Buncombe County Demographics

A map of Buncombe County's Population by Race

Buncombe County, North Carolina had a population of 269,452 in 2020. It was 79.7% White, 5.6% Black, 1.2% Asian, 8.1% Hispanic, 1.0% Native American/Other, and 4.4% Multiracial. This map presents the population of Buncombe County, with one dot drawn for each person counted in the 2020 Census, color-coded by race.

Buncombe County is the 7th most populous county of the 100 counties in North Carolina.

Buncombe County's White Population

214,862 residents of Buncombe County identify as White, or 79.7%. This makes the White share of the population of Buncombe County larger than the White share of the population of North Carolina (60.5% White). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Buncombe County is ranked #29 in terms of White residents as a share of the population.

Buncombe County is more White than neighboring Henderson County (78.9% White). Buncombe County is less White than neighboring Madison County (90.8% White), Yancey County (90% White), Haywood County (89.7% White), and McDowell County (84.8% White).

Buncombe County's Black Population

15,017 residents of Buncombe County identify as Black, or 5.6%. This makes the Black share of the population of Buncombe County less than the Black share of the population of North Carolina (20.2% Black). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Buncombe County is ranked #71 in terms of Black residents as a share of the population.

Buncombe County is more Black than neighboring Henderson County (2.8% Black), Madison County (0.9% Black), Yancey County (0.6% Black), Haywood County (1.1% Black), and McDowell County (3.8% Black).

Buncombe County's Asian Population

3,274 residents of Buncombe County identify as Asian, or 1.2%. This makes the Asian share of the population of Buncombe County roughly similar to the Asian share of the population of North Carolina (3.3% Asian). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Buncombe County is ranked #29 in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population.

Buncombe County is more Asian than neighboring Henderson County (1.1% Asian), Madison County (0.4% Asian), Yancey County (0.2% Asian), Haywood County (0.6% Asian), and McDowell County (0.9% Asian).

Buncombe County's Hispanic Population

21,922 residents of Buncombe County identify as Hispanic, or 8.1%. This makes the Hispanic share of the population of Buncombe County roughly similar to the Hispanic share of the population of North Carolina (10.7% Hispanic). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Buncombe County is ranked #42 in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population.

Buncombe County is more Hispanic than neighboring Madison County (3.5% Hispanic), Yancey County (5.5% Hispanic), Haywood County (4.6% Hispanic), and McDowell County (6.6% Hispanic). Buncombe County is less Hispanic than neighboring Henderson County (12.9% Hispanic).

Buncombe County's Native American/Other Population

2,576 residents of Buncombe County identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other, or 1.0%. This makes the Native American/Other share of the population of Buncombe County roughly similar to the Native American/Other share of the population of North Carolina (1.5% Native American/Other). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Buncombe County is ranked #22 in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population.

Buncombe County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Henderson County (0.8% Native American/Other), Madison County (0.6% Native American/Other), Yancey County (0.5% Native American/Other), Haywood County (0.7% Native American/Other), and McDowell County (0.6% Native American/Other).

Buncombe County's Multiracial Population

11,801 residents of Buncombe County identify as Multiracial, or 4.4%. This makes the Multiracial share of the population of Buncombe County roughly similar to the Multiracial share of the population of North Carolina (3.9% Multiracial). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Buncombe County is ranked #13 in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population.

Buncombe County is more Multiracial than neighboring Henderson County (3.5% Multiracial), Madison County (3.8% Multiracial), Yancey County (3.2% Multiracial), Haywood County (3.4% Multiracial), and McDowell County (3.3% Multiracial).

Source: 2020 Census State Redistricting Data and Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.