What percentage of people rent in Asheville, NC?

Name: Renters and owners in Asheville, NC, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

48.1% (±2.3 points) of the occupied homes in Asheville, NC are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 17,981 renting households against 19,413 that own their home.

In Asheville, the share of households that rent went from 51.8% in 2015–2019 to 48.1% in 2020–2024 (−3.7 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 48.1% (±2.3 points)
Renting households: 17,981 (±1,013)
Median renter income: $48,591 (±$4,948)

Who rents and who owns in Asheville

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Asheville	Buncombe County	North Carolina	United States
Renter-occupied share	48.1% (±2.3 points)	33.8% (±1.4 points)	33.4% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	17,981 (±1,013)	34,444 (±1,573)	1,428,852 (±8,279)	45,017,354
Owning households	19,413 (±1,095)	67,411 (±1,889)	2,853,493 (±14,473)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.2 (±0.1)	2.4 (±0.1)	2.3 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.6 (±0.1)	2.8 (±0.1)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$48,591 (±$4,948)	$47,419 (±$3,146)	$48,010 (±$418)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$96,792 (±$6,410)	$92,290 (±$3,135)	$88,911 (±$521)	$100,009

In Asheville, the renter share is higher than in Buncombe County (33.8%).

It is also higher than in North Carolina (33.4%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Buncombe County, Asheville ranks 1 of 12 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 108 of 663.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Asheville has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	51.8% (±1.8 points)	48.1% (±2.3 points)	−3.7 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Median gross rent	$1,043 (±$31)	$1,402 (±$60)	+34.4%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$49,930 (±$1,755)	$71,102 (±$3,950)	+42.4%	Up after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Asheville

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Asheville
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Asheville	—	48.1% (±2.3 points)	—
Biltmore Forest	2.6 mi	2.7% (±1.8 points)	Lower
Emma	3.2 mi	28.2% (±17.9 points)	Lower
Bent Creek	5.5 mi	15.6% (±16.3 points)	Lower
Woodfin	5.7 mi	46.3% (±6.1 points)	Not measurably different
Royal Pines	7.0 mi	12.0% (±7.1 points)	Lower
Avery Creek	7.4 mi	6.5% (±7.4 points)	Lower
Weaverville	8.9 mi	27.5% (±13.8 points)	Lower
Fairview (community)	9.1 mi	5.5% (±7.4 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Biltmore Forest, NC (2.7%), Emma, NC (28.2%), Bent Creek, NC (15.6%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Buncombe County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Asheville	48.1% (±2.3 points)
2	Woodfin	46.3% (±6.1 points)
3	Black Mountain	33.1% (±9.4 points)
4	Emma	28.2% (±17.9 points)
5	Weaverville	27.5% (±13.8 points)
6	Swannanoa	21.4% (±9.0 points)
7	Bent Creek	15.6% (±16.3 points)

Showing 7 of 12 places in Buncombe County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Asheville

How many renters are there in Asheville?

Asheville has an estimated 17,981 (±1,013) renting households, 48.1% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Asheville?

In Asheville, the share of households that rent went from 51.8% in 2015–2019 to 48.1% in 2020–2024 (−3.7 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

How big are renting households in Asheville?

A renting household in Asheville has 2.2 people on average, against 2.6 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Asheville?

The median renting household in Asheville, NC has an income of $48,591 (±$4,948) a year, against $96,792 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Asheville city, North Carolina (place:02140, in state:37).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.