Haywood County Demographics

A map of Haywood County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	56,657	55,685	90.4%	89.7%
Hispanic	3,103	2,829	5.0%	4.6%
Multiracial	1,720	2,094	2.7%	3.4%
Black	545	656	0.9%	1.1%
Native American/Other	408	465	0.7%	0.7%
Asian	229	360	0.4%	0.6%

Haywood County, North Carolina has an estimated population of 62,662, a less than 1% change from the 62,089 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 90.4% White, 5.0% Hispanic, 2.7% Multiracial, 0.9% Black, 0.7% Native American/Other, and 0.4% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Haywood County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Haywood has become less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than North Carolina overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Haywood County, that probability was 19.2% in 2020 and 17.9% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Haywood County is ranked the 45th most populous county in North Carolina, out of 100 counties. Haywood County was ranked the 44th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Haywood County's White Population

56,657 residents of Haywood County, or 90.4% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Haywood County is significantly higher than in North Carolina overall, where 60% of the population is White. Haywood County ranks 6th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Haywood County's White population has grown by an estimated 1.7%. White residents' share of Haywood County's population has increased from 89.7% to 90.4%.

Haywood County is more White than neighboring Jackson County (78.4% White), Transylvania County (87.6% White), and Buncombe County (80.8% White). Haywood County is less White than neighboring Cocke County (92% White), and Madison County (91.2% White).

Haywood County's Black Population

545 residents of Haywood County, or 0.9% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Haywood County is significantly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 20% of the population is Black. Haywood County ranks 91st statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Haywood County's Black population has declined by an estimated 16.9%. Black residents' share of Haywood County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.9%.

Haywood County is less Black than neighboring Jackson County (2.1% Black), Cocke County (2.2% Black), Transylvania County (3.6% Black), Madison County (1.1% Black), and Buncombe County (4.8% Black).

Haywood County's Asian Population

229 residents of Haywood County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Haywood County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 3.3% of the population is Asian. Haywood County ranks 59th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Haywood County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 36.4%. Asian residents' share of Haywood County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Haywood County is less Asian than neighboring Jackson County (1% Asian), Cocke County (0.5% Asian), Transylvania County (0.7% Asian), Madison County (0.5% Asian), and Buncombe County (1.1% Asian).

Haywood County's Hispanic Population

3,103 residents of Haywood County, or 5.0% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Haywood County is lower than in North Carolina overall, where 11.3% of the population is Hispanic. Haywood County ranks 77th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Haywood County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 9.7%. Hispanic residents' share of Haywood County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 5.0%.

Haywood County is more Hispanic than neighboring Cocke County (3.1% Hispanic), and Madison County (3.6% Hispanic). Haywood County is less Hispanic than neighboring Jackson County (8% Hispanic), Transylvania County (5.2% Hispanic), and Buncombe County (8.6% Hispanic).

Haywood County's Native American/Other Population

408 residents of Haywood County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Haywood County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 1.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Haywood County ranks 49th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Haywood County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 12.3%. Native American/Other residents' share of Haywood County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Haywood County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Cocke County (0.3% Native American/Other), Transylvania County (0.6% Native American/Other), and Buncombe County (0.5% Native American/Other). Haywood County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Jackson County (6.9% Native American/Other), and Madison County (0.8% Native American/Other).

Haywood County's Multiracial Population

1,720 residents of Haywood County, or 2.7% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Haywood County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 4.1% of the population is Multiracial. Haywood County ranks 64th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Haywood County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 17.9%. Multiracial residents' share of Haywood County's population has decreased from 3.4% to 2.7%.

Haywood County is more Multiracial than neighboring Cocke County (1.9% Multiracial), and Transylvania County (2.3% Multiracial). Haywood County is less Multiracial than neighboring Jackson County (3.5% Multiracial), and Buncombe County (4.3% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.