HomeNorth CarolinaYancey County
Yancey County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Yancey County, North Carolina has a population of 18,797 across 313 square miles, up 2.8 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $605.1 m in 2024, 357 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 13 7(a) approvals worth $7.1 m.
108 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Yancey County
How many people live in Yancey County
- Population18,797
- Households8,130
- Average household size2.31
- Median household income$58,709
- Median age49.2
- Median gross rent$882 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$243,100
- Home value to household income4.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher25.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over14,301
- Population under 183,379
- Share under 1818.0 percent
- Population 65 and over5,085
- Share 65 and over27.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6410,333
- Civilian labor force8,567
- Unemployment rate7.3 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over55.6 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties82nd of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1944th
Yancey County is the 82nd largest of 100 North Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 4.1 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 27.1 percent against 18.0 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.
Yancey County
Is Yancey County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.81 percent
- Census 2020 base population18,473
- Births, 2024177
- Deaths, 2024296
- Natural change, 2024-119
- Net domestic migration, 2024152
- Net international migration, 202417
- Total net migration, 2024169
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024937
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents921st
The county has grown 2.81 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.
Yancey County
Where people moving to Yancey County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving497
- People arriving, from those returns867
- Adjusted gross income arriving$34.8 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$69,994
- Largest single originYancey County Non-migrants (6,364 households)
- Largest single destination (6,364 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yancey County Non-migrants | 6,364 | 12,884 | $379.8 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 217 | 377 | $20.2 m |
| Other flows - South | 147 | 274 | $14.9 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 112 | 184 | $6.9 m |
| Buncombe County | 91 | 160 | $4.8 m |
| Mitchell County | 52 | 102 | $1.8 m |
| Other flows - West | 45 | 65 | $2.6 m |
| Madison County | 25 | 44 | $1.2 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Yancey 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.
Yancey County
What the Yancey County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$605.1 m
- County GDP, 2023$580.8 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.2 percent
- GDP change over five years31.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among North Carolina counties87th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2268th
- GDP per resident$32,192
Output grew 4.2 percent in the latest year and 31.2 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.
Yancey County
Who employs people in Yancey County
- Covered employment, annual average4,648
- Establishments reporting497
- Average annual pay$47,951
- Average weekly wage$922
- Sector 31-33, employment1,226
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$61,316
- Sector 44-45, employment647
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$33,450
- Sector 62, employment439
- Sector 62, average annual pay$43,765
- Sector 23, employment374
- Sector 23, average annual pay$54,200
- Sector 72, employment354
- Sector 81, employment120
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 1,226 | 18 | $61,316 |
| Sector 44-45 | 647 | 67 | $33,450 |
| Sector 62 | 439 | 59 | $43,765 |
| Sector 23 | 374 | 59 | $54,200 |
| Sector 72 | 354 | 30 | $20,851 |
| Sector 81 | 120 | 44 | $48,451 |
| Sector 71 | 100 | 10 | $44,025 |
| Sector 52 | 90 | 25 | $51,815 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 1,226 jobs, 26.4 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.
Yancey County
What businesses operate in Yancey County
- Establishments, all industries357
- Employment at those establishments3,797
- Annual payroll$162.2 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents19.0
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.
Yancey County
What is being built in Yancey County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024100
- Declared construction value permitted$23.2 m
- Single family units authorised100
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$232,042
- Units authorised per 1,000 households12.3
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Yancey County
How much SBA lending happens in Yancey County
- 7(a) approvals recorded13
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$7.1 m
- Average 7(a) approval$543,446
- Median 7(a) approval$100,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,921,300
- Largest single approval$2,685,700
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)54
- Jobs per approval4.2
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active7
- Distinct industries receiving approvals11
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer15.4 percent
- Loans on real estate terms2
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter8
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals7.7 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFraming Contractors (2)
- Most active lenderTD Bank, National Association (6)
The average approval of $543,446 sits well above the median of $100,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 15.4 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Yancey County
Do SBA loans in Yancey County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded1
- Paid in full1
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full1
- Status: Cancelled3
- Status: Exempt from disclosure9
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 1 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.
Yancey County
How big is Yancey County
- Land area313 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties80th of 100
- Width, east to west20.9 mi
- Height, north to south25.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land60
- Establishments per square mile1.14
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.
Yancey County
What hazards affect Yancey County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book2
- Of those, participating in the NFIP2
- 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.
- No 504 approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2010 onward.
- 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 Yancey 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 Yancey County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population18,797
- Households8,130
- Average household size2.31
- Median household income$58,709
- Median age49.2
Common questions
Yancey County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Yancey County, North Carolina?
18,797, in 8,130 households, ranking 82nd of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Yancey County growing?
The population has grown 2.81 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 177 births against 296 deaths, with net migration of 169. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Yancey County?
$58,709. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $243,100, which is 4.1 times income, and median gross rent is $882 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Yancey County?
357 establishments, employing 3,797 people with an annual payroll of $162.2 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 Yancey County?
Average annual pay is $47,951, or $922 a week, across 4,648 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Yancey County?
13 7(a) approvals totalling $7.1 m since FY2020, across 7 lenders, with a median approval of $100,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Yancey County?
100 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $23.2 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Yancey 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 Yancey County come from?
The largest single origin is Yancey County Non-migrants, with 6,364 households. Arriving households report an average income of $69,994 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 Yancey 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 Yancey 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.