HomeNorth CarolinaAshe County
Ashe County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Ashe County, North Carolina has a population of 26,950 across 426 square miles, up 2.6 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.07 bn in 2024, 571 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 13 7(a) approvals worth $16.6 m.
125 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Ashe County
How many people live in Ashe County
- Population26,950
- Households12,201
- Average household size2.21
- Median household income$56,866
- Median age49.8
- Median gross rent$859 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$243,100
- Home value to household income4.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher25.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over20,676
- Population under 184,547
- Share under 1816.9 percent
- Population 65 and over7,343
- Share 65 and over27.2 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6415,060
- Civilian labor force12,199
- Unemployment rate4.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over54.5 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties73rd of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1579th
Ashe County is the 73rd largest of 100 North Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 4.3 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 27.2 percent against 16.9 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Ashe County
Is Ashe County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.56 percent
- Census 2020 base population26,586
- Births, 2024199
- Deaths, 2024401
- Natural change, 2024-202
- Net domestic migration, 2024373
- Net international migration, 202428
- Total net migration, 2024401
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,483
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents994th
The county has grown 2.56 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Ashe County
Where people moving to Ashe County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving683
- People arriving, from those returns1,217
- Adjusted gross income arriving$63.8 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$93,449
- Largest single originAshe County Non-migrants (9,674 households)
- Largest single destination (9,674 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashe County Non-migrants | 9,674 | 19,207 | $593.7 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 250 | 443 | $21.7 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 248 | 445 | $22.9 m |
| Other flows - South | 186 | 329 | $15.5 m |
| Watauga County | 89 | 160 | $5.7 m |
| Other flows - West | 40 | 75 | $5.1 m |
| Wake County | 39 | 70 | $5.6 m |
| Mecklenburg County | 31 | 54 | $6.9 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Ashe County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Ashe County
What the Ashe County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.07 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.01 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20246.0 percent
- GDP change over five years29.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among North Carolina counties76th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1793rd
- GDP per resident$39,679
Output grew 6.0 percent in the latest year and 29.5 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Ashe County
Who employs people in Ashe County
- Covered employment, annual average7,486
- Establishments reporting772
- Average annual pay$48,252
- Average weekly wage$928
- Sector 44-45, employment1,198
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$31,124
- Sector 62, employment1,081
- Sector 62, average annual pay$47,998
- Sector 31-33, employment838
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$54,165
- Sector 23, employment801
- Sector 23, average annual pay$71,583
- Sector 72, employment721
- Sector 42, employment479
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 1,198 | 110 | $31,124 |
| Sector 62 | 1,081 | 62 | $47,998 |
| Sector 31-33 | 838 | 23 | $54,165 |
| Sector 23 | 801 | 112 | $71,583 |
| Sector 72 | 721 | 64 | $19,754 |
| Sector 42 | 479 | 27 | $78,362 |
| Sector 56 | 293 | 52 | $38,260 |
| Sector 54 | 170 | 74 | $66,782 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 1,198 jobs, 16.0 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Ashe County
What businesses operate in Ashe County
- Establishments, all industries571
- Employment at those establishments6,441
- Annual payroll$288.2 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents21.2
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Ashe County
What is being built in Ashe County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024191
- Declared construction value permitted$73.3 m
- Single family units authorised191
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$383,844
- Units authorised per 1,000 households15.7
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Ashe County
How much SBA lending happens in Ashe County
- 7(a) approvals recorded13
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$16.6 m
- Average 7(a) approval$1,273,177
- Median 7(a) approval$989,000
- 10th percentile approval$150,000
- 90th percentile approval$2,992,000
- Largest single approval$4,200,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)198
- Jobs per approval15.2
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active10
- Distinct industries receiving approvals11
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer38.5 percent
- Loans on real estate terms5
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter8
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals15.4 percent
- Leading industry by approval countHotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (2)
- Most active lenderGBank (2)
- 504 approvals recorded1
- 504 gross approval dollars$261,000
- Average 504 approval$261,000
- Median 504 approval$261,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval3.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved11.5
- Most active CDCSBA CLSC Servicing (1)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals92.9 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$16.8 m
The average approval of $1,273,177 sits close to the median of $989,000, so lending here is fairly evenly sized rather than driven by a few large deals. 38.5 percent of approvals run on real estate terms of 240 months or more, so this is a market where SBA credit is buying buildings, not just funding operations.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ashe County
Do SBA loans in Ashe County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded4
- Paid in full3
- Charged off1
- Status: Charged off1
- Status: Exempt from disclosure6
- Status: Paid in full3
- Status: Cancelled3
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 4 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ashe County
Which parts of Ashe County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending5
- WEST JEFFERSON, approvals6
- JEFFERSON, approvals4
- Creston, approvals1
- Old Fort, approvals1
- WARRENSVILLE, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| WEST JEFFERSON | 6 | $11,124,300 |
| JEFFERSON | 4 | $4,008,000 |
| Creston | 1 | $350,000 |
| Old Fort | 1 | $989,000 |
| WARRENSVILLE | 1 | $80,000 |
WEST JEFFERSON accounts for 6 approvals against 4 in JEFFERSON. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ashe County
How big is Ashe County
- Land area426 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties57th of 100
- Width, east to west26 mi
- Height, north to south24 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land63
- Establishments per square mile1.34
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Ashe County
What hazards affect Ashe County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book4
- Of those, participating in the NFIP4
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
The EPA places the county in radon zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L.
US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001. FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Ashe County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Ashe County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population26,950
- Households12,201
- Average household size2.21
- Median household income$56,866
- Median age49.8
Common questions
Ashe County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Ashe County, North Carolina?
26,950, in 12,201 households, ranking 73rd of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Ashe County growing?
The population has grown 2.56 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 199 births against 401 deaths, with net migration of 401. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Ashe County?
$56,866. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $243,100, which is 4.3 times income, and median gross rent is $859 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Ashe County?
571 establishments, employing 6,441 people with an annual payroll of $288.2 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Ashe County?
Average annual pay is $48,252, or $928 a week, across 7,486 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Ashe County?
13 7(a) approvals totalling $16.6 m since FY2020, across 10 lenders, with a median approval of $989,000, plus 1 504 approvals worth $261,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Ashe County?
191 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $73.3 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Ashe County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Ashe County come from?
The largest single origin is Ashe County Non-migrants, with 9,674 households. Arriving households report an average income of $93,449 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Ashe County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Ashe County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.