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Since just about the only thing I can successfully do with numbers is figure out batting averages and pay the bills, I’m clearly a words guy. But I still like trying to figure out what the numbers mean.
In March, the N.C. Budget & Tax Center published its Economic County Snapshots for 2025. These annual snapshots provide at-a-glance information on a variety of economic and social indicators for every county in North Carolina, along with comparisons to state-level data.
The data provides an overall picture of how key indicators of well-being vary across the state, including measures of employment, poverty and income, housing affordability, health, education and supports for working families. Sources include the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and N.C. Departments of Public Instruction and Health & Human Services.
Statewide, there were some fascinating findings:
- The richest 5% of North Carolina households have an average income that is 28 times greater than the poorest 20% of households.
- Rent is unaffordable for many North Carolina households. Nearly half of North Carolina renters are putting more than 30% of income toward their rent, and more than one in five are spending more than half of their income on rent.
- Nearly one-third of North Carolinians have low annual incomes, meaning incomes under two times the poverty level ($62,400 for a family of four). In nearly every county, Black, Latino, and American Indian people and children are more likely to be living in poverty.
- Poverty rates are generally higher in counties where the population is declining. In counties where the population is growing, residents overall have higher educational attainment and earnings.
“These snapshots are designed to be a tool for people working to build a stronger and more equitable economy in their counties and across the state,” Logan Rockefeller Harris, director of research with the N.C. Budget & Tax Center, said in a release. “These data can help assess disparities within and across counties, as well as guide state and local public resources, so that every community and resident has what they need to thrive.”
When we drill down to Cherokee County, there are three key areas where our home could use some improvement.
- The county’s standard annual living income – what’s needed to cover basic expenses – has been set at $69,900 for one adult and two children. Yet, the county’s median worker earnings is only $36,400, while the median household income is still under water $51,500.
- Nearly one-third of North Carolinians have low annual incomes, meaning incomes under two times the poverty level ($62,400 for a family of four). In nearly every county, black, Latino and American Indian people are more likely to be living in poverty.
- A full 50% of county households are paying more than 30% of their income on rent. It would take working 100 hours at minimum wage per week to afford a two-bedroom home at fair market prices.
That last number comes at the same time of a SmartAsset study on places with the greatest increase in home price per square foot, which calculated the change in the median price per square foot for each county. The study came to the conclusion that only eight other counties in North Carolina have experienced a larger increase in price per square foot of a home than Cherokee, which has gone up 94.14% over the last five years.
The good news from the county’s economic snapshot is the unemployment rate is only 3.5%, 93% of high school students graduate from high school on time and 24% went on to earn a college degree. Alas, 15% of local residents do not have any kind of health insurance, despite 31% being enrolled in Medicaid and 15.6% in Medicare, while 16% of residents receive a SNAP food card.
Cherokee County residents are expected to live to be 75 years old, down from the state average of 77. That number could go up, or down, depending on how the other numbers add up in the years to come. The time is now to address the challenges that lie before us.
David Brown is publisher of the Cherokee Scout. Call him at 828-837-5122 or email dbrown@cherokeescout.com.