Mitchell County is a county of 14,992 people in North Carolina. The median age is 48.0, about 9 years above the US median. About 24% of adults have finished a four-year degree. The foreign-born share is 2%. 76% of homes are owner-occupied. The typical home is worth $220,100, having roughly tripled since 2000.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $57,602, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 48.0
US median: 38.9
Less educated
24% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 72%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Mitchell County
What changed most since 1990
White share99.3% → 91.0%(−8.3 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Homes owned by their occupants82.5% → 76.3%(−6.2 pts)US over the same years: +0.9 pts
Median age38.9 → 48.0(+9.1 years)US over the same years: +6.0 years
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)17.1%(162)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)11%(104)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era42.5%(402)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War8.7%(82)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.1%(10)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 946 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Mitchell County, decade by decade
Mitchell County population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
14,433
$49,331
$115,443
9.2%
1.7
2000
15,687
$55,575
$128,245
12.2%
7.4
2010
15,579
$47,103
$151,050
14.4%
14.1
2020
14,903
$59,197
$199,017
22.1%
21.9
2024
14,992
$57,602
$220,100
24.2%
21.0
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
