Population 3,808 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
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Population and households in Zirconia
Household size in Zirconia
| Period | Zirconia | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.59 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.54 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.45 | 2.56 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.29 | 2.52 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.30 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in Zirconia are small: just 2.29 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. Since 2006–10, household size has dropped from 2.59, 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 Zirconia
| Period | Zirconia | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 40.0 | 37.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 44.0 | 38.9 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 49.1 | 40.2 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 50.0 | 40.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | +10.1 | +2.3 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 50.0, Zirconia 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 Zirconia
| Period | Zirconia | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.5% | 12.3% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 6.5% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 5.3% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 9.3% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | +1.8 pts | −1.0 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head nearly one in ten households in Zirconia (9.3%), 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 Zirconia
Renters in Zirconia
| Period | Zirconia | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 13.6% | 31.9% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 16.7% | 34.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 14.1% | 34.8% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 11.7% | 33.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | −1.9 pts | +1.4 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 11.7% of households in Zirconia rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. About four in ten owners (39.6%) 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 Zirconia
| Period | Zirconia | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 23.7% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 23.9% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 28.8% | 12.5% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 16.1% | 11.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | −7.7 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is high in Zirconia: 16.1% of homes are empty, 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 Zirconia
| Period | Zirconia | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1979 | 1983 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1985 | 1985 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1988 | 1986 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1993 | 1990 | 1980 |
| Change | +14 | +7 | +6 |
Much of the housing in Zirconia is relatively new: half of its homes were built after 1993, 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 Zirconia
| Period | Zirconia | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $540 | $789 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $683 | $868 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,300 | $981 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,027 | $1,317 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$487 | +$528 | +$606 |
A typical rental in Zirconia costs $1,027 a month with utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 22.6% 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 Zirconia
Bachelor's degrees in Zirconia
| Period | Zirconia | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 17.7% | 27.8% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 23.6% | 29.0% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 37.2% | 32.0% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 27.8% | 36.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +10.1 pts | +8.4 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are less common in Zirconia than nationally: 27.8% 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 Zirconia
| Period | Zirconia | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 82.7% | 84.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 86.7% | 86.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 95.5% | 88.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 95.6% | 90.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +12.9 pts | +5.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion is high in Zirconia: 95.6% 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 Zirconia
| Period | Zirconia | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.5% | 8.8% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 14.3% | 10.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 2.0% | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 8.0% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Change | +0.5 pts | −4.0 pts | −2.7 pts |
Finding work has been harder in Zirconia: 8.0% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well above the national rate of 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's 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).
Zirconia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zirconia | 2.29 | 50.0 | 9.3% | 11.7% | 16.1% | 1993 | $1,027 | 27.8% | 95.6% | 8.0% |
| East Flat Rock | 2.75 | 33.3 | 22.9% | 37.2% | 2.2% | 1986 | $951 | 15.9% | 80.7% | 8.5% |
| Flat Rock | 2.33 | 53.1 | 9.5% | 18.1% | 14.3% | 1990 | $1,085 | 38.4% | 89.4% | 4.2% |
| Valley Hill | 2.50 | 48.2 | 5.1% | 15.9% | 12.5% | 1987 | $1,684 | 43.5% | 93.8% | 0.4% |
| Saluda | 2.23 | 57.0 | 7.5% | 14.1% | 32.4% | 1983 | $1,149 | 42.6% | 95.6% | 7.0% |
| Laurel Park | 2.27 | 55.6 | 6.5% | 19.7% | 16.2% | 1979 | $1,915 | 57.9% | 96.7% | 4.1% |
| River Falls | 2.18 | 58.4 | 3.0% | 10.0% | 20.9% | 1999 | $711 | 48.2% | 94.0% | 2.2% |
| Hendersonville | 2.30 | 47.0 | 10.6% | 30.9% | 11.5% | 1986 | $1,219 | 33.9% | 90.1% | 2.9% |
| Penrose | 2.20 | 57.6 | 10.1% | 11.4% | 14.3% | 1987 | $1,084 | 33.0% | 94.5% | 2.0% |
| Little River | 2.14 | 58.3 | 6.3% | 9.7% | 15.4% | 1987 | $1,071 | 34.6% | 95.0% | 1.6% |
| Etowah | 2.28 | 50.5 | 6.2% | 13.3% | 9.7% | 1990 | $1,419 | 39.2% | 95.1% | 2.5% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Augusta, MI · Roopville, GA · Mc Alpin, FL · Lake Royale, NC · Ingram, PA · Howard Lake, MN · Holtwood, PA · Holland, NY · Hillsboro, WI · Heavener, OK
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 Zirconia. 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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