Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A regional job hub with 1,709 jobs.
The best of Bryson City’s subject grades are a B+ for civic life and a B for the outdoors; the weakest is a D− for incomes. 24% of residents live below the poverty line in Bryson City, above both North Carolina’s towns (13%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). On incomes, just 22 of North Carolina’s 448 towns do worse. Bryson City has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Swain County Courthouse and Frye-Randolph House and Fryemont Inn. Bryson City has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Bryson City beats most towns.
Where Bryson City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Bryson City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1912.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bryson City. Close and well known come first.
Big draw2 mi National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National Park11.5M visitors a year
Big draw26 mi Theme parkDollywood3.1M visitors a year
Big draw10 mi MountainKuwohi
10 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
16 mi MountainMount Le Conte21 mi Theme parkGhost Town in the SkyGreat Smoky Mountains National Park: Scott Basford, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dollywood: Brian Stansberry (photographer), CC BY 2.5 · Kuwohi: C. Kenneth Dodd, Jr., Public domain · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Mount Le Conte: No machine-readable author provided. Blinutne assumed (based on copyright claims, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bryson City, 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 Bryson City.
About one in 5 of Bryson City’s working residents works in town. At 16 minutes, Bryson City’s average trip to work is against 24 minutes in North Carolina’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. The median household income in Bryson City is $44,000.
| Bryson City | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $44,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Swain County Schools. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swain County Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 453 | B− |
| Cherokee Extension SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 110 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Bryson City’s violent crime rate is 4 per 1,000 residents.
| Bryson City | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4 per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.6 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Bryson City beats the North Carolina average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 42% of Bryson City adults have high blood pressure.
| Bryson City | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 12% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 23% |
| What stands out | Bryson City | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.4% | 7.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.9% | 6.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Bryson City has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 26° and about 7 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 1994, 21 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bryson City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.0 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Swain County Recreation Park, at 37 acres.
| Bryson City | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.9% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Swain County Recreation Park | 0.5 mi | 37 |
| 2. Bryson City Island Park | 0.4 mi | 5 |
| 3. Riverfront Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
43% of households own their home in Bryson City.
| Bryson City | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 43% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $783 a month | $1,085 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Bryson City
About 8 of every 100 Bryson City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
2 places in Bryson City on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Bryson City.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Bryson City (Cherokee: ᏣᎵᏍᏙᏂ, romanized: Tsahlsdoni) is a town in Swain County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. The population was 1,558 as of the 2020 census. Located in what was historically the land of the Cherokee, Bryson City was founded as Charleston to serve as the county seat of Swain County when it was formed from parts of surrounding counties. It grew into an important local rail hub. Today the city serves as a popular tourist destination, lying just to the west of the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, for outdoor activities in the Nantahala National Forest, and along the Nantahala River and Fontana Lake, and serves as the home of the Great S…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 6.1 years of the area's median household income ($52,349 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
5 notable people were born here, including Marshall Grant and Heath Shuler.
