| | County Economic Status, FY 2011 | Three-Year Average Unemployment Rate, 2006–2008 | Per Capita Market Income, 2007 | Poverty Rate, 2000 | Three-Year Avg. Unemp. Rate, Percent of U.S. Avg., 2006–2008 | Per Capita Market Income, Percent of U.S. Average, 2007 | PCMI, Percent of U.S. Avg., Inversed, 2007 | Poverty Rate, Percent of U.S. Average, 2000 | Composite Index Value, FY 2011 | Index Value Rank (of 3,110 counties in U.S., 1 is the best), FY 2011 | Quartile (1 is the best), FY 2011 |
|
| United States | - | 5.0% | $32,930 | 12.4% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | - | - | - |
| Appalachian Region | - | 5.2% | $24,360 | 13.6% | 103.4% | 74.0% | 135.2% | 109.9% | - | - | - |
| North Carolina | - | 5.3% | $28,068 | 12.3% | 105.2% | 85.2% | 117.3% | 99.2% | - | - | - |
| Appalachian North Carolina | - | 5.2% | $24,652 | 11.7% | 104.3% | 74.9% | 133.6% | 94.7% | - | - | - |
|
| County |
| Alexander | Transitional | 5.8% | $22,866 | 8.5% | 115.2% | 69.4% | 144.0% | 68.5% | 109.2 | 1,276 | 2 |
| Alleghany | At-Risk | 5.9% | $18,382 | 17.2% | 117.7% | 55.8% | 179.1% | 138.6% | 145.1 | 2,381 | 4 |
| Ashe | Transitional | 5.8% | $18,759 | 13.5% | 116.5% | 57.0% | 175.5% | 108.7% | 133.6 | 2,073 | 3 |
| Avery | Transitional | 5.2% | $18,131 | 15.3% | 102.8% | 55.1% | 181.6% | 123.3% | 135.9 | 2,145 | 3 |
| Buncombe | Transitional | 4.0% | $27,032 | 11.4% | 80.6% | 82.1% | 121.8% | 92.4% | 98.3 | 850 | 2 |
| Burke | Transitional | 6.7% | $21,216 | 10.7% | 133.5% | 64.4% | 155.2% | 86.3% | 125.0 | 1,821 | 3 |
| Caldwell | Transitional | 7.5% | $20,559 | 10.7% | 150.4% | 62.4% | 160.2% | 86.5% | 132.3 | 2,039 | 3 |
| Cherokee | At-Risk | 7.0% | $14,637 | 15.3% | 139.0% | 44.4% | 225.0% | 123.9% | 162.6 | 2,679 | 4 |
| Clay | Transitional | 4.8% | $16,941 | 11.4% | 96.0% | 51.4% | 194.4% | 92.4% | 127.6 | 1,914 | 3 |
| Davie | Competitive | 5.1% | $28,942 | 8.6% | 101.9% | 87.9% | 113.8% | 69.5% | 95.0 | 718 | 1 |
| Forsyth | Competitive | 4.9% | $31,922 | 11.0% | 96.8% | 96.9% | 103.2% | 89.2% | 96.4 | 772 | 1 |
| Graham | At-Risk | 8.2% | $17,362 | 19.5% | 163.0% | 52.7% | 189.7% | 157.6% | 170.1 | 2,769 | 4 |
| Haywood | Transitional | 4.6% | $21,709 | 11.5% | 92.0% | 65.9% | 151.7% | 93.0% | 112.2 | 1,388 | 2 |
| Henderson | Competitive | 4.0% | $26,449 | 9.7% | 79.7% | 80.3% | 124.5% | 78.5% | 94.2 | 679 | 1 |
| Jackson | Transitional | 4.2% | $22,083 | 15.1% | 83.0% | 67.1% | 149.1% | 122.2% | 118.1 | 1,585 | 3 |
| Macon | Transitional | 4.8% | $20,931 | 12.6% | 96.7% | 63.6% | 157.3% | 102.0% | 118.7 | 1,609 | 3 |
| Madison | Transitional | 4.6% | $18,114 | 15.4% | 92.7% | 55.0% | 181.8% | 124.3% | 132.9 | 2,053 | 3 |
| McDowell | Transitional | 6.7% | $17,929 | 11.6% | 133.8% | 54.4% | 183.7% | 93.8% | 137.1 | 2,173 | 3 |
| Mitchell | At-Risk | 7.2% | $16,171 | 13.8% | 143.7% | 49.1% | 203.6% | 111.7% | 153.0 | 2,533 | 4 |
| Polk | Competitive | 4.0% | $31,391 | 10.1% | 79.1% | 95.3% | 104.9% | 81.4% | 88.5 | 492 | 1 |
| Rutherford | At-Risk | 7.5% | $19,511 | 13.9% | 149.3% | 59.2% | 168.8% | 112.4% | 143.5 | 2,344 | 4 |
| Stokes | Transitional | 4.9% | $21,442 | 9.1% | 97.9% | 65.1% | 153.6% | 73.3% | 108.3 | 1,238 | 2 |
| Surry | Transitional | 6.2% | $21,621 | 12.4% | 123.1% | 65.7% | 152.3% | 100.3% | 125.3 | 1,829 | 3 |
| Swain | At-Risk | 6.6% | $16,981 | 18.3% | 132.6% | 51.6% | 193.9% | 147.9% | 158.1 | 2,604 | 4 |
| Transylvania | Transitional | 4.4% | $23,938 | 9.5% | 87.4% | 72.7% | 137.6% | 76.6% | 100.5 | 940 | 2 |
| Watauga | Transitional | 3.9% | $25,899 | 17.9% | 78.0% | 78.6% | 127.1% | 144.7% | 116.6 | 1,541 | 2 |
| Wilkes | Transitional | 6.2% | $23,730 | 11.9% | 123.6% | 72.1% | 138.8% | 95.8% | 119.4 | 1,628 | 3 |
| Yadkin | Transitional | 4.8% | $21,503 | 10.0% | 95.5% | 65.3% | 153.1% | 80.5% | 109.7 | 1,295 | 2 |
| Yancey | At-Risk | 6.4% | $15,555 | 15.8% | 127.7% | 47.2% | 211.7% | 127.4% | 155.6 | 2,566 | 4 |
