Are Households Different in the Asheville Metro Area? How Are Households Changing?
Are households different in the Asheville metro area? How are households changing? Johnson Price Sprinkle PA (JPS), a business accounting firm with offices in Asheville, Boone and Marion, NC, recognizes that many economic characteristics are measured in terms of households. For example, income is typically reported per household. A household is simply people that together occupy a single housing unit; a house, apartment or mobile home.
As of 2015, there were 184,983 households in the Asheville metro (consisting of Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood and Madison counties). Of course the composition of households is not uniform across the nation, nor does it remain unchanged over time. So to get a better understanding of the information reported at the household level it’s important to look at households themselves.
Recently released information from the U.S. Census Bureau provides some insights into how households in the Asheville metro area differ from the nation and state, and how they are changing. At first glance, a comparison of average household size doesn’t show a big difference; Asheville’s households average 2.4 persons, the nation 2.6 and North Carolina 2.7. However a deeper look into the types of those households does reveal some notable distinctions. Compared to the nation and state, Asheville metro has a lower proportion of Single-Parent Family Households; 11.9 percent compared to 17.6 percent in both the nation and state (see chart below). Making up most of the gap, Asheville metro has a larger share of households in the Non-Family category; 38.9 percent or about four percentage points greater than the nation and state. A Non-Family Household is a person living alone or living with non-relatives. In 2015 Asheville had 72,045 Non-Family Households.
2015 Household Types
Percentage of Total
* A Non-Family Household is a person living alone or living with non-relatives. Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Over the last ten years the total number of households increased by 10.5 percent in the Asheville metro. Among household types, Non-Family Households experienced the largest increase, up 23 percent while Married-Couple Households increased by 5.4 percent (see chart below). Single-Parent Family Households declined by 2.6 percent over the same period.
2005 to 2015
Change in Household Types Asheville Metro
* A Non-Family Household is a person living alone or living with non-relatives. Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Finally, a closer look at fast growing Non-Family Households shows that Living Alone Households comprises the largest proportion at 84.4 percent in 2015, with the remaining 15.6 percent in Non-Relatives Households (see chart below). Additionally Living Alone Households have experienced the largest percentage increase in the last ten years; up 26.1 percent.
2005 to 2015
Change in Non-Family Household Types
Asheville Metro
* A Non-Family Household is a person living alone or living with non-relatives. Source: U.S. Census Bureau
So, when considering measures using households as the unit for comparison, it’s important to recognize that Asheville metro’s households are different from the nation and state. Most significant is Asheville metro’s larger and growing proportion of Non- Family Households, particularly those Living Alone.
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