Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Brevard grades C+ overall, 137th of 286 graded towns in North Carolina, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 87% of U.S. towns and natural-hazard risk is low. On the other side, homes are expensive, about $451K for a typical one and 6.8 times the Brevard area’s $66K median household income. 33% of working residents work locally in Brevard, above both North Carolina’s towns (6.8%) and U.S. towns (8%). Brevard has 16 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Biltmore Forest School and Transylvania County Courthouse. Only 18 of North Carolina’s 331 towns score higher on civic life.
Where Brevard beats most towns.
Census counts: 223 in 1880, 7,744 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1886 and 5 maps from 1935 on.
16 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Brevard is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Brevard. Close and well known come first.
7 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
Big draw30 mi National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National Park11.5M visitors a year
9 mi National forestPisgah National Forest
40 mi Stadium & arenaMemorial Stadium, Clemson29 mi Theme parkGhost Town in the Sky
23 mi LakeLake JocasseeBlue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Scott Basford, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pisgah National Forest: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Memorial Stadium, Clemson: Caseyh at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Jocassee: Clemson3564, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Brevard, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Brevard.
Brevard fares better on crime within North Carolina than nationally, carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of North Carolina (mostly inland flooding) and draws workers from Asheville and beyond.
5,426 jobs are based in Brevard, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 15.5 minutes, against 25.1 across North Carolina.
About one in 3 of Brevard’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Brevard is 16 minutes. Jobs based in Brevard grew to 5,426 in 2023, 605 more than in 2013.
| Brevard | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 14% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Transylvania County Schools. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Brevard High, with 799 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevard ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 524 | B− |
| Brevard HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 799 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 98% of North Carolina towns; that rating is what its A− for hazard risk is built on.
Brevard’s FEMA risk score is 13 of 100. Since 1994, 33 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Brevard.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 6.8 years of the Brevard area’s $66K median household income, the typical home (about $451K) costs more against local pay than in 91% of North Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living.
51% of Brevard households own their home. The typical Brevard home is worth about $451,000, down 2.1% in a year, 36% above the North Carolina typical home.
| Brevard | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $979 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
People 65 and older are 32% of residents (17% statewide); children under 18 are 16% of residents (22% statewide). 44% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Brevard. Brevard has grown 4.7% since 2020, to 8,098 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Brevard | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 32% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 50.3 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 16% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 44% | 29% | 29% |
58% women, 42% men
About 73 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3 points). Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Brevard | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.3% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.4% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.8% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.2% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.8% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.1% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15.4% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.1% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.3% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.4% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.2% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 7,154 U.S. towns with household incomes like Brevard’s, it is healthier than 95%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Brevard beats the North Carolina average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5.
| Brevard | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 80% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Brevard | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.6% | 12.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6% | 8.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.6% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 26.9°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 92% of North Carolina places with climate records; July afternoons average 83.3°.
Brevard has chilly winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Among 290 North Carolina towns, just 10 have a lower July high than Brevard. About 7 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Brevard | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 83°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 27°F | 31°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0.9 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is City of Brevard Sports Complex, at 21 acres.
| Brevard | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.2% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. City of Brevard Sports Complex | 0.1 mi | 21 |
| 2. Silvermont Mansion Park | — | 8 |
| 3. Franklin Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 17.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 83% of North Carolina’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 152 to 54 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Among 153 North Carolina towns, just 10 have a lower property crime rate than Brevard.
| Brevard | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.9 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Brevard
About 9 of every 100 Brevard residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
Where Brevard’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
16 places in Brevard on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Brevard.
City in North Carolina, United States
Brevard ( brə-VARD) is a city in and the county seat of Transylvania County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 7,744 as of the 2020 census. Brevard is located at the entrance to Pisgah National Forest and has become a noted tourism, retirement, and cultural center in western North Carolina. A moderate climate, environmental beauty and cultural activities attracts retirees to the area. Brevard is also known for its white squirrels. There are several theories of how they came to live there, including an overturned carnival truck and an escaped pet breeding with native squirrels. Along with nearby Asheville and Hendersonville, Brevard forms the Asheville-Brevard, NC CSA combi…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Brevard grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #137 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades B+ for health, B− for safety and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
12 notable people were born here, including Moms Mabley and Boyce McDaniel.
