Yancey County Demographics

A map of Yancey County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	17,068	16,625	90.8%	90.0%
Hispanic	1,091	1,016	5.8%	5.5%
Multiracial	376	587	2.0%	3.2%
Black	153	104	0.8%	0.6%
Asian	86	40	0.5%	0.2%
Native American/Other	23	98	0.1%	0.5%

Yancey County, North Carolina has an estimated population of 18,797, a slight increase from the 18,470 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 90.8% White, 5.8% Hispanic, 2.0% Multiracial, 0.8% Black, 0.5% Asian, and 0.1% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Yancey County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Yancey 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 Yancey County, that probability was 18.6% in 2020 and 17.2% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Yancey County is ranked the 82nd most populous county in North Carolina, out of 100 counties. Yancey County was ranked the 83rd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Yancey County's White Population

17,068 residents of Yancey County, or 90.8% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Yancey County is significantly higher than in North Carolina overall, where 60% of the population is White. Yancey County ranks 5th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Yancey County's White population has grown by an estimated 2.7%. White residents' share of Yancey County's population has increased from 90.0% to 90.8%.

Yancey County is more White than neighboring Unicoi County (90.1% White), McDowell County (85.6% White), and Buncombe County (80.8% White). Yancey County is less White than neighboring Mitchell County (91% White), and Madison County (91.2% White).

Yancey County's Black Population

153 residents of Yancey County, or 0.8% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Yancey County is significantly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 20% of the population is Black. Yancey County ranks 97th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Yancey County's Black population has grown by an estimated 47.1%. Black residents' share of Yancey County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.8%.

Yancey County is more Black than neighboring Unicoi County (0.7% Black). Yancey County is less Black than neighboring Mitchell County (0.9% Black), McDowell County (3.8% Black), Buncombe County (4.8% Black), and Madison County (1.1% Black).

Yancey County's Asian Population

86 residents of Yancey County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Yancey County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 3.3% of the population is Asian. Yancey County ranks 94th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Yancey County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 115.0%. Asian residents' share of Yancey County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Yancey County is more Asian than neighboring Unicoi County (0.1% Asian). Yancey County is less Asian than neighboring McDowell County (1.1% Asian), and Buncombe County (1.1% Asian).

Yancey County's Hispanic Population

1,091 residents of Yancey County, or 5.8% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Yancey County is lower than in North Carolina overall, where 11.3% of the population is Hispanic. Yancey County ranks 67th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Yancey County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 7.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Yancey County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 5.8%.

Yancey County is more Hispanic than neighboring Mitchell County (5.6% Hispanic), and Madison County (3.6% Hispanic). Yancey County is less Hispanic than neighboring Unicoi County (6.7% Hispanic), McDowell County (7.1% Hispanic), and Buncombe County (8.6% Hispanic).

Yancey County's Native American/Other Population

23 residents of Yancey County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Yancey County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 1.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Yancey County ranks 83rd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Yancey County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 76.5%. Native American/Other residents' share of Yancey County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Yancey County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Mitchell County (0.5% Native American/Other), Unicoi County (0.2% Native American/Other), McDowell County (0.3% Native American/Other), Buncombe County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Madison County (0.8% Native American/Other).

Yancey County's Multiracial Population

376 residents of Yancey County, or 2.0% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Yancey County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 4.1% of the population is Multiracial. Yancey County ranks 70th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Yancey County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 35.9%. Multiracial residents' share of Yancey County's population has decreased from 3.2% to 2.0%.

Yancey County is more Multiracial than neighboring Mitchell County (1.6% Multiracial). Yancey County is less Multiracial than neighboring Unicoi County (2.1% Multiracial), Buncombe County (4.3% Multiracial), and Madison County (2.7% 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.