Mitchell County Demographics

A map of Mitchell County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	13,643	13,514	91.0%	90.7%
Hispanic	836	701	5.6%	4.7%
Multiracial	234	525	1.6%	3.5%
Black	139	50	0.9%	0.3%
Asian	71	52	0.5%	0.3%
Native American/Other	69	61	0.5%	0.4%

Mitchell County, North Carolina has an estimated population of 14,992, a less than 1% change from the 14,903 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 91.0% White, 5.6% Hispanic, 1.6% Multiracial, 0.9% Black, 0.5% Asian, and 0.5% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Mitchell County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Mitchell has become slightly 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 Mitchell County, that probability was 17.4% in 2020 and 16.8% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Mitchell County is ranked the 87th most populous county in North Carolina, out of 100 counties. Mitchell County was ranked the 87th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Mitchell County's White Population

13,643 residents of Mitchell County, or 91.0% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Mitchell County is significantly higher than in North Carolina overall, where 60% of the population is White. Mitchell County ranks 2nd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mitchell County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Mitchell County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 91.0%.

Mitchell County is more White than neighboring Yancey County (90.8% White), Avery County (85.7% White), Unicoi County (90.1% White), and McDowell County (85.6% White). Mitchell County is less White than neighboring Carter County (92.8% White).

Mitchell County's Black Population

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

Since the 2020 Census, Mitchell County's Black population has grown by an estimated 178.0%. Black residents' share of Mitchell County's population has increased from 0.3% to 0.9%.

Mitchell County is more Black than neighboring Yancey County (0.8% Black), and Unicoi County (0.7% Black). Mitchell County is less Black than neighboring Avery County (3.8% Black), Carter County (1.9% Black), and McDowell County (3.8% Black).

Mitchell County's Asian Population

71 residents of Mitchell County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Mitchell County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 3.3% of the population is Asian. Mitchell County ranks 80th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mitchell County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 36.5%. Asian residents' share of Mitchell County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Mitchell County is more Asian than neighboring Avery County (0.4% Asian), Carter County (0.1% Asian), and Unicoi County (0.1% Asian). Mitchell County is less Asian than neighboring McDowell County (1.1% Asian).

Mitchell County's Hispanic Population

836 residents of Mitchell County, or 5.6% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Mitchell County is lower than in North Carolina overall, where 11.3% of the population is Hispanic. Mitchell County ranks 75th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mitchell County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 19.3%. Hispanic residents' share of Mitchell County's population has increased from 4.7% to 5.6%.

Mitchell County is more Hispanic than neighboring Carter County (2.5% Hispanic). Mitchell County is less Hispanic than neighboring Yancey County (5.8% Hispanic), Avery County (6.1% Hispanic), Unicoi County (6.7% Hispanic), and McDowell County (7.1% Hispanic).

Mitchell County's Native American/Other Population

69 residents of Mitchell County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Mitchell County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 1.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Mitchell County ranks 96th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mitchell County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 13.1%. Native American/Other residents' share of Mitchell County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Mitchell County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Yancey County (0.1% Native American/Other), Carter County (0.2% Native American/Other), Unicoi County (0.2% Native American/Other), and McDowell County (0.3% Native American/Other). Mitchell County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Avery County (0.7% Native American/Other).

Mitchell County's Multiracial Population

234 residents of Mitchell County, or 1.6% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Mitchell County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 4.1% of the population is Multiracial. Mitchell County ranks 57th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mitchell County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 55.4%. Multiracial residents' share of Mitchell County's population has decreased from 3.5% to 1.6%.

Mitchell County is less Multiracial than neighboring Yancey County (2% Multiracial), Avery County (3.3% Multiracial), Carter County (2.5% Multiracial), Unicoi County (2.1% Multiracial), and McDowell County (2% 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.