Waynesville, North Carolina demographics

Waynesville, NC demographics: median age 46.0; 32.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree. Age, race, households, languages and education, ACS 2020–2024 with margins of error.

ACS 2020–2024 · Waynesville town, North Carolina · Incorporated town · GEOID 3771500. The survey estimates a population of 10,502 for its five-year window. This is separate from the annual July 2025 population estimate on the city overview.

Median age in Waynesville is 46.0 years, with a 90% margin of error of 3.3 years. There are 5,035 households (±250). Age and household distributions show how these totals are composed; they do not establish which neighborhood suits a particular person.

Every count and share is an estimate. “±” is a 90% margin of error (MOE); pp means percentage points. Derived shares use the category count divided by the named universe. Aggregated category MOEs and percentage MOEs are approximate. A margin larger than half its estimate is flagged as low precision. Blank source uncertainty is shown as unavailable, never zero.

Age distribution and sex

City, state and U.S. estimates · ACS 2020–2024
Measure / survey universe	City estimate ± MOE	State estimate ± MOE	U.S. estimate ± MOE
Median age Total population · years	46.0 ±3.3	39.1 ±0.2	38.9 ±0.1

Age groups · B01001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 10,502
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Under 18	1,657 ±374	15.8% ±3.6 pp	21.8%	22.0%
18–34	2,204 ±360	21.0% ±3.4 pp	22.9%	22.8%
35–64	3,826 ±404	36.4% ±3.8 pp	38.2%	38.0%
65 and older	2,815 ±334	26.8% ±3.2 pp	17.2%	17.2%

Sex categories as published by ACS · B01001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 10,502
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Male	5,047 ±304	48.1% ±2.9 pp	48.9%	49.5%
Female	5,455 ±304	51.9% ±2.9 pp	51.1%	50.5%

The age groups are mutually exclusive and cover the entire population. The sex categories follow this ACS table’s published classification; they are not a survey of gender identity.

Race and Hispanic origin

Race · B02001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 10,502
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
White alone	9,328 ±345	88.8% ±3.3 pp	61.8%	61.0%
Black or African American alone	141 ±82 · low precision	1.3% ±0.8 pp · low precision	20.3%	12.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone	0 ±21 · low precision	0.0% ±0.2 pp · low precision	1.1%	0.9%
Asian alone	26 ±27 · low precision	0.2% ±0.3 pp · low precision	3.3%	6.0%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone	0 ±21 · low precision	0.0% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.1%	0.2%
Some other race alone	62 ±61 · low precision	0.6% ±0.6 pp · low precision	5.2%	7.1%
Two or more races	945 ±327	9.0% ±3.1 pp	8.3%	12.6%

Hispanic or Latino origin · B03003 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 10,502
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Not Hispanic or Latino	9,805 ±304	93.4% ±2.9 pp	88.7%	80.7%
Hispanic or Latino	697 ±303	6.6% ±2.9 pp	11.3%	19.3%

Hispanic origin and race are separate questions. People of Hispanic or Latino origin may be of any race and appear in both tables. Do not add the Hispanic share to race shares. Race alone and two-or-more-race groups are the mutually exclusive categories of the race table.

Household types, children and living alone

Household types · B11001 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 5,035
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Married-couple family	1,844 ±226	36.6% ±4.1 pp	47.2%	46.9%
Other family: male householder, no spouse present	229 ±111	4.5% ±2.2 pp	4.6%	5.1%
Other family: female householder, no spouse present	543 ±195	10.8% ±3.8 pp	12.5%	12.2%
Nonfamily: householder living alone	2,043 ±331	40.6% ±6.3 pp	29.4%	28.7%
Nonfamily: householder not living alone	376 ±122	7.5% ±2.4 pp	6.3%	7.0%

Households with children · B11005 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 5,035
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Households with people under 18	1,005 ±201	20.0% ±3.9 pp	29.1%	29.5%
Households without people under 18	4,030 ±330	80.0% ±5.2 pp	70.9%	70.5%

Household size · B11016 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 5,035
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
One-person nonfamily households	2,043 ±331	40.6% ±6.3 pp	29.4%	28.7%
Two-person households	1,777 ±290	35.3% ±5.5 pp	35.6%	33.8%
Three-person households	645 ±157	12.8% ±3.1 pp	15.6%	15.3%
Four-person households	355 ±131	7.1% ±2.6 pp	11.8%	12.6%
Five-person households	200 ±178 · low precision	4.0% ±3.5 pp · low precision	5.0%	5.9%
Six-person households	15 ±32 · low precision	0.3% ±0.6 pp · low precision	1.8%	2.2%
Seven or more people	0 ±30 · low precision	0.0% ±0.6 pp · low precision	0.9%	1.4%

A family household contains related people under the Census definition. A nonfamily household can contain one person or unrelated people sharing a home. Households with children can also appear in the household-type and size tables, so those tables must not be added together. Household estimates exclude people living in group quarters from the household universe.

Nativity and languages spoken at home

Nativity · B05002 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 10,502
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Native	9,892 ±294	94.2% ±2.8 pp	90.9%	85.9%
Foreign born	610 ±293	5.8% ±2.8 pp	9.1%	14.1%

Language spoken at home · C16001 · ACS 2020–2024 Population age 5 and older: 10,044
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
English only	9,397 ±299	93.6% ±2.5 pp	86.5%	77.7%
Spanish	528 ±270 · low precision	5.3% ±2.7 pp · low precision	8.7%	13.6%
French, Haitian, or Cajun	36 ±58 · low precision	0.4% ±0.6 pp · low precision	0.4%	0.7%
German or other West Germanic	16 ±18 · low precision	0.2% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.3%	0.5%
Russian, Polish, or other Slavic	0 ±21 · low precision	0.0% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.3%	0.7%
Other Indo-European	19 ±30 · low precision	0.2% ±0.3 pp · low precision	1.2%	2.0%
Korean	3 ±5 · low precision	0.0% ±0.0 pp · low precision	0.2%	0.3%
Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese	11 ±16 · low precision	0.1% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.4%	1.1%
Vietnamese	21 ±35 · low precision	0.2% ±0.3 pp · low precision	0.3%	0.5%
Tagalog, including Filipino	0 ±21 · low precision	0.0% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.2%	0.6%
Other Asian and Pacific Island	6 ±10 · low precision	0.1% ±0.1 pp · low precision	0.9%	1.1%
Arabic	7 ±11 · low precision	0.1% ±0.1 pp · low precision	0.3%	0.5%
Other and unspecified	0 ±21 · low precision	0.0% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.5%	0.8%

Foreign born means not a U.S. citizen at birth; it includes naturalized citizens. Language categories describe speech at home among people age five and older. A language other than English at home does not establish that someone cannot speak English. This city page uses the published C16001 summary categories because the more detailed B16001 table does not provide these city records in this release.

Educational attainment

Highest completed education · B15003 · ACS 2020–2024 Population age 25 and older: 8,134
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Less than high school graduate	1,031 ±339	12.7% ±4.1 pp	9.9%	10.4%
High school graduate or equivalency	2,064 ±325	25.4% ±3.8 pp	24.8%	26.0%
Some college, no degree	1,570 ±279	19.3% ±3.3 pp	19.6%	19.1%
Associate’s degree	789 ±190	9.7% ±2.3 pp	10.1%	8.8%
Bachelor’s degree	1,546 ±296	19.0% ±3.5 pp	22.2%	21.6%
Graduate or professional degree	1,134 ±211	13.9% ±2.5 pp	13.5%	14.1%

The denominator excludes residents under 25. Each person is counted in the highest attainment category they completed. This table does not measure the quality of local schools or the education level of every current student.

Residence one year earlier

Geographic mobility · B07003 · ACS 2020–2024 Population age 1 and older: 10,466
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Same house	8,572 ±613	81.9% ±5.8 pp	87.3%	87.7%
Moved within same county	1,128 ±607 · low precision	10.8% ±5.8 pp · low precision	5.5%	6.3%
Moved from a different county in the same state	471 ±150	4.5% ±1.4 pp	3.6%	3.1%
Moved from a different state	276 ±149 · low precision	2.6% ±1.4 pp · low precision	3.0%	2.3%
Moved from abroad	19 ±24 · low precision	0.2% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.6%	0.6%

These are respondents’ residence patterns one year before their survey response, pooled across the five-year window. They are not a net migration count for 2025. A person can move to a different house within the same city or county; moves within the same county should not automatically be interpreted as new arrivals to the city.

Health insurance, internet access and veterans

15.3% of Waynesville residents (±4.2 percentage points) had no health insurance coverage when surveyed, compared with 9.9% in North Carolina and 8.4% nationally. 84.5% of households subscribe to broadband of any type, including cellular data plans. A subscription is not the same as available service: the FCC National Broadband Map shows providers at a specific address.

City, state and U.S. shares · ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Waynesville	North Carolina	U.S.	Compared with North Carolina
People without health insurance Civilian noninstitutionalized population	15.3% ±4.2 pp	9.9%	8.4%	Higher
Households with a broadband subscription Households	84.5% ±4.5 pp	90.1%	91.0%	Lower
Veterans Civilian population age 18 and older	10.3% ±2.2 pp	7.4%	6.2%	Higher

Reading and reusing the estimates

The Census table links above lead to the original detailed tables. Counts, source universes and uncertainty are retained in the source observation download for Waynesville . Compare these figures with the same survey window; do not compare one city’s five-year estimate with another city’s annual estimate as though they measured the same period. For methods, see uncertainty and denominator calculations.

Read Waynesville housing and cost context or return to the city profile.