Buncombe County, North Carolina
County seat: Asheville · Population 277,417 (2025) · 657 sq mi
Buncombe County is the 7th most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 277,417 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Asheville. It is part of the Western Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 6 cities and towns and the 7 neighboring counties.
Buncombe County facts
- County seat
- Asheville
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 277,417 +3% since 2020
- Land area
- 657 sq mi 19th largest of 100
- Water area
- 3 sq mi
- Population density
- 423 per sq mi
- Established
- 1791
- Named after
- Edward Buncombe Continental Army officer
- Largest city
- Asheville 93,523
- Median household income
- $74,436
- Cities and towns
- 6 plus 7 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 20
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37021
Cities and towns in Buncombe County
Buncombe County has 6 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Buncombe County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asheville (county seat) | City | 93,523 | |
| Black Mountain | Town | 8,491 | |
| Woodfin | Town | 8,229 | |
| Weaverville | Town | 4,790 | |
| Biltmore Forest | Town | 1,469 | |
| Montreat | Town | 1,024 |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Swannanoa | 6,901 | |
| Royal Pines | 4,325 | |
| Avery Creek | 2,887 | |
| Emma | 2,657 | |
| Fairview | 2,298 | |
| Bent Creek | 1,384 | |
| Barnardsville | 445 |
ZIP codes in Buncombe County
20 ZIP codes reach into Buncombe County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 28701 also Madison County
- 28704 also Henderson County
- 28709
- 28711 also McDowell, Rutherford and Henderson counties
- 28715
- 28730
- 28732 also Henderson County
- 28748 also Madison County
- 28753 also Madison County
- 28757
- 28759 also Henderson County
- 28770
- 28778
- 28787 also Madison County
- 28792 also Henderson and Polk counties
- 28801
- 28803
- 28804
- 28805
- 28806
Population of Buncombe County, 2020–2025
Buncombe County grew by 7,987 people (+3%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 3,283 more deaths than births and a net gain of 11,200 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 269,703 |
| 2021 | 272,030 |
| 2022 | 274,019 |
| 2023 | 276,463 |
| 2024 | 279,227 |
| 2025 | 277,417 |
Neighboring counties
- Henderson County south · 122,375 people
- Madison County northwest · 22,553 people
- Haywood County west · 63,369 people
- McDowell County east · 45,198 people
- Yancey County northeast · 19,084 people
- Rutherford County southeast · 65,745 people
- Transylvania County southwest · 34,211 people
Printable Buncombe County map
The PDF is a vector file with real text: it prints sharp on Letter paper and you can search it for a town. The PNG is 2400 pixels wide for slides and documents. Both are free to use with a credit to WhichCounty.
- PDF (Letter) (147 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (100 KB)
Paste this code to embed the map on your site:
Sources
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files (1:500,000).
- Population: Census Bureau county and city estimates, Vintage 2025. CDP populations: American Community Survey 2020–2024.
- Places and ZIP codes: Census Bureau 2026 Gazetteer and 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Area relationship files.
- County seat, founding year and name origin: Wikidata (CC0), checked against state sources.
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