Metro area · North Carolina
Asheville, NC metro area
Asheville, NC is a metropolitan area of 3 counties in North Carolina, home to 422,345 residents. Asheville, NC metro area has a quality-of-life score of 85 out of 100 (very high), ranking #141 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in North Carolina it ranks #6 of 38. It ranks best on hot days (low), primary care physicians (high) and new homes permitted (high). It ranks worst on home price to income ratio (high), uninsured residents (under 65) (high) and injury deaths (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #141 of 925 metro and micro areas
- North Carolina
- #6 of 38 in NC
- Population
- 422,345 (2025)
- Land area
- 1,479 mi²
- Density
- 285.6 /mi²
- CBSA code
- 11700
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 69 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.
- Safety27#675/924
- Economy72#260/925
- Housing25#690/925
- Health73#247/925
- Healthcare85#141/923
- Environment95#49/917
- Education85#137/925
- Infrastructure85#139/925
- Community85#139/925
- Leisure & amenities96#41/925
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Asheville, NC metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Hot days · low0 days98/100North Carolina 32 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
- Primary care physicians · high126 /100k97/100North Carolina 71 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- New homes permitted · high11.6 /1k97/100North Carolina 8.0 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
- Mental health providers · high719 /100k96/100North Carolina 351 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Distance to an airport · low12 mi95/100North Carolina 30 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
- Voter turnout · high76.1%94/100North Carolina 72.9%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionAggregated from counties
Weaknesses
- Home price to income ratio · high5.2×
- Uninsured residents (under 65) · high14.3%
- Injury deaths · high116 /100k20/100North Carolina 97 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Drug overdose deaths · high23.3 /100k22/100North Carolina 20.6 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
- Cost of buying a home today · high37.8%
- Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.474
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 62% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+62 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
- Hot daysImproving
1 days (2011-2020) → 0 days (2016-2025)
−55%5 yearsUS 41 days → 42 days
- Broadband subscriptionsImproving
80.0% (2015-2019) → 89.8% (2020-2024)
+9.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
- Suicide rateWorsening
15.1 /100k (2021) → 21.6 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+43%5 yearsUS 14.5 /100k → 14.1 /100k
- New business applicationsImproving
10.7 /1k (2020) → 15.2 /1k (2025)
+42%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
- Preventable hospital staysImproving
2,811 /100k (2019) → 1,713 /100k (2023)
−39%4 yearsUS 3,767 /100k → 2,769 /100k
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.
Metro and micro areas like Asheville, NC metro area five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Asheville, NC metro area 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.
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).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
Jobs and pay
What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.
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.
Federal contract spending
Federal grants & assistance
Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.
Counties in Asheville, NC
Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.
Principal cities
The cities the area is named for.
Largest cities and towns
By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.
- Asheville94,535
- Hendersonville15,408
- Black Mountain8,513
- Fletcher8,098
- Woodfin8,048
- Etowah7,968
- Mills River7,281
- Swannanoa6,901
- East Flat Rock6,323
- Weaverville4,687
- Royal Pines4,325
- Dana4,147
- Flat Rock3,530
- Mountain Home3,437
- Mars Hill3,025
- Avery Creek2,887
- Edneyville2,716
- Valley Hill2,675
- Emma2,657
- Laurel Park2,408
- Fruitland2,398
- Fairview2,298
- Hoopers Creek1,683
- Biltmore Forest1,587
Other metro and micro areas in North Carolina
Areas based in North Carolina, best score first.
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC75
- Raleigh-Cary, NC94
- Greensboro-High Point, NC52
- Winston-Salem, NC51
- Durham-Chapel Hill, NC83
- Wilmington, NC81
- Fayetteville, NC25
- Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC46
- Jacksonville, NC48
- Burlington, NC49
- Greenville, NC55
- Anderson Creek, NC24
- Rocky Mount, NC24
- New Bern, NC58
- Goldsboro, NC31
- Lumberton, NC2
- Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC84
- Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC18
- Wilson, NC22
- Mount Airy, NC31
- Morehead City, NC85
- Sanford, NC32
- Albemarle, NC33
- North Wilkesboro, NC28
Neighboring metro and micro areas
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar metro and micro areas
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Wilmington, NC81Alike on Gyms, No transport, Inactivity
- Roanoke, VA73Alike on Gyms, Overdose deaths, Property crime
- Richmond, VA78Alike on Bachelor's+, Flu vaccination, Gyms
- Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC60Alike on Flu vaccination, Comfortable days, Smoking
- Brevard, NC90Alike on Voter turnout, Inactivity, Dry days
Data and sources
Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.
- Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
- PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
- Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
- Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
- Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
- Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
- Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
- nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
- Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
- Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
- American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
- Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
- Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
- 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
- Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
- Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
- Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
- Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08