation	15	5.5	2.24×More than typical	43	$40,744	18

Rank places for an industry Open Ashe County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 27,096 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 -$535.6K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Jefferson, North Carolina: -$287 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: -$535.6K; −160% vs FY2025
Per resident: -$287; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Public Buildings Service$9880.0%

Top recipients

KINGS III OF AMERICA, LLC$9880.0%
ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION LLC$00.0%
ATLANTIC DIVING SUPPLY, INC.$00.0%
BERING STRAITS GLOBAL INNOVATIONS, LLC-$536.6K0.0%

Spending by fiscal year

14.4KFY2017
3.2KFY2018
201.9FY2019
208.7KFY2022
214KFY2023
6.7KFY2024
897.3KFY2025
-535.6KFY2026

Top industries (NAICS)

Communications equipment manufacturing · 3342$9880.0%

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 Jefferson, North Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

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

See federal money in Ashe 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.

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

House

Virginia FoxxR-NC-5 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 0.4%

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.

Ashe County51100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Ashe County

Largest first.

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/3734440

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends