Population 255 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Fires Creek
Household size in Fires Creek
| Period | Fires Creek | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.21 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 1.97 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.32 | 2.56 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 1.97 | 2.52 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.24 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in Fires Creek are small: just 1.97 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 has dropped from 2.21 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
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 Fires Creek
| Period | Fires Creek | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 56.4 | 37.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 59.8 | 38.9 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 49.5 | 40.2 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 63.6 | 40.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | +7.2 | +2.3 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 63.6, Fires Creek is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees.
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 Fires Creek
| Period | Fires Creek | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.7% | 12.3% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 1.6% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 4.4% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.4% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | −2.3 pts | −1.0 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 3.4% of households in Fires Creek, well 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 Fires Creek
Renters in Fires Creek
| Period | Fires Creek | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.1% | 31.9% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 1.8% | 34.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 11.4% | 34.8% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 12.8% | 33.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | +5.7 pts | +1.4 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 12.8% of households in Fires Creek rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Among homeowners, 74.8% have no mortgage at all, well above the national share of 39.8%.
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 Fires Creek
| Period | Fires Creek | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 42.1% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 45.3% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 29.0% | 12.5% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 26.4% | 11.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | −15.7 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 26.4% of the housing in Fires Creek, 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 Fires Creek
| Period | Fires Creek | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1985 | 1983 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1987 | 1985 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1991 | 1986 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 2002 | 1990 | 1980 |
| Change | +17 | +7 | +6 |
Fires Creek has newer housing than the country as a whole: the median home was built in 2002, versus 1980 nationally.
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 Fires Creek
| Period | Fires Creek | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $619 | $789 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $658 | $868 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $743 | $981 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $700 | $1,317 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$81 | +$528 | +$606 |
Rent in Fires Creek runs $700 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 21.4% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.
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 Fires Creek
Bachelor's degrees in Fires Creek
| Period | Fires Creek | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 16.2% | 27.8% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 21.3% | 29.0% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 29.2% | 32.0% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 46.8% | 36.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +30.6 pts | +8.4 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fires Creek is highly educated: nearly half of adults 25 and older (46.8%) hold at least a bachelor's degree, far above the national share of 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 Fires Creek
| Period | Fires Creek | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 78.7% | 84.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 86.4% | 86.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 94.1% | 88.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 97.3% | 90.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +18.6 pts | +5.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
Finishing high school is nearly universal in Fires Creek: 97.3% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 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 Fires Creek
| Period | Fires Creek | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.3% | 8.8% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 15.9% | 10.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 0.0% | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 8.7% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Change | −0.5 pts | −4.0 pts | −2.7 pts |
Finding work has been harder in Fires Creek: 8.7% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well above the national rate of 5.4%. 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).
Fires Creek 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fires Creek | 1.97 | 63.6 | 3.4% | 12.8% | 26.4% | 2002 | $700 | 46.8% | 97.3% | 8.7% |
| Hayesville | 2.26 | 55.5 | 5.8% | 20.2% | 31.1% | 1990 | $800 | 31.7% | 91.2% | 2.5% |
| Tusquitee | 2.14 | 61.3 | 7.4% | 10.4% | 29.5% | 1990 | $712 | 34.4% | 87.8% | 6.3% |
| Rhodo | 1.96 | 49.8 | 28.6% | 3.1% | 19.6% | 1985 | $726 | 25.4% | 95.5% | 7.9% |
| Andrews | 2.05 | 47.3 | 16.8% | 27.2% | 18.6% | 1986 | $751 | 17.2% | 89.0% | 6.0% |
| Marble | 2.40 | 51.9 | 6.3% | 12.1% | 21.2% | 1989 | $844 | 25.1% | 90.9% | 3.3% |
| Coalville | 2.65 | 49.3 | 5.7% | 11.3% | 28.7% | 1986 | $964 | 19.5% | 89.4% | 10.2% |
| Warne | 2.49 | 55.7 | 6.0% | 23.9% | 36.5% | 1983 | $694 | 30.1% | 99.0% | 4.3% |
| Shooting Creek | 2.14 | 59.7 | 3.9% | 13.3% | 29.7% | 1989 | $783 | 31.9% | 89.2% | 2.6% |
| Brasstown | 2.46 | 57.0 | 5.7% | 6.3% | 37.4% | 1985 | $629 | 36.4% | 96.6% | 7.7% |
| Regal | 2.06 | 51.8 | 2.2% | 5.2% | 20.0% | 1993 | $971 | 26.7% | 98.4% | 2.5% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Nelson, NH · Moose, WY · Morning Sun, AR · Morrison, IA · Morton Valley, TX · Mortonsville, KY · Moss Run, OH · Mount Airy, LA · Mount Braddock, PA · Mount Herman, TN
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 Fires Creek. 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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