In North Carolina the State minimum wage remains at $7.25 per hour since 2009, an income far from covering the basic cost of living for residents of the western part of the state.
In 2025, the living wage calculated for Buncombe County is $ 23.15 per hour. That figure is estimated for a single person without children, working full-time. That is, A person would need to earn about $3,900 a month to cover your rent and basic expenses if you live in Western North Carolina.
Meanwhile, in rural counties in the western region, the living wage is $17.55 per hour.
Both figures come from the certification program of Just Economics, an Asheville-based organization that updates this indicator annually.
Sam Stites, program director, explained that the estimate is calculated based on the average cost of rent and the fact that landlords typically require an income three times the monthly rent.
“We use a four-year average to prevent the living wage from going up or down too much due to one-time annual changes,” Stites told Enlace Latino NC .
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A methodology based on housing and stability
The living wage does not seek to reflect a market average or an official index, but rather the minimum income that a person needs to live without depending on aid nor accumulate debts.
In Buncombe's case, value is defined primarily by the fair rental price (Fair Market Rent), calculated by the federal government, and adjusted with a moving average to ensure stability.
This year's figure represents an increase from the $22.10 estimated in 2024.
Although the living wage is calculated based on local costs, actual household incomes help provide a regional economic context.
According to the Census' American Community Survey, the median household income was $66,531 in Buncombe County and $62,056 in Transylvania County, both below the national average of $75,149.
Employment data and slow recovery
According to figures from the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the rate of unemployment In Buncombe, the rate reached 6.8% in January 2025, one of the highest in the state.
In the Asheville metro area—which includes Henderson, Haywood, and Madison—the rate was 6%, compared to 4% statewide. In total, 9,813 people were unemployed in Buncombe that month.
The leisure and hospitality industry, one of the region's main economic drivers, lost 1,800 jobs compared to the same month last year.
In contrast, the education and health services sectors showed slight growth, with 1,400 more positions.
Related: Raleigh is among the most expensive cities to live in the United States.
The impact on low-wage workers
In addition to identifying an income threshold, Just Economics highlights the social and economic effects of not meeting that threshold.
“When workers do not earn enough to cover their basic needs, they are forced to get into debt, to postpone medical care or to live in unstable conditions,” Stites said.
This is the case with minority communities, such as the Latino community. According to Just Economics, these communities are more represented in low-wage sectors.
And this increases the barriers to access to housing, stable employment, and credit.
Stites stressed that living wages must be accompanied by structural policies:
"In addition to raising the minimum wage, it is essential to implement measures that promote equity, employee benefits, union rights, and transparency in the workplace."
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