The Land of Sky Regional Council – a multi-county, local government, planning + development organization that includes Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Transylvania + Madison counties – just released a report on Racial Disparity in the Land of Sky Region.

To get the numbers, the Council used metrics from the Census and American Community Survey that included population, income, poverty, homeownership, education level, health + technology, and more, examining the area overall, as well as how things break down across race + ethnicity (Asian, Black, Hispanic, Native American, and white).

Their findings? People of color in the area earn less, attain lower education levels, and suffer significant health + criminal justice disparities when compared to white residents.

The next steps + ultimate goal? To eliminate racial disparity in the region and support disadvantaged individuals + communities, first by launching conversations around existing disparity and potential solutions. They’ll also be updating the findings as more information is available.

Today, we’re digging into the data to share a few of the major takeaways.

The counties at a glance

People of color make up 11.2% of Buncombe County, 9.2% of Henderson County, 8.8% of Transylvania County, and 4.4% of both Haywood and Madison counties.
Buncombe County’s African American population decreased slightly from 2000-2018, but increased in Madison + Henderson counties. Hispanic + Asian populations have increased across the region, and the Native American population has stayed steady. Diversity is lower in the region than in NC overall, but is increasing.
Poverty rates are lowest in Henderson County (10.3%) and highest in Madison County (17.6%). People of color experienced higher poverty rates than whites across the area.

After examining population, the report tracks disparity in the other categories. Here’s some of what they discovered (including how these stats compare to NC’s overall rates) –

Graph courtesy of Land of Sky Regional Council

Homeownership

In the region, white residents are most likely to own (73.8%) vs. rent (26.2%) their homes. Asian residents come next, with 51.9% owning. 37.7% of Black residents own homes. 37% of Hispanic residents own, and 37.5% of Native Americans own.

Education attainment levels

The findings include both high school graduation + bachelor’s degree attainment rates.

Of all groups in the region, Asian residents have the highest rate of Bachelor’s Degree attainment (44.1%), followed by white residents (31.7%). Hispanic residents follow (17%), then Native American residents (16.9%) and Black residents (16.7%).

Internet access

Broadband and internet access in our region is a hot topic – read more about it here.

19% of Hispanic residents have no internet access in the region, followed by Black (13.7%) and Native American residents (12.9%).

Hungry for more info? Click here for the full report, including stats on median household income, disabilities, poverty + more.