Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Woodfin grades B− overall, 111th of 286 graded towns in North Carolina, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Residents are healthier than 84% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the other side, homes are expensive, about $367K for a typical one and 5.1 times the Asheville metro’s $72K median household income. 12% of the land in Woodfin is conserved, above both the North Carolina town median (3.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). On civic life, just 20 of North Carolina’s 331 towns do better. Woodfin has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Reynolds House and Church of the Redeemer.
6,123 counted in 2010 and 7,936 in 2020; an estimated 8,229 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Woodfin is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,260 in 1980, 7,936 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1905.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Woodfin. Close and well known come first.
5 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
Big draw20 mi MountainMount Mitchell
Big draw23 mi National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National Park11.5M visitors a year
23 mi National forestPisgah National Forest30 mi Theme parkGhost Town in the Sky
24 mi State parkChimney Rock State ParkBlue 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Woodfin, 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 Woodfin.
Woodfin fares better on crime within North Carolina than nationally, trades workers with Asheville and other neighbors and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of North Carolina.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Woodfin Riverside Park | 0.4 mi | 5 |
| 2. Silver Line Park | 0.2 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Buncombe County Schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodfin ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 111 | C |
| Reynolds Mountain Christian Acadeny PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 233 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
29% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Woodfin, below both North Carolina’s towns (34%) and U.S. towns (36%). 19% of adults get no exercise outside work in Woodfin. Woodfin beats the North Carolina average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Woodfin | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 24% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 13% | 12% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 36% | 35% |
| What stands out | Woodfin | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.6% | 15.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.5% | 12.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Asheville weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 205 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 76% of North Carolina places with climate records. January nights average 26.8°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 93% of North Carolina places with climate records; July afternoons average 85.4°.
Woodfin has chilly winters and warm summers. About 12 inches of snow falls in a winter. Woodfin’s January low is 27°F.
| Woodfin | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 27°F | 31°F | 22°F |
| July high | 85°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Woodfin has about as many jobs (3,525) as working residents, but only 191 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Woodfin for work: only 6% work in town. Since 2013, Woodfin has added 657 jobs, to 3,525 in 2023. 14% of Woodfin residents live below the poverty line.
| Woodfin | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.8% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 2014, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Woodfin.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 18.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 81% of North Carolina’s graded towns.
The property crime rate in Woodfin is 10.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Woodfin | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 10.8 per 1,000 residents | 24.2 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 1.7 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
The median sale price was $519,000 in May 2026.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
6 within 15 miles of the center of Woodfin
About 4 of every 100 Woodfin residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
5 places in Woodfin on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Woodfin is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Woodfin had a population of 7,936. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is named for Nicholas Washington Woodfin, a renowned lawyer and statesman of early North Carolina, under whom Governor Zebulon Vance clerked as an attorney. Woodfin is the only municipality bearing the name Woodfin in the United States. The town was incorporated in 1971, although the community itself dates back to at least the mid-19th century.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Woodfin.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodfin | #111 | B− | D | B− | B | A− |
| Asheville | #164 | C | D | D− | B | A− |
| Weaverville | #114 | C+ | D | C | B | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Woodfin grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #111 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades A− for health, B− for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $367,000, 10% above 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 D.
