| ZIP Codes: | 3 ZIP Codes (3 Standard, 0 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Code: | 828 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (GMT -05:00) |
| Local Time: | 2:13:00 PM |
| Population: | 15,799 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 37173 |
| Land Area: | 414 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 14 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 35.4667, -83.4708 |
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15,799 residents live across 3 ZIPs covering 414 sq mi, served by 3 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 17,873 to 15,799 from 2014 to 2024 — a -11.6% change. 0 ZIPs gained residents, 3 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 28719 (Cherokee, $60,658 median) and poorest ZIP 28702 (Almond, $37,275) are 22.1 miles apart — a 1.6× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 1.8× across this county — from $188,400 in 28719 (Cherokee) to $332,300 in 28702 (Almond).
Density varies 2× across the county — from 22 people/sq mi in 28702 (Almond) to 44 in 28719 (Cherokee).
Educational attainment ranges from 17.7% bachelor's+ in 28719 (Cherokee) to 23.7% in 28713 (Bryson City) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within North Carolina, this is the #85 most populous of 100 counties and ranks #89 for median household income .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $54,575 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
21.1% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (2,376 of 11,237 reporting).
3 Standard delivery, 0 PO Box only, 0 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this county.
Swain County lost 11.6% of residents between 2014 and 2024. ZIPs that shed the largest share: