FruitlandNC
A town of 2,398, settled in 1883.
Is Fruitland a good place to live?
The best of Fruitland’s subject grades is an A− for cost of living; the weakest is a D for walkability. Fruitland’s median age is 53.7 years, above both North Carolina’s towns (40.1 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). On walkability, just 40 of North Carolina’s 450 towns do worse. On the outdoors, just 21 of North Carolina’s 451 towns do worse. Fruitland has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Fruitland has grown 11% from 2010 to 2020
2,031 counted in 2010 and 2,257 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Fruitland grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Fruitland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Blue Ridge Parkway and 28 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fruitland. Close and well known come first.
10 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
Big draw27 mi MountainMount Mitchell
Big draw37 mi National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National Park11.5M visitors a year
21 mi National forestPisgah National Forest39 mi Theme parkGhost Town in the Sky
10 mi State parkChimney Rock State ParkPhoto credits
Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Mount Mitchell: Unknown, Public domain · Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Scott Basford, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pisgah National Forest: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Chimney Rock State Park: Jmturner, Public domain
Moving to Fruitland: who provides what
Fruitland is unincorporated, so Henderson County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Fruitland.
Most of Fruitland’s workers commute out: the town has 0.4 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Fruitland for work: only 2% work in town. Fruitland’s median household income is $48,000, below both the North Carolina town median ($69,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). Jobs based in Fruitland grew to 404 in 2023, 96 more than in 2013.
| Fruitland | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.3% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Public schools in Fruitland beat 66% of North Carolina districts
Its public schools are run by the Henderson County Schools. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is North Henderson High, with 1,052 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Valley MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 820 | B− |
| North Henderson HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,052 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
In Fruitland, a typical July afternoon runs cooler than in the typical North Carolina or U.S. town
The July high in Fruitland is 83°F. Fruitland has mild winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fruitland faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Fruitland since 1983.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
On CDC estimates, Fruitland is less healthy than 56% of U.S. towns
Fruitland beats the North Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 30% of Fruitland adults feel lonely.
| Fruitland | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Fruitland | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.3% | 76.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.6% | 7.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes in Fruitland sell for about $462K
Fruitland’s median rent is $906 a month.
| Fruitland | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 77% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $906 a month | $1,085 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Fruitland
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Fruitland
About 3 of every 100 Fruitland residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
98% of working residents leave Fruitland for work
Where Fruitland’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Fruitland
Census-designated place in North Carolina, United States
Fruitland is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Henderson County, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 2,031 as of the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 8.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,215 ft
Fruitland’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Fruitland.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruitland | — | — | A− | — | B+ | C+ |
| Hendersonville | #182 | C− | C− | C− | B+ | B− |
Fruitland has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Fruitland reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Fruitland with a neighbor →
Questions about Fruitland
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Fruitland, NC expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $133,000, 60% below the North Carolina typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.