Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,504, settled in 2003.
Mills River grades B+ overall, 40th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $105K and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 84% of the country. It also does better than most on schools: its schools outperform 66% of the state's. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $528K, 7.3 years of the Asheville metro’s $72K median household income. Only 27 of North Carolina’s 331 towns score higher on civic life. Mills River has 1 place on the National Register. Only 9 of the 290 North Carolina towns we compare have a lower January low than Mills River.
Where Mills River beats most towns.
Where Mills River’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 Mills River is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2018 and 5 maps from 1936 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mills River. Close and well known come first.
5 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
Big draw32 mi MountainMount Mitchell
Big draw30 mi National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National Park11.5M visitors a year
12 mi National forestPisgah National Forest31 mi Theme parkGhost Town in the Sky
35 mi LakeLake JocasseeBlue 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 · Lake Jocassee: Clemson3564, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mills River, 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 Mills River.
Mills River draws workers from Asheville and beyond and has less tooth loss than most of North Carolina, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of North Carolina.
At 7.3 years of the Asheville metro’s $72K median household income, the typical home (about $528K) costs more against local pay than in 93% of North Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living.
Mills River’s median rent is $1,551 a month, above both North Carolina’s towns ($1,084 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). 86% of Mills River households own their home. The typical Mills River home is worth about $528,000, down 3.1% in a year, 59% above the North Carolina typical home.
| Mills River | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,551 a month | $1,084 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Henderson County Schools. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mills River ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 608 | A− |
| Glenn C Marlow ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 562 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
4,611 jobs are based in Mills River, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 1,718 in 2013 to 4,611.
Most working residents leave Mills River for work: only 9% work in town. 2.6% of Mills River residents live below the poverty line, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Since 2013, Mills River has added 2,893 jobs, to 4,611 in 2023.
| Mills River | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.6% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $105,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its widest gap with North Carolina is tooth loss: 6.7% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 13.9% statewide.
28% of adults feel lonely in Mills River. Mills River beats the North Carolina average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 29% of adults have obesity in Mills River.
| Mills River | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 36% |
| What stands out | Mills River | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.7% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.9% | 15.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.7% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Adults 18 to 34 are 12% of residents (23% statewide); people 65 and older are 24% of residents (17% statewide). Mills River’s median age is 46.4 years. Mills River has grown 5.4% since 2020, to 7,504 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Mills River | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 44% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 46.4 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 18% | 18% |
53% women, 47% men
About 88 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.5 points). Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Mills River | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.9% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.9% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.5% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.8% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.4% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.8% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.5% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.7% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.6% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.6% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.9% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 14% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.8% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.2% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18.6% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
January nights average 26.6°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 94% of North Carolina places with climate records; July afternoons average 83.6°.
Mills River has chilly winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Mills River is 84°F. About 9 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
4.4 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Mills River Park, at 46 acres with 1.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Mills River | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.3% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mills River Park | 1.1 mi | 46 |
| 2. Pisgah National Forest | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 61% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
4 within 15 miles of the center of Mills River
About 3 of every 100 Mills River residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Mills River is a town in Henderson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 6,802 at the 2010 census, and was estimated to be 7,406 in 2019. The town took its name from the nearby confluence of the Mills River and French Broad River. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was incorporated into a town in June 2003. Sierra Nevada opened a brewery in Mills River in 2014.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Mills River.
It grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Fletcher (B+) comes closest.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mills River | #40 | B+ | C | — | B+ | A− |
| Etowah | #110 | B− | C+ | — | B+ | B+ |
| Horse Shoe | — | — | C− | — | B+ | A− |
| Fletcher | #48 | B+ | C | B | B+ | A |
| Asheville | #164 | C | D | D− | B | A− |
Horse Shoe has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Mills River, Etowah and Horse Shoe report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Mills River with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Mills River grades B+ overall, better than 68% of U.S. towns and #40 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades A− for health and B+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
