# Buncombe, North Carolina — #1,319 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 6.42 of 10. FIPS 37021. Population 275,901. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 275,900 people live in Buncombe, North Carolina. It ranks #1,319 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #39 of 100 in North Carolina. The combined sales tax is 7%, higher than in 56% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.57% of a home's value each year, less than in 69% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 97% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 66% of counties. Life expectancy is about 77.6 years, longer than in 71% of counties. Air quality is worse than in 54% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 42), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 87% of counties. On this site's state scores, North Carolina gets 7.59 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 7.59 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 5.80 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 3.72 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 7.68 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 3.64 |  |
| Property tax | county | 7.15 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 0.83 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 7.60 |  |
| Government employees | county | 9.74 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 3.89 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #904 Yancey, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37199.md
- #1518 Haywood, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37087.md
- #855 Henderson, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37089.md
- #1139 McDowell, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37111.md
- #1694 Rutherford, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37161.md
- #732 Madison, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37115.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/37021
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=37021
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy