Population 4,673 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
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Population and households in Banner Elk
Household size in Banner Elk
| Period | Banner Elk | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.34 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.17 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.05 | 2.56 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.33 | 2.52 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.01 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in Banner Elk are small: just 2.33 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Banner Elk
| Period | Banner Elk | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 37.3 | 37.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 42.2 | 38.9 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 43.0 | 40.2 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 41.3 | 40.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | +4.0 | +2.3 | +2.3 |
Half of the people in Banner Elk are younger than 41.3 and half are older, close to the national median of 40.1. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 37.3, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Banner Elk
| Period | Banner Elk | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.4% | 12.3% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 7.3% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 7.3% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 9.7% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | +0.4 pts | −1.0 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head about one in ten households in Banner Elk (9.7%), a little below the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Banner Elk
Renters in Banner Elk
| Period | Banner Elk | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 30.9% | 31.9% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 31.3% | 34.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 30.2% | 34.8% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 19.5% | 33.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | −11.4 pts | +1.4 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 19.5% of households in Banner Elk rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Nearly four in ten owners (38.0%) have paid off their mortgages, about the same as nationally.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Banner Elk
| Period | Banner Elk | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 51.4% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 56.0% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 56.0% | 12.5% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 58.0% | 11.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | +6.6 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 58.0% of the housing in Banner Elk, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Banner Elk
| Period | Banner Elk | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1982 | 1983 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1987 | 1985 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1987 | 1986 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1988 | 1990 | 1980 |
| Change | +5 | +7 | +6 |
Much of the housing in Banner Elk is relatively new: half of its homes were built after 1988, compared with 1980 for the U.S. as a whole. North Carolina as a whole looks much the same.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Banner Elk
| Period | Banner Elk | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $769 | $789 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $788 | $868 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $978 | $981 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $916 | $1,317 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$148 | +$528 | +$606 |
Rent in Banner Elk runs $916 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent takes 26.3% of the typical renter's income, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Banner Elk
Bachelor's degrees in Banner Elk
| Period | Banner Elk | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 32.2% | 27.8% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 35.7% | 29.0% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 36.9% | 32.0% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 40.0% | 36.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +7.9 pts | +8.4 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are a bit more common in Banner Elk than nationally: 40.0% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Banner Elk
| Period | Banner Elk | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 87.9% | 84.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 87.8% | 86.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 91.5% | 88.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 89.0% | 90.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +1.1 pts | +5.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in Banner Elk is close to the national rate: 89.0% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3%.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Banner Elk
| Period | Banner Elk | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.4% | 8.8% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 10.1% | 10.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 7.1% | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 5.6% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Change | −3.8 pts | −4.0 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Banner Elk is close to the national rate: 5.6% of the labor force, against 5.4%. The rate is higher than in North Carolina as a whole (4.8%). Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Banner Elk compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banner Elk | 2.33 | 41.3 | 9.7% | 19.5% | 58.0% | 1988 | $916 | 40.0% | 89.0% | 5.6% |
| Norwood Hollow | 2.28 | 40.3 | 8.8% | 23.8% | 65.4% | 1988 | $836 | 42.5% | 90.6% | 1.2% |
| Seven Devils | 2.72 | 33.8 | 15.1% | 21.5% | 68.3% | 2000 | $951 | 44.9% | 94.1% | 4.4% |
| Grassy Creek | 2.24 | 48.9 | 8.1% | 25.9% | 32.4% | 1985 | $722 | 20.7% | 92.0% | 5.8% |
| Sugar Mountain | 2.16 | 56.0 | 4.3% | 14.6% | 77.1% | 1985 | $1,121 | 57.2% | 97.0% | 3.1% |
| Beech Mountain | 2.07 | 51.0 | 4.2% | 12.3% | 58.8% | 1983 | $1,016 | 42.2% | 90.6% | 7.0% |
| Grandfather | 2.15 | 57.8 | 3.5% | 12.9% | 79.1% | 1985 | $1,158 | 59.4% | 97.8% | 3.2% |
| Valle Crucis | 2.11 | 47.2 | 6.4% | 27.0% | 60.9% | 1986 | $1,052 | 48.9% | 95.6% | 5.8% |
| Shulls Mill | 2.42 | 35.0 | 4.5% | 35.7% | 46.1% | 1983 | $1,097 | 56.4% | 93.5% | 10.5% |
| Linville | 1.99 | 57.9 | 3.0% | 14.8% | 66.8% | 1987 | $1,006 | 39.4% | 95.1% | 9.3% |
| Sugar Grove | 2.25 | 47.8 | 5.6% | 16.8% | 26.2% | 1983 | $1,145 | 36.5% | 91.2% | 2.8% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Millinocket, ME · Hometown, IL · New London, OH · Utica, OH · Albany, OH · Tama, IA · Hawley, MN · Philpot, KY · Pearson, GA · Kitty Hawk, NC
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Banner Elk. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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