Watauga County, North Carolina
Watauga County, North Carolina · ZIP 28604, 28605, 28607
- Census data · ACS 2019-2023
- 54,997 (2024 estimate)Population
- 21,187Households
- $51,367Median household income
- $321,500Median home value
- 7Towns with a page
- 8ZIP codes
Watauga County in numbersOfficial sources, refreshed yearly
| Census | Population |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 42,695 |
| 2010 | 51,079 |
| 2020 | 54,086 |
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 $51,367 · 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
- 12,962 units
- Renter occupied
- 8,225 units
- Vacancy rate
- 35.9%
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.
20,781 employees in 1,740 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 | Watauga County | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 54,607 | 10,584,340 |
| Median household income | $51,367 | $69,904 |
| Median age | 32.2 | 39.1 |
| Median home value | $321,500 | $259,400 |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher | 47.7% | 34.7% |
| Foreign-born residents | 3.7% | 8.7% |
| Owner-occupied homes | 61.2% | 66.4% |
| Mean commute to work | 20.7 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 Watauga County7 with a page · sort by any column
| Type | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Boone | Town | 20,080 | 6.39 sq mi |
| Cove Creek | Census designated place | 1,533 | 8.54 sq mi |
| Blowing Rock | Town | 1,336 | 3.24 sq mi |
| Foscoe | Census designated place | 1,257 | 5.78 sq mi |
| Beech Mountain | Town | 658 | 6.48 sq mi |
| Seven Devils | Town | 316 | 2.19 sq mi |
| Valle Crucis | Census designated place | 243 | 4.44 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 Watauga County
No job is posted in Watauga 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 Watauga County's towns yet. Members and businesses add events from any town page.
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Neighboring counties
Neighboring counties
- Ashe CountyPopulation 27,266 (2024 estimate)
- Avery CountyPopulation 17,811 (2024 estimate)
- Caldwell CountyPopulation 80,739 (2024 estimate)
- Johnson CountyPopulation 18,506 (2024 estimate)
- Wilkes CountyPopulation 66,186 (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 47, retrieved November 14, 2026.