ZIP Code Tabulation Area

28779

Sylva, NC · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
18,064
Median household income
$57,727
People below poverty
15.2%
Median home value
$243,700

Income

The median income of households in 28779 was $57,727. An estimated 3.6% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 2% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in 28779 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 3.6
$10,000 to $14,999 5.8
$15,000 to $24,999 10
$25,000 to $34,999 9
$35,000 to $49,999 18.3
$50,000 to $74,999 16.9
$75,000 to $99,999 13.7
$100,000 to $149,999 15.3
$150,000 to $199,999 5.2
$200,000 or more 2

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in 28779 in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 46114
Female 38325

An estimated 71.9% of households received earnings. An estimated 38% of households received Social Security and an estimated 29.9 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $25,824. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in 28779 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 71.9
Social Security 38
Retirement income 29.9
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 7.5
Cash public assistance income 2.9

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 15.2 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 21.5% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 10.4% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 14.8% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in 28779 in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 15.2
Children under 18 years below poverty 21.5
People 65 years old and over below poverty 10.4
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 14.8

In 2020-2024, 16.2 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 48.4% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 28% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 28.4% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 28779 in 2020-2024, 85.6% had health insurance coverage and 14.4% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 57.2% and public coverage was 44.5%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 8.6%.


In 2020-2024, 28779 had a total population of 18,064 - 9,239 (51.1%) females and 8,825 (48.9%) males. The median age was 42.4 years. An estimated 21.4% of the population was under 18 years, 30.9% was 19 to 44 years, 25.2% was 45 to 64 years, and 21.9 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for 28779 in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 421 466
5 to 9 406 745
10 to 14 783 340
15 to 19 392 442
20 to 24 454 484
25 to 29 575 651
30 to 34 780 552
35 to 39 645 454
40 to 44 453 522
45 to 49 543 625
50 to 54 402 543
55 to 59 443 653
60 to 64 814 516
65 to 69 620 651
70 to 74 511 728
75 to 79 325 506
80 to 84 107 140
85 and over 151 221

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 86.6% were White; 0.8% were Black or African American; 13.9% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.9% were Asian; 0.6% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 6.8% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 5.7% of the people in 28779 were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 86.1% of the people in 28779 were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 8,295 households in 28779. The average household size was 2.15 people.

Married-couple households made up 42.5% of the households in 28779 while cohabiting couple households made up 9.4% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 26.8% of all households, while 21.4% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 14.9% of households were male householders living alone, and 16.5% were female householders living alone, for a total of 31.4% of all households.

In 28779, 23% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 33.6% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in 28779 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 42.5
Cohabiting Couples 9.4
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
21.4
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
26.8

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 47% of males and 48.6% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 32.7 27
Now married, except separated 47 48.6
Separated 2.8 2.5
Widowed 3.7 10.9
Divorced 13.8 11.1

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In 28779, 279 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 68.1% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 97% of the people living in 28779 were U.S. natives. 58.8% of the 28779 population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 3% of 28779 residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 42.1% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 59.4 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of 28779 come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for 28779.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in 28779 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 60.8
Asia 21.1
Europe 4.8
Africa 11.2
Northern America 2
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in 28779 in 2020-2024, 3.9 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 2.4% of people at least five years old; 1.3% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in 28779 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 2.4
Other Indo-European languages 0.7
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.4
Other languages 0.4

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 88.3 % of the people at least one year old living in 28779 were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of 28779 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 88.3
Different house, same county 5
Different county, same state 3.6
Different state 2.9
Abroad 0.2

Education

In 2020-2024, 92 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 27.9% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 8% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in 28779 was 3,917 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 118 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 2,893. College or graduate school enrollment was 906.

Educational Attainment of People in 28779 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 8
High school diploma or equivalency 28.6
Some college, no degree 22.1
Associate's degree 13.4
Bachelor's degree 16.8
Graduate or professional degree 11.1

Disability

In 28779, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 15.4 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 2.4% of people under 18 years old, to 16% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 26.7% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In 28779, 53 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 45.4% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 68.8% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 23.6% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 7.6 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 5,336 68.8
Federal, state, or local government workers 1,830 23.6
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 592 7.6

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in 28779 worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in 28779 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 0.3
Construction 11.1
Manufacturing 4.1
Wholesale trade 0.6
Retail trade 9.7
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 2.5
Information 1.5
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 3.6
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 10.5
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 30
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 14.4
Other Services, except public administration 7.2
Public administration 4.5

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in 28779 in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 2,750 35.4
Service occupations 2,310 29.8
Sales and office occupations 1,185 15.3
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 948 12.2
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 565 7.3

Commuting to Work

An estimated 82.8% of 28779 workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 6.9% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 21 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in 28779 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 82.8
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 6.9
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0
Walked 2.9
Other means 1.2
Worked from home 6.2

In 2020-2024, 28779 had a total of 9,692 housing units. Of these housing units, 71.4% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 8.6% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 19.7% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in 28779 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 71.4
Apartments in multi-unit structures 8.6
Mobile homes 19.7
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.3

9.2% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 6.5% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in 28779 was 5 rooms, and of these housing units 52.8% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, 28779 had 8,295 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 1,397 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 63.4% while renters occupied 36.6%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.17 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.11.

2.4% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 12.4% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 4.1% and another 23% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in 28779:

House Heating Fuel Used in 28779 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 16.3
Electricity 73.6
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 5.7
All other fuels 4.3
No fuel used 0.1

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in 28779 was $243,700.

Of the owner-occupied households, 44.7 % had a mortgage. 55.3% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,220 and for owners without a mortgage it was $334.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for 28779 was $827. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.