Map the Block › Places › North Carolina › Watauga County
What are the crime rate and median income in Watauga County, North Carolina?
The violent-crime rate in Watauga County was 0.92 per 1,000 residents (2021-2025 average, FBI), 76% lower than the statewide rate (3.8). Median household income is $51,693 and the unemployment rate was 3.7% in August 2026. It is home to roughly 55,123 residents.
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2021-2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Unemployment: BLS August 2026. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income · hazard risk · Superfund · dams
What is the crime rate in Watauga County?
From 2021 through 2025, Watauga County averaged 51 reported violent crimes a year, along with 443 property crimes. Per 1,000 residents, the violent-crime rate works out to 0.92: 76% lower than the North Carolina rate (3.8), and 75% lower than the national rate (3.7). Burglary, theft and car theft together come to 8.0 per 1,000 residents, compared with 20.0 across North Carolina. Most violent crimes here are aggravated assaults (61%).
| Offense (yearly average, 2021-2025) | Watauga County | Per 1,000 | North Carolina per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 51 | 0.92 | 3.8 | 3.7 |
| Murder | 3 | 0.05 | 0.08 | 0.06 |
| Rape | 14 | 0.25 | 0.29 | 0.40 |
| Robbery | 2 | 0.04 | 0.51 | 0.62 |
| Aggravated assault | 31 | 0.56 | 3.0 | 2.6 |
| Property crime | 443 | 8.0 | 20.0 | 18.1 |
| Burglary | 96 | 1.7 | 3.5 | 2.4 |
| Larceny-theft | 319 | 5.8 | 14.2 | 13.0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 27 | 0.49 | 2.2 | 2.6 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. County figures add up the city police and sheriff reports in the county (4 agencies; 100% of residents covered).
What is the median household income in Watauga County?
Half of households in Watauga County make more than $51,693 and half make less; across North Carolina the midpoint is $72,388. Owner-occupied homes have a median value of $358,900, and the median rent is $1,127 a month. 7.5% of households received SNAP benefits in the past year (state: 12.8%). The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 3.7% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 1,068 people out of work and looking.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Watauga County | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 55,123 | 10,730,404 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $51,693 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $358,900 | $288,900 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $1,127 | $1,228 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 7.9% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 25.5% | 13.0% | 12.5% |
| Households receiving SNAP (food stamps) | 7.5% | 12.8% | 12.1% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 48.1% | 35.7% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 62.1% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 31.4 | 39.1 | 38.9 |
| Households with broadband internet | 90.7% | 90.1% | 91.0% |
| People without health insurance | 9.3% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
What natural hazards and environmental sites are in Watauga County?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk for Watauga County as “Relatively Low”. None of the seven hazards on our map (floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat, earthquakes, hurricanes) is rated above “Relatively Moderate” here. The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Superfund sites
EPA lists no Superfund site in Watauga County, active or completed (October 2026).
High-hazard dams
Watauga County has 20 dams classed as high hazard in the National Inventory of Dams. 5 are rated Poor or Unsatisfactory in condition, 11 Satisfactory or Fair. Tallest on the list: Asu-Norris Branch Dam (112 ft) and Town of Boone Water Supply Dam (77 ft). “High hazard” describes what lies downstream (people would probably die if the dam failed), not how likely the dam is to fail.
Disasters, air and water
Watauga County was covered by 2 federal major disaster declarations from 2016 through 2025 (Tropical Storm 1, Hurricane 1), not counting COVID-19. Of 27 community water systems, none had an open health-based drinking-water violation in EPA's records (September 2026). EPA puts the county in radon zone 1 (highest). NHTSA counted 4 traffic deaths in the county in 2024, including 1 pedestrian.
Is there road construction in Watauga County?
Watauga County had 2 highway work zones in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (all active that day). Where crews are working: US 221 and Old US-421. The map's construction layer is refreshed every morning.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in Watauga County?
Watauga County has 12 public schools (2024-25) and 2 private schools (2023-24) in federal school lists. 2 nursing homes are certified by Medicare or Medicaid here; star ratings for each are on the map and on Medicare's Care Compare. USGS mapping shows 15 fire or EMS stations and 4 police or sheriff stations.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Watauga County
Gun shops
3 gun shops with a public storefront are on the map in Watauga County, plus 9 more licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown). One of them is a pawnshop licensed to sell guns. On the ATF list: Cornbread Tactical (Boone), Walmart #2496 (Boone) and Xtreme Gun And Pawn LLC (Boone).
Liquor stores
2 liquor stores are on the map in Watauga County: ABC Store of Boone (Boone) and ABC Stores (Blowing Rock). North Carolina has no complete public liquor licence list we can use, so this count also draws on OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps and may miss some stores or include closed ones.
Planned Parenthood
There is no Planned Parenthood health center in Watauga County on the map.
See them on the map: gun shops · liquor stores →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official; partial in some states); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in Watauga County?
Watauga County averaged 51 reported violent crimes a year in 2021-2025, or 0.92 per 1,000 residents, 76% lower than the North Carolina rate (3.8). The property-crime rate was 8.0 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in Watauga County?
$51,693 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average), compared with $72,388 for North Carolina and $80,734 nationally.
What is the unemployment rate in Watauga County?
The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 3.7% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 1,068 people out of work and looking.
What natural hazards affect Watauga County?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk for Watauga County as “Relatively Low”. None of the seven hazards on our map (floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat, earthquakes, hurricanes) is rated above “Relatively Moderate” here.
Is there road construction in Watauga County right now?
Watauga County had 2 highway work zones in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (all active that day). Where crews are working: US 221 and Old US-421.
How many nursing homes are in Watauga County?
2 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes (CMS provider data, September 2026).
How does Watauga County compare with neighboring counties?
| County | Population | Violent crimes per 1,000 (2021-25) | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashe County | 26,950 | 1.2 | $56,866 |
| Avery County | 17,680 | 1.4 | $61,428 |
| Caldwell County | 80,536 | 1.5 | $56,425 |
| Johnson County, TN | 18,196 | 2.9 | $53,129 |
| Wilkes County | 65,935 | 2.1 | $51,721 |
More: North Carolina statewide numbers · Sex-offender registry search (U.S. Justice Department, NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting 2021-2025 (agency level, Return A), averaged and summed by county by Map the Block; Census population; state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes 2021-2025.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables.
- Monthly unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), county data, not seasonally adjusted. Public domain.
- Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores; disasters: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026). Chemical releases: U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory, reporting year 2024 (basic data file).
- Air and water: U.S. EPA AirData, annual AQI by county 2024; EPA Air Quality Design Values 2023-2025 (June 2026); U.S. EPA SDWIS via ECHO drinking-water download (September 30, 2026). Traffic deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024; Census population.
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026). Stations: U.S. Geological Survey, National Structures Dataset (Fire Stations/EMS Stations), October 2026 pull.
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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