Graham County in figures

A profile of Graham County from official statistics: 27 figures in 6 sections, each with its period, its change from a year earlier, its rank among similar places where a ranking exists, and its source.

Figures last updated on 2026-10-12.

People

Population in Graham County was 8,190 in 2025, up 0.7% from 2024, and the 3rd lowest of 100 counties in North Carolina.

Median age45.6 years2024Up 0.1 years from 2023The 33rd highest of 100 counties in North Carolina
Foreign-born population share1.9%2024Down 0.5 percentage points from 2023
Population density10.8 inhabitants per km²2025Up 0.7% from 2024
Net domestic migration, July to June802025, estimatedCompared with 115 in 2024
8,0008,0508,1008,1508,2002020202120222023202420252020: 8,039 persons2021: 8,020 persons2022: 8,049 persons2023: 8,052 persons2024: 8,135 persons2025: 8,190 persons
Population, 2020 to 2025. persons. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual estimates of the resident population for the United States, states and counties, 1 July (Population Estimates Program).

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual estimates of the resident population for the United States, states and counties, 1 July (Population Estimates Program); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B01002: median age, total population; U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex (cc-est agesex): residents aged 65 and over as a percentage of the total, 1 July; states and the nation summed from counties; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs; U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program resident population on 1 July divided by land area from the latest Census Gazetteer files, persons per km²; U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program: net domestic migration, states and counties, July 1 of the previous year to June 30 of the reported year; vintage 2020 files for 2011 to 2020 and the latest 2020s vintage from 2021. Population and demography statistics and rankings

Work and income

Unemployment rate in Graham County was 3.2% (provisional) in August 2026, down 0.5 percentage points from August 2025, and tied for the 16th lowest of 100 counties in North Carolina.

Unemployment rate3.2%August 2026, provisionalDown 0.5 percentage points from August 2025Tied for the 16th lowest of 100 counties in North Carolina
Poverty rate (US official measure)16.4%2024Down 0.5 percentage points from 2023
Gini index40.82024Down 2.1 points from 2023
2345672021-072022-042023-012023-102024-072025-042026-082021-07: 5.3 %2021-08: 5.1 %2021-09: 4.5 %2021-10: 4.4 %2021-11: 4.6 %2021-12: 4.7 %2022-01: 6.1 %2022-02: 5.8 %2022-03: 5.1 %2022-04: 4 %2022-05: 3.9 %2022-06: 4.4 %2022-07: 4.3 %2022-08: 4.3 %2022-09: 3.6 %2022-10: 4 %2022-11: 4 %2022-12: 4.1 %2023-01: 4.6 %2023-02: 4.3 %2023-03: 3.5 %2023-04: 3.1 %2023-05: 3.3 %2023-06: 3.6 %2023-07: 3.4 %2023-08: 3.5 %2023-09: 3 %2023-10: 3.3 %2023-11: 3.4 %2023-12: 3.3 %2024-01: 3.9 %2024-02: 4 %2024-03: 3.7 %2024-04: 2.9 %2024-05: 3.2 %2024-06: 3.5 %2024-07: 3.7 %2024-08: 3.6 %2024-09: 2.9 %2024-10: 3.1 %2024-11: 3.6 %2024-12: 3.7 %2025-01: 4.6 %2025-02: 5 %2025-03: 4 %2025-04: 3.3 %2025-05: 3.3 %2025-06: 3.3 %2025-07: 3.6 %2025-08: 3.7 %2025-09: 3.3 %2025-11: 3.9 %2025-12: 3.7 %2026-01: 4.6 %2026-02: 4.4 %2026-03: 3.9 %2026-04: 3.3 %2026-05: 3.3 %2026-06: 3.4 %2026-07: 3.5 %2026-08: 3.2 %
Unemployment rate, July 2021 to August 2026. %. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19013: median household income in the past 12 months; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC1: county annual personal income summary, per capita personal income, current dollars, individual counties and county equivalents; U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19083: Gini index of household income inequality (coefficient multiplied by 100). Labor market statistics and rankings

Economy

GDP (US dollars) in Graham County was $329.87 million in 2024, up 3.9% from 2023, and the 7th lowest of 100 counties in North Carolina.

15020025030035020012005200920132017202120242001: 155.3 USD million2002: 167.8 USD million2003: 177.4 USD million2004: 173 USD million2005: 184.1 USD million2006: 189.7 USD million2007: 190.1 USD million2008: 192.9 USD million2009: 210.1 USD million2010: 210.1 USD million2011: 218.1 USD million2012: 200 USD million2013: 228.8 USD million2014: 219.6 USD million2015: 231.8 USD million2016: 213.7 USD million2017: 225.7 USD million2018: 238.4 USD million2019: 266 USD million2020: 256.4 USD million2021: 276.1 USD million2022: 282.1 USD million2023: 317.6 USD million2024: 329.9 USD million
Gross domestic product (GDP), US dollars, 2001 to 2024. USD million. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1: county GDP summary, current-dollar GDP (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions).

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1: county GDP summary, current-dollar GDP (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions); Invokely, GDP in current dollars (BEA SAGDP2 and CAGDP1) divided by mid-year population (BEA SAINC1 and CAINC1); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP11: annual percent change in real GDP, all industry total, individual counties and county equivalents. Economy statistics and rankings

Prices and housing

Median home value in Graham County was $170,600 in 2024, up 9.5% from 2023, and the 27th lowest of 100 counties in North Carolina.

100K120K140K160K180K20212022202320242021: 115,600 USD2022: 134,000 USD2023: 155,800 USD2024: 170,600 USD
Median home value, 2021 to 2024. USD. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25077: median value (dollars), owner-occupied housing units.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25077: median value (dollars), owner-occupied housing units; Federal Housing Finance Agency, FHFA developmental all-transactions county house prices, published annual percent change, nominal, not seasonally adjusted; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25064: median gross rent (dollars), renter-occupied housing units paying cash rent; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: owner-occupied housing units as a percentage of occupied housing units, calculated with stored inputs; U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey: final annual county estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized, including imputation. Housing statistics and rankings

Business and tourism

Employer firms in Graham County were 140 in 2023, unchanged from 2022, and the 6th lowest of 100 counties in North Carolina.

Establishment entry rate14.085%2023Up 5.09 percentage points from 2022The 2nd highest of 100 counties in North Carolina
Establishment exit rate14.085%2023Up 1.63 percentage points from 2022The 2nd highest of 100 counties in North Carolina
Job creation rate20.918%2023Up 7.1 percentage points from 2022
Farms702022No 2021 figure to compare
13014015016017018019992003200720112015201920231999: 143 count2000: 136 count2001: 144 count2002: 139 count2003: 134 count2004: 153 count2005: 167 count2006: 171 count2007: 176 count2008: 169 count2009: 156 count2010: 150 count2011: 134 count2012: 141 count2013: 132 count2014: 141 count2015: 140 count2016: 138 count2017: 148 count2018: 149 count2019: 147 count2020: 144 count2021: 145 count2022: 140 count2023: 140 count
Employer firms, 1999 to 2023. count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties; U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010; U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010; U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010; U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture: number of farms, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Companies statistics and rankings

Energy and environment

Median Air Quality Index (US EPA) in Graham County was 41 in 2025, down 3 points from 2024, and tied for the 23rd lowest of 50 counties in North Carolina in 2004.

405060702003200720112015201920252003: 50 index2004: 46 index2005: 54 index2006: 51 index2007: 67 index2008: 47 index2009: 44 index2010: 48 index2011: 50 index2012: 48 index2013: 43 index2014: 41 index2015: 43 index2016: 45 index2017: 43 index2018: 43 index2019: 44 index2020: 40 index2021: 42 index2022: 43 index2023: 46 index2024: 44 index2025: 41 index
Median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 2003 to 2025. index. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI.

Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA AirData annual AQI by county: good days as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts; NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Environment and emissions statistics and rankings

Sources and citations

Each figure comes from the table cited here. Cite the publisher; these citations include any notice the publisher requires.

  1. U.S. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for the United States, states and counties, 1 July (Population Estimates Program). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  2. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B01002: median age, total population. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b01002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  3. U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex (cc-est agesex): residents aged 65 and over as a percentage of the total, 1 July; states and the nation summed from counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/counties/asrh/cc-est2025-agesex-all.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  4. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b05002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  5. U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates Program resident population on 1 July divided by land area from the latest Census Gazetteer files, persons per km². https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  6. U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates Program: net domestic migration, states and counties, July 1 of the previous year to June 30 of the reported year; vintage 2020 files for 2011 to 2020 and the latest 2020s vintage from 2021. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  7. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  8. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19013: median household income in the past 12 months. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b19013.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  9. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC1: county annual personal income summary, per capita personal income, current dollars, individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC1.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  10. U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2024/2024-state-and-county/est24all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  11. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19083: Gini index of household income inequality (coefficient multiplied by 100). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b19083.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  12. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAGDP1: county GDP summary, current-dollar GDP (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions). https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAGDP1.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  13. Invokely calculation from GDP in current dollars (BEA SAGDP2 and CAGDP1) divided by mid-year population (BEA SAINC1 and CAINC1). https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#gdp_per_capita_usd. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  14. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAGDP11: annual percent change in real GDP, all industry total, individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAGDP11.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  15. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25077: median value (dollars), owner-occupied housing units. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25077.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  16. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). FHFA developmental all-transactions county house prices, published annual percent change, nominal, not seasonally adjusted. https://www.fhfa.gov/hpi/download/annual/hpi_at_county.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  17. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25064: median gross rent (dollars), renter-occupied housing units paying cash rent. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25064.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  18. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: owner-occupied housing units as a percentage of occupied housing units, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  19. U.S. Census Bureau. Building Permits Survey: final annual county estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized, including imputation. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/County/co2025a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  20. U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  21. U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  22. U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  23. U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  24. Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture. Census of Agriculture: number of farms, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Retrieved through Data Commons (datacommons.org). https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Retrieved 2026-10-11. Retrieved through Data Commons (https://datacommons.org).
  25. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System, AirData. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI. https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  26. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System, AirData. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: good days as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts. https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  27. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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