ZIP Code Tabulation Area

28786

Waynesville, 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
22,056
Median household income
$59,371
People below poverty
12.5%
Median home value
$297,800

Income

The median income of households in 28786 was $59,371. An estimated 3.5% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 6% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in 28786 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 3.5
$10,000 to $14,999 5.5
$15,000 to $24,999 11.9
$25,000 to $34,999 8.6
$35,000 to $49,999 13.3
$50,000 to $74,999 15
$75,000 to $99,999 13.6
$100,000 to $149,999 16.3
$150,000 to $199,999 6.3
$200,000 or more 6

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in 28786 in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 55256
Female 51530

An estimated 66.6% of households received earnings. An estimated 43.8% of households received Social Security and an estimated 30.6 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $24,143. 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 28786 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 66.6
Social Security 43.8
Retirement income 30.6
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 5.8
Cash public assistance income 1.5

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 12.5 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 18.2% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 8.9% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 12.5% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in 28786 in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 12.5
Children under 18 years below poverty 18.2
People 65 years old and over below poverty 8.9
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 12.5

In 2020-2024, 16.5 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 39.9% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 52.1% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 19.1% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 28786 in 2020-2024, 87.1% had health insurance coverage and 12.9% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 61.3% and public coverage was 45.4%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 6%.


In 2020-2024, 28786 had a total population of 22,056 - 11,446 (51.9%) females and 10,610 (48.1%) males. The median age was 49.1 years. An estimated 16.7% of the population was under 18 years, 27.4% was 19 to 44 years, 28.3% was 45 to 64 years, and 26.3 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for 28786 in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 406 444
5 to 9 513 640
10 to 14 536 398
15 to 19 517 544
20 to 24 480 636
25 to 29 636 627
30 to 34 595 539
35 to 39 580 546
40 to 44 701 684
45 to 49 607 563
50 to 54 814 903
55 to 59 752 948
60 to 64 762 893
65 to 69 1029 902
70 to 74 534 698
75 to 79 507 650
80 to 84 431 286
85 and over 210 545

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 90.8% were White; 1.4% were Black or African American; 16.5% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.2% were Asian; 0.1% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 6.3% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 5.1% of the people in 28786 were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 90.1% of the people in 28786 were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 9,816 households in 28786. The average household size was 2.22 people.

Married-couple households made up 47.4% of the households in 28786 while cohabiting couple households made up 5.7% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 28.4% of all households, while 18.5% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 13.5% of households were male householders living alone, and 19% were female householders living alone, for a total of 32.5% of all households.

In 28786, 22.6% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 43.3% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in 28786 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 47.4
Cohabiting Couples 5.7
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
18.5
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
28.4

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 55% of males and 48.7% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 29.8 22.4
Now married, except separated 55 48.7
Separated 1 1.1
Widowed 5.2 11.7
Divorced 9 16.2

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In 28786, 784 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 54.3% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 96.6% of the people living in 28786 were U.S. natives. 51.1% of the 28786 population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 3.4% of 28786 residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 46.9% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 73.2 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of 28786 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 28786.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in 28786 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 63.6
Asia 8.7
Europe 25.6
Africa 0.9
Northern America 1.2
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in 28786 in 2020-2024, 4.1 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 3.2% of people at least five years old; 1.2% 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 28786 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 3.2
Other Indo-European languages 0.6
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.3
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 86 % of the people at least one year old living in 28786 were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of 28786 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 86
Different house, same county 7.1
Different county, same state 3.2
Different state 3.6
Abroad 0.1

Education

In 2020-2024, 90.6 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 31.4% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 9.4% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in 28786 was 3,759 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 265 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 2,769. College or graduate school enrollment was 725.

Educational Attainment of People in 28786 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 9.4
High school diploma or equivalency 25.4
Some college, no degree 22
Associate's degree 11.9
Bachelor's degree 18
Graduate or professional degree 13.3

Disability

In 28786, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 19.7 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 3.9% of people under 18 years old, to 15.6% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 39.3% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In 28786, 53.1 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 44.1% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 75.9% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 16.6% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 7.3 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 7,609 75.9
Federal, state, or local government workers 1,669 16.6
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 734 7.3

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in 28786 worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in 28786 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 1.2
Construction 7.6
Manufacturing 7.9
Wholesale trade 0.5
Retail trade 13.1
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 4.8
Information 0.7
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 4.7
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 11.8
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 24.9
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 13.3
Other Services, except public administration 4
Public administration 5.4

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in 28786 in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 4,050 40.4
Service occupations 1,894 18.9
Sales and office occupations 1,891 18.9
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 961 9.6
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 1,233 12.3

Commuting to Work

An estimated 76.4% of 28786 workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 12.2% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 22.8 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in 28786 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 76.4
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 12.2
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.1
Walked 1.8
Other means 0.5
Worked from home 9

In 2020-2024, 28786 had a total of 12,112 housing units. Of these housing units, 70.2% 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"). 14.4% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 15.4% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in 28786 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 70.2
Apartments in multi-unit structures 14.4
Mobile homes 15.4
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

8.3% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 9.8% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in 28786 was 5.7 rooms, and of these housing units 62.6% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, 28786 had 9,816 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 2,296 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 68.7% while renters occupied 31.3%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.32 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.

4.6% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 12.9% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 4.8% and another 24.5% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in 28786:

House Heating Fuel Used in 28786 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 14
Electricity 65.4
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 16.5
All other fuels 3.8
No fuel used 0.2

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in 28786 was $297,800.

Of the owner-occupied households, 46.4 % had a mortgage. 53.6% 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 $1,528 and for owners without a mortgage it was $479.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for 28786 was $1,081. 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.