City safety & data profile

BooneNC

Boone, NC is a 18K-resident city in Watauga County with a median household income of $30,065.

Watauga County, North Carolina. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Boone, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Boone has a population larger than 38% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, a median home value of $411,100, and 1 hospital serving the surrounding area.

Data updated 2026-07-20

18K
Population
Top 62%
By size
$30,065
Median income
$411,100
Median home
51.2%
Poverty rate

The read on Boone

Boone posts a median household income higher than 0% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks, where 1 hospital serves the Boone area.

Top 100%
by median income, US cities
1
hospital in & near Boone

Where Boone income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$30,065 Bottom 1% higher than 0% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). This entry sits in this band. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Above this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Above this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. NC $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Boone, NC beyond the headline numbers

Boone sits inside Watauga County, North Carolina, at roughly 36.22°N, -81.67°W. Population 18,156, $30,065 median household income. Median home value $411,100, median rent $1,111. Poverty rate 51.2%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Boone's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 33.5%, then obesity at 32%. 1 hospital in/around Boone, 3/5 avg rating, 1 with an ER.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Boone from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
18,156
Boone
Median Income
$30,065
-56% vs avg
Median Home Value
$411,100
+81% vs avg
Median Age
21.3
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Watauga County) - Boone's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
55K+7%
Median Income
$51,693+51%
Median Home Value
$358,900+57%
Poverty Rate
25.5%-19%
Unemployment
7.9%-23%

Economics

Economics indicators for Boone, NC
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,111/mo
Poverty Rate
51.2% +261% vs avg
Unemployment 12%
Bachelor's Degree+ 56.8%
Work From Home 10.1%
Public Transit 4.2%

Population

White 85.8%
African American 4.6%
Asian 1.8%
Two or More Ethnicities 0.1%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
33.5%
Obesity
32%
Frequent Mental Distress
26.1%
Physical Inactivity
23%
High Blood Pressure
20.7%
Binge Drinking
18.5%
Current Asthma
12.5%
Lack of Health Insurance
11.8%
Current Smoking
11.5%
Frequent Physical Distress
11.3%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 56.2%
Annual Checkup 73.2%

Other Measures

Diabetes
5.4%
Coronary Heart Disease
3.3%
Stroke
1.8%

Hospitals 1 total

Rating Distribution
★★★★★
0
★★★★
0
★★★
1
★★
0
★
0
Average Rating
3/5
Total Hospitals
1
With ER
1
WATAUGA MEDICAL CENTER
BOONE · Acute Care Hospitals · ER
★★★☆☆

Frequently Asked Questions 6

What is the population of Boone, NC? ▼
Boone, NC has a population of 18,156 people, located in Watauga County, North Carolina.
What is the median household income in Boone? ▼
The median household income in Boone, NC is $30,065 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 51.2%.
What is the median home value in Boone? ▼
The median home value in Boone, NC is $411,100. Median rent is $1,111/month.
What are the top health concerns in Boone? ▼
The top health indicators in Boone include Short Sleep Duration (33.5%), Obesity (32%), Frequent Mental Distress (26.1%). Data from CDC PLACES.
How many hospitals are in Boone? ▼
Boone has 1 hospital with an average rating of 3/5 stars. 1 have emergency departments.
What is the median age in Boone? ▼
The median age in Boone, NC is 21.3 years. 56.8% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Boone, NC is located in Watauga County, North Carolina. With a population of 18K and a $30,065 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and obesity. Residents have access to 1 hospital with an average rating of 3/5 stars. Safety alerts for the Boone area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - North Carolina

Real-time AQI for every monitored North Carolina location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Lenoir, NC 18K Morganton, NC 17K Elizabethton, TN 14K Hickory, NC 40K Bristol, TN 27K Bristol, VA 17K Johnson City, TN 66K Newton, NC 13K
All cities in North Carolina → Compare Boone vs Lenoir → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Boone's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Boone area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Boone against North Carolina peers on any ranking lens. Explore North Carolina

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Watauga County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.