County outline
Where Buncombe County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.5% of Buncombe County’s measured area and water for 0.5%. Its combined area converts to 1,709.2 square kilometers or approximately 422,364 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 656.495 | 1,700.314 | 420,156.8 |
| Water | 3.448 | 8.93 | 2,206.7 |
| Total | 659.943 | 1,709.245 | 422,363.5 |
How Buncombe County compares
By original Census land area, Buncombe County ranks #19 of 100 in North Carolina and #1432 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.426 times the North Carolina county-equivalent median of 460.3 square miles. It accounts for 1.4% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete North Carolina ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Buncombe County
The Census Bureau estimates that 277,417 people lived in Buncombe County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #267 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #7 of 100 in North Carolina. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 269,430, the population has grown by 7,987 (+3%), compared with +7.2% for North Carolina as a whole.
With 656.5 square miles of land, that is 423 people per square mile (163 per km²), placing Buncombe County #394 nationally for density and #13 in North Carolina. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the North Carolina median is 116. Put another way, there are about 1.5 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 269,703 | 272,030 | 274,019 | 276,463 | 279,227 | 277,417 |
| Change | — | +2,327 | +1,989 | +2,444 | +2,764 | −1,810 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Buncombe County
6 incorporated places lie at least partly in Buncombe County. Together they are home to 117,526 people (42.4%); the other 159,891 (57.6%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Asheville city, with 93,523 residents in the county. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Biltmore Forest town grew fastest since then (+4.9%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asheville cityCounty seat | 93,523 | −1.3% | 45.5 |
| Black Mountain town | 8,491 | +0.8% | 6.747 |
| Woodfin town | 8,229 | +3.6% | 9.532 |
| Weaverville town | 4,790 | +4.5% | 4.311 |
| Biltmore Forest town | 1,469 | +4.9% | 2.91 |
| Montreat town | 1,024 | +13.3% | 2.728 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Buncombe County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Buncombe County is a central county of the Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 3 county equivalents have 422,345 residents on 1,479.1 square miles of land; Buncombe County accounts for 44.4% of the land and 65.7% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #221 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #135 by population. It belongs to the Asheville-Waynesville-Brevard, NC Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Buncombe County | 277,417 | 656.5 |
| Henderson County | 122,375 | 373 |
| Madison County | 22,553 | 449.6 |
ZIP codes
20 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Buncombe County; 16 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
2870128704287092871128715287302873228748287532875728759287702877828787287922880128803288042880528806
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Buncombe County
Buncombe County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than every one of them. The largest neighbor is Rutherford County (565.4 mi²) and the smallest is Yancey County (312.6 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Buncombe County forms a block of 3,350.6 mi² of land, of which it holds 19.6%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Buncombe | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rutherford County | 565.4 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Haywood County | 553.6 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Madison County | 449.6 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
| McDowell County | 440 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
| Henderson County | 373 | 1.8× smaller | Compare |
| Yancey County | 312.6 | 2.1× smaller | Compare |
How big is Buncombe County compared with U.S. states?
Buncombe County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.6 times as much. North Carolina’s county land could hold about 74 areas the size of Buncombe County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 25.6 miles (41.2 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Buncombe County?
Buncombe County has more land than 1,790 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Buncombe County at #1,538 nationally by total area, 106 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 0.5%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.6 percentage points lower. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Buncombe County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1431 | Monroe County, New York | 657 | Compare |
| #1432 | Buncombe County, North Carolina | 656.5 | This county |
| #1433 | Jackson County, Kansas | 656.2 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 35.609371, -82.530423. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 1,700,312,984 m²; AWATER: 8,930,121 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Buncombe County?
Buncombe County, North Carolina has 656.5 square miles (1,700.3 km²) of land and 3.448 square miles of water, for a total area of 659.9 square miles. It ranks #1432 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Buncombe County the largest county in North Carolina?
No. Buncombe County ranks #19 of 100 in North Carolina by land area. The largest is Robeson County, with 947.3 square miles of land.
What counties border Buncombe County?
Buncombe County shares a land border with Madison County, Henderson County, Haywood County, McDowell County, Yancey County, and Rutherford County.
What is the population of Buncombe County?
The Census Bureau estimates Buncombe County had 277,417 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #267 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 423 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Buncombe County?
The county seat of Buncombe County is Asheville.
What cities and towns are in Buncombe County?
Buncombe County has 6 incorporated places. The most populous five are Asheville city, Black Mountain town, Woodfin town, Weaverville town, and Biltmore Forest town; 159,891 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Buncombe County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 3 county equivalents and 422,345 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Buncombe County?
20 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Buncombe County, and 16 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Buncombe County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.6 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Buncombe County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 420,157 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 422,364 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.