Rutherford County, North Carolina
Rutherford County, North Carolina · ZIP 28018, 28019, 28020
- Census data · ACS 2019-2023
- 65,587 (2024 estimate)Population
- 26,589Households
- $49,771Median household income
- $180,800Median home value
- 11Towns with a page
- 15ZIP codes
Rutherford County in numbersOfficial sources, refreshed yearly
| Census | Population |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 62,899 |
| 2010 | 67,810 |
| 2020 | 64,444 |
As counted at each census, within the boundaries the area had then; the current estimate is in the glance card.
Sources: Census 2000 Summary File 1: total population, county level, state 37, retrieved November 14, 2026; Census 2010 Summary File 1: total population, county level, state 37, retrieved November 14, 2026; Census 2020 Redistricting Data (P.L. 94-171): total population, county level, state 37, retrieved November 14, 2026.
Median household income $49,771 · Share of households by income, American Community Survey 5-year 2019-2023, table S1901.
Source: American Community Survey 5-year subject table S1901 (household income) 2019–2023, county level, state 37, retrieved November 14, 2026.
- Owner occupied
- 19,699 units
- Renter occupied
- 6,890 units
- Vacancy rate
- 18.6%
Occupied housing units by tenure and the share of all units vacant, American Community Survey 5-year 2019-2023, table DP04.
Source: American Community Survey 5-year data profile 2019–2023, county level, state 37, retrieved November 14, 2026.
16,815 employees in 1,289 establishments with payroll in 2023, all sectors; employers themselves are not named in the source. County Business Patterns counts are published with noise.
Source: County Business Patterns 2023: employment by sector, county level, state 37, retrieved November 14, 2026.
| Measure | Rutherford County | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 64,850 | 10,584,340 |
| Median household income | $49,771 | $69,904 |
| Median age | 45.3 | 39.1 |
| Median home value | $180,800 | $259,400 |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher | 20.7% | 34.7% |
| Foreign-born residents | 3.2% | 8.7% |
| Owner-occupied homes | 74.1% | 66.4% |
| Mean commute to work | 26.3 minutes | 25.1 minutes |
Source: American Community Survey 5-year data profile 2019–2023, county level, state 37, retrieved November 14, 2026.
Townships, towns and villages in Rutherford County11 with a page · sort by any column
| Type | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest City | Town | 7,397 | 8.59 sq mi |
| Spindale | Town | 4,168 | 5.41 sq mi |
| Rutherfordton | Town | 3,718 | 4.20 sq mi |
| Lake Lure | Town | 1,390 | 13.2 sq mi |
| Ellenboro | Town | 741 | 1.27 sq mi |
| Cliffside | Census designated place | 630 | 2.33 sq mi |
| Henrietta | Census designated place | 413 | 0.58 sq mi |
| Bostic | Town | 362 | 0.93 sq mi |
| Ruth | Town | 358 | 0.42 sq mi |
| Caroleen | Census designated place | 261 | 1.11 sq mi |
| Chimney Rock Village | Village | 138 | 3.36 sq mi |
Populations: Census Population Estimates, Vintage 2024: subcounty totals, state 37 (2024). Land areas: Census Gazetteer 2025: counties. A dash means the figure is not in the cited file.
County officialsFrom public records
No county official is published yet. Names appear once a researcher drafts them from the county’s own site and a second person approves; office contacts only, never personal details.
Across Rutherford County
No job is posted in Rutherford County’s towns yet. Employers post from their business dashboard; public job banks are added once their terms are recorded.
No upcoming event is listed in Rutherford County's towns yet. Members and businesses add events from any town page.
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Neighboring counties
Neighboring counties
- Buncombe CountyPopulation 279,210 (2024 estimate)
- Burke CountyPopulation 88,545 (2024 estimate)
- Cherokee CountyPopulation 57,770 (2024 estimate)
- Cleveland CountyPopulation 102,194 (2024 estimate)
- Henderson CountyPopulation 120,771 (2024 estimate)
- McDowell CountyPopulation 45,269 (2024 estimate)
- Polk CountyPopulation 20,320 (2024 estimate)
- Spartanburg CountyPopulation 369,256 (2024 estimate)
Sources: Census county adjacency file 2024, retrieved November 14, 2026; Census Population Estimates, Vintage 2024: subcounty totals, state 37, retrieved November 14, 2026; Census Population Estimates, Vintage 2024: subcounty totals, state 45, retrieved November 14, 2026.