Watauga County Demographics

A map of Watauga County's Population by Race

Watauga County, North Carolina had a population of 54,086 in 2020. It was 83.2% White, 3.9% Black, 1.7% Asian, 6.5% Hispanic, 1.0% Native American/Other, and 3.7% Multiracial. This map presents the population of Watauga County, with one dot drawn for each person counted in the 2020 Census, color-coded by race.

Watauga County is the 49th most populous county of the 100 counties in North Carolina.

Watauga County's White Population

44,986 residents of Watauga County identify as White, or 83.2%. This makes the White share of the population of Watauga County considerably larger than the White share of the population of North Carolina (60.5% White). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Watauga County is ranked #22 in terms of White residents as a share of the population.

Watauga County is less White than neighboring Johnson County (89.8% White), Avery County (87.3% White), Ashe County (90.4% White), Caldwell County (84.1% White), and Carter County (91.9% White).

Watauga County's Black Population

2,101 residents of Watauga County identify as Black, or 3.9%. This makes the Black share of the population of Watauga County less than the Black share of the population of North Carolina (20.2% Black). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Watauga County is ranked #79 in terms of Black residents as a share of the population.

Watauga County is more Black than neighboring Avery County (3.6% Black), Ashe County (0.5% Black), and Carter County (1.2% Black). Watauga County is less Black than neighboring Johnson County (4% Black), and Caldwell County (4.8% Black).

Watauga County's Asian Population

938 residents of Watauga County identify as Asian, or 1.7%. This makes the Asian share of the population of Watauga County roughly similar to the Asian share of the population of North Carolina (3.3% Asian). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Watauga County is ranked #18 in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population.

Watauga County is more Asian than neighboring Johnson County (0.2% Asian), Avery County (0.3% Asian), Ashe County (0.4% Asian), Caldwell County (0.7% Asian), and Carter County (0.4% Asian).

Watauga County's Hispanic Population

3,521 residents of Watauga County identify as Hispanic, or 6.5%. This makes the Hispanic share of the population of Watauga County roughly similar to the Hispanic share of the population of North Carolina (10.7% Hispanic). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Watauga County is ranked #60 in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population.

Watauga County is more Hispanic than neighboring Johnson County (2.9% Hispanic), Avery County (5.5% Hispanic), Ashe County (5.7% Hispanic), Caldwell County (6.1% Hispanic), and Carter County (2.1% Hispanic).

Watauga County's Native American/Other Population

531 residents of Watauga 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 Watauga 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, Watauga County is ranked #21 in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population.

Watauga County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Johnson County (0.3% Native American/Other), Avery County (0.6% Native American/Other), Ashe County (0.4% Native American/Other), Caldwell County (0.6% Native American/Other), and Carter County (0.5% Native American/Other).

Watauga County's Multiracial Population

2,009 residents of Watauga County identify as Multiracial, or 3.7%. This makes the Multiracial share of the population of Watauga County roughly similar to the Multiracial share of the population of North Carolina (3.9% Multiracial). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Watauga County is ranked #47 in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population.

Watauga County is more Multiracial than neighboring Johnson County (2.8% Multiracial), Avery County (2.6% Multiracial), and Ashe County (2.6% Multiracial). Watauga County is less Multiracial than neighboring Caldwell County (3.8% Multiracial), and Carter County (3.9% Multiracial).

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