Town · Polk County, North Carolina

Tryon, North Carolina

Tryon is a town in Polk County, North Carolina. It has 1,810 residents. Tryon, North Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 66 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,372 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within North Carolina it ranks #125 of 458 cities and towns. It ranks best on reading scores (high), math scores (high) and social associations (high). It ranks worst on average weekly wage (low), injury deaths (high) and premature death (high).

66High

Quality-of-life score: #5,372 of 15,651 cities and towns
North Carolina: #125 of 458 in NC
Population: 1,810 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 906.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 3768580

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.

Safety62#5,894/15,637
Economy38#9,750/15,631
Housing44#8,355/14,977
Health43#8,934/15,609
Healthcare37#9,892/15,650
Environment70#4,680/15,453
Education97#530/15,649
Infrastructure36#9,944/15,650
Community83#2,585/15,651
Leisure & amenities88#1,937/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Tryon, North Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Polk 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

Reading scores · high3.53
99/100North Carolina 3.07United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePolk County value
Math scores · high3.58
98/100North Carolina 3.06United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePolk County value
Social associations · high17.5 /10k
96/100North Carolina 11.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePolk County value
Voter turnout · high79.9%
95/100North Carolina 72.9%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionPolk 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 dataPolk County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high8.8 /10k
93/100North Carolina 4.9 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPolk County value

Weaknesses

Average weekly wage · low$891
5/100North Carolina $1,376United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPolk County value
Injury deaths · high124 /100k
12/100North Carolina 97 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePolk County value
Premature death · high11,337 /100k
17/100North Carolina 9,400 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePolk County value
Dental care shortage · high16.0
18/100North Carolina 11.5United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationPolk County value
Home price to income ratio · high5.3×
19/100North Carolina 4.0×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Firearm deaths · high18.6 /100k
20/100North Carolina 16.2 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataPolk County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,482 (2015-2019) → 1,810 (2020-2024)
+22%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateWorsening
33.6% (2015-2019) → 55.0% (2020-2024)
+21 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
61.8% (2015-2019) → 46.1% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
40.7% (2015-2019) → 28.1% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Poverty rateWorsening
11.2% (2015-2019) → 22.3% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
4.0× (2015-2019) → 5.3× (2020-2024)
+34%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

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, Tryon, North Carolina improved on 0 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 11 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

Inequality+0.0850.366 → 0.451

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Tryon, North Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	26.1 min2015-2019	21.6 min2020-2024	−4.5 min	Within the margin of error	88%
Bachelor's degree or higher	51.8%2015-2019	51.2%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Broadband subscriptions	74.1%2015-2019	73.2%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Effective property tax rate	0.82%2015-2019	0.69%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	42%
High school diploma or higher	96.4%2015-2019	96.1%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Home price to income ratio	4.0×2015-2019	5.3×2020-2024	+1.4×	Within the margin of error	12%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3662015-2019	0.4512020-2024	+0.085	Declined	7%
Median household income	$50,1332015-2019	$57,7212020-2024	+15%	Within the margin of error	24%
Poverty rate	11.2%2015-2019	22.3%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	3%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	40.7%2015-2019	28.1%2020-2024	−13 points	Within the margin of error	96%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	13.0%2015-2019	10.0%2020-2024	−3 points	Within the margin of error	76%

“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 Tryon, North Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Tryon, 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, Tryon, North Carolina itself moved −2.6 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

1,810 residents (±269)

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

980 households (±158)

Tryon, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $25k24%†233
$25k–50k21%†206
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

980 households (±158)

Tryon, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Own56%549
Rent44%†431

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

810 workers (±169)

Tryon, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Drive alone56%456
Carpool21%†170
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 Polk County, the county holding most of Tryon's residents.

Polk County has 504 employer establishments, 252 for every 10,000 residents (1.01× the US rate of 248; 1.06× North Carolina's), with 4,151 paid employees at an average annual pay of $40,112. The Census Bureau also counts 2,210 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 504; 2,210 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 252; US 248 · North Carolina 237
Paid employees: 4,151
Average annual pay: $40,112; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	42	21	1.35×More than typical	164	$45,811	194
Restaurants and other eating places	36	18	0.98×About typical	426	$19,894	3
Ambulatory health care services	35	17.5	0.84×About typical	211	$53,578	123
Construction of buildings	31	15.5	2.05×More than typical	250	$45,556	120
Religious organizations	28	14	2.52×More than typical	103	$26,524	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	24	12	1.78×More than typical	93	$43,860	172
Full-service restaurants	23	11.5	1.50×More than typical	257	$21,253	—
Lessors of real estate	22	11	0.89×About typical	64	$39,125	232
Landscaping services	20	10	2.85×More than typical	76	$42,171	74
Building equipment contractors	15	7.5	1.24×About typical	75	$44,413	29
Management, scientific and technical consulting	15	7.5	1.12×About typical	18	$68,389	87
Real estate agents and brokers	12	6	1.23×About typical	19	$37,474	84

Rank places for an industry Open Polk County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 20,032 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Polk 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.

Tryon, North Carolina is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

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

Polk County68100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Polk 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/3768580

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends