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Boone, NC
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers
Population
20,032
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Age
21.3
years ∙ half population younger than 21.3, half older
Diversity Index
29.1%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Nativity
4.5%
foreign-born population
Geographic Context
Location, size, and surroundings
About
Boone is a town within Watauga County, North Carolina, United States.
Co-ordinates
DEC36.213842° N, 81.665197° W
DMS36° 12′ 49.83″ N, 81° 39′ 54.71″ W
Population Density & area
3,135/sq mi
(1,211/km²)
Demographics & Living
Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition
Population Composition
Key characteristics of the population
Sex Distribution
48.2%
male
Male
48.2%
Female
51.8%
males per 100 females
Boone
93.1
Watauga County
99.5
North Carolina
95.6
Nativity
4.5%
foreign-born population
% Foreign-born
Boone
4.5%
Watauga County
3.5%
North Carolina
9.1%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups
Median Age
21.3
years ∙ half population younger than 21.3, half older
Dependency ratio
13.7
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Boone
13.7
Watauga County
41.3
North Carolina
63.8
AGE DISTRIBUTION
Distribution of age group
Median age
| Boone | Watauga County | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Group | |||
| Children (Under 18) | 5% | 12.1% | 21.8% |
| Working age (18-64) | 88% | 70.8% | 61% |
| Senior (65+) | 7% | 17.1% | 17.2% |
| Dependency ratio | |||
| Total dependency ratio | 13.7 | 41.3 | 63.8 |
| Child dependency ratio | 5.7 | 17.1 | 35.6 |
| Old-age dependency ratio | 8 | 24.2 | 28.2 |
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares
Race & Ethnicity
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.
Diversity Index
29.1%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Boone
29.1%
Watauga County
21.2%
North Carolina
58.4%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.
RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION
Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Boone population
| Boone | Watauga County | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 7.7% | 6.2% | 11.3% |
| Mexican | 3.9% | 3.2% | 5.6% |
| Puerto Rican | 0.5% | 0.6% | 1.3% |
| Cuban | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| Other Hispanic / Latino | 3.1% | 1.9% | 4.1% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 92.3% | 93.8% | 88.7% |
| One race | 89.3% | 91.1% | 84.6% |
| White | 83.7% | 88.5% | 60% |
| Black or African American | 3.5% | 1.6% | 20% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.8% |
| Asian | 1.8% | 0.9% | 3.3% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0.1% |
| Some Other Race | 0% | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| Two or more races (Multiracial) | 3% | 2.7% | 4.1% |
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure
Household structure
27.1%
family
Family
27.1%
Non family
72.9%
% family households
Boone
27.1%
Watauga County
51.1%
North Carolina
64.3%
Average household size
2.3
persons per household
Household & Family COMPOSITION
Households
Percentage of Boone population
| Boone | Watauga County | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total households | 5,975 | 21,198 | 4,282,345 |
| Average houshold size | 2.3 | 2.29 | 2.44 |
| Family households | 1,617 | 10,839 | 2,753,022 |
| Average family size | 2.78 | 2.8 | 3.03 |
| Married couple family | 1,154 | 8,812 | 2,021,951 |
| Other families | 463 | 2,027 | 731,071 |
| Male householder | 69 | 656 | 195,051 |
| Female householder | 394 | 1,371 | 536,020 |
| Non-family households | 4,358 | 10,359 | 1,529,323 |
| One-person households | 1,932 | 6,667 | 1,258,822 |
| Male householder | 957 | 3,019 | 544,050 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 188 | 1,059 | 160,332 |
| Female householder | 975 | 3,648 | 714,772 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 150 | 1,325 | 342,051 |
| Other living arrangements | 2,426 | 3,692 | 270,501 |
Housing Profile
Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens
Total housing units
6,985
housing units
Boone
6,985
Watauga County
33,355
North Carolina
4,895,668
Occupancy status
85.5%
occupied
Occupied
85.5%
Vacant
14.5%
vacancy rate
Boone
14.5%
Watauga County
36.4%
North Carolina
12.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used
Types of Housing unit
29.1%
Single family houses
Median Year Built
1985
Half of houses were built before 1985, and half after.
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.
Housing Characteristics
Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
| Boone | Watauga County | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms per unit | |||
| Median rooms | 4.2 | 5.4 | 5.6 |
| 1–3 rooms | 30.9% | 14% | 11.4% |
| 4–6 rooms | 50.7% | 54.3% | 54.9% |
| 7+ rooms | 18.2% | 31.8% | 33.6% |
| Bedrooms | |||
| No bedroom / studio | 2.7% | 2.4% | 1.9% |
| 1 bedroom | 19.2% | 8.5% | 7.1% |
| 2 bedrooms | 44.5% | 28.7% | 23.8% |
| 3 bedrooms | 16.8% | 41.3% | 46.2% |
| 4+ bedrooms | 16.8% | 19.1% | 21% |
| At a glance | |||
| Median year built | 1985 | 1988 | 1992 |
| Total housing units | 6,985 | 33,355 | 4,895,668 |
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it
Homeownership
26.2%
owners
Renter-occupied
73.8%
Owner-occupied
26.2%
homeownership rate
Boone
26.2%
Watauga County
62.1%
North Carolina
66.6%
Average household size
2.36
Owner-occupied
2.28
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Boone
2.36
Watauga County
2.31
North Carolina
2.54
Housing Characteristics
Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| Boone | Watauga County | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total occupied units | 5,975 | 21,198 | 4,282,345 |
| Year moved in | |||
| 2020 or later | 57.5% | 32.7% | 26.2% |
| 2010 to 2019 | 28.6% | 33.4% | 39.2% |
| 2000 to 2009 | 4.9% | 14% | 16.2% |
| 1999 or earlier | 8.9% | 19.9% | 18.5% |
| Occupants per room | |||
| 1.00 or fewer | 98.7% | 98.6% | 97.8% |
| 1.01 to 1.50 | 1.3% | 1% | 1.5% |
| 1.51 or more | 0% | 0.4% | 0.7% |
| Vehicles availability | |||
| No vehicles | 6.6% | 4.4% | 5.3% |
| 1 vehicle | 36.9% | 32% | 31.4% |
| 2 vehicles | 38.4% | 39% | 38% |
| 3 or more vehicles | 18.1% | 24.7% | 25.2% |
| House heating fuel used | |||
| Gas | 17.9% | 24.5% | 30.5% |
| Electricity | 73.7% | 55.1% | 65.5% |
| Solar | 0% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Fuel oil, kerosene etc | 7.5% | 15.1% | 2% |
| All other fuels | 0.7% | 4.9% | 1.3% |
| No fuel used | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.7% |
| Selected characteristics | |||
| Lacking complete plumbing | 2.2% | 0.8% | 0.3% |
| Lacking complete kitchen | 2.2% | 0.9% | 0.6% |
| No telephone service available | 2.9% | 1.6% | 0.8% |
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth
Median home value
$411,100
owner-occupied units
Housing Cost Burden
36.5%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.
Financial characteristics
Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| Boone | Watauga County | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property value | |||
| Median Value | $411,100 | $358,900 | $288,900 |
| Under $100,000 | 1.7% | 9.6% | 12.7% |
| $100,000 - $200,000 | 5% | 11% | 18.9% |
| $200,000 - $300,000 | 21.3% | 18.7% | 20.5% |
| $300,000 - $500,000 | 42.5% | 32.6% | 28.3% |
| $500,000 - $1,000,000 | 27.5% | 21.7% | 16.3% |
| $1,000,000 and more | 2% | 6.2% | 3.3% |
| Owner-occupied households | |||
| With a mortgage | 53.6% | 50.7% | 61.3% |
| Without a mortgage | 46.4% | 49.3% | 38.7% |
| Median monthly owner costs | |||
| With a mortgage | $1,641 | $1,668 | $1,631 |
| Without a mortgage | $650 | $449 | $490 |
| Gross rent | |||
| Median rent | $1,111 | $1,127 | $1,228 |
Education Profile
How educated is the community and how education pays off
Adults with a college degree
56.8%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Boone
56.8%
Watauga County
48.1%
North Carolina
35.7%
Adults without a high school diploma
5.7%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Boone
5.7%
Watauga County
7.3%
North Carolina
9.9%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level
School enrollment
13,971
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)
92%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Enrollment & school type
Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
| Boone | Watauga County | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total enrolled (age 3+) | 13,971 | 21,734 | 2,530,102 |
| Nursery / preschool | 0.9% | 1.6% | 5.3% |
| K–12 | 5.1% | 23.3% | 67.4% |
| Kindergarten | 0.2% | 1.9% | 4.9% |
| Elementary: Grades 1–4 | 1.6% | 7.4% | 20% |
| Elementary: Grades 5–8 | 1.4% | 6.4% | 21% |
| High School: Grades 9–12 | 2% | 7.6% | 21.5% |
| College or graduate school | 94% | 75.1% | 27.3% |
| College, undergraduate | 86.9% | 68.3% | 21.7% |
| Graduate, professional school | 7.1% | 6.8% | 5.6% |
| College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds | 92% | 85.4% | 39.3% |
| School type | |||
| Public school | 96.5% | 92.6% | 82.3% |
| Private school | 3.5% | 7.4% | 17.7% |
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults
Education attainment
5,542
population 25 years and over
Attainment by gender
Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
Educational Attainment Overview
Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
| Boone | Watauga County | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (25+) | 5,542 | 31,109 | 7,380,330 |
| Less than 9th grade | 2.1% | 2.6% | 3.9% |
| 9th–12th, no diploma | 3.6% | 4.7% | 6% |
| High school diploma or GED | 19.5% | 20.8% | 24.8% |
| Some college, no degree | 10.4% | 16.6% | 19.6% |
| Associate's degree | 7.6% | 7.1% | 10.1% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 56.8% | 48.1% | 35.7% |
| Bachelor's degree | 26.5% | 26.3% | 22.2% |
| Graduate or professional | 30.3% | 21.7% | 13.5% |
| High School or higher | 94.3% | 92.6% | 90.1% |
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable
Median Earnings
$42,939
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Poverty Rate
6.4%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Outcomes by Education Level
Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
| Boone | Watauga County | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median earnings | |||
| Population 25+, with earnings | $42,939 | $40,800 | $49,275 |
| Less than high school graduate | $21,912 | $27,428 | $31,234 |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | $14,024 | $27,193 | $37,346 |
| Some college or associate's degree | $30,203 | $31,164 | $43,525 |
| Bachelor's degree | $43,049 | $45,170 | $64,395 |
| Graduate or professional degree | $64,344 | $71,738 | $80,986 |
| Poverty rates | |||
| Less than high school graduate | 2.2% | 20.7% | 26.6% |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | 33.7% | 15.2% | 15.2% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 38.5% | 14.6% | 10% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 6.4% | 8.2% | 4.2% |
About Neilsberg Research
Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.
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