HomeNorth CarolinaMacon CountyHighlands
Highlands, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Highlands is a Census town of 1,074 people across 6.25 square miles of land, lying across Macon County and Jackson County. Median household income is $71,509, 67.2 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 8 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $9.7 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Highlands
What Highlands is
- Census place typetown
- Land area6.25 sq mi
- Water area0.14 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land172 plus or minus 38
- County holding the largest share of its areaMacon County, 91.5 percent
- Counties this place lies inMacon County 91.5 percent, Jackson County 8.5 percent
Highlands crosses a county line. The split above is measured from the Census boundary of the place against the county boundaries, by area, so it says where the ground is and not where the town hall is.
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Highlands
How many people live in Highlands
- Population1,074 plus or minus 236
- Median age62.7
- Population under 1872 plus or minus 48
- Share under 186.7 percent plus or minus 4.3
- Population 65 and over504
- Share 65 and over46.9 percent plus or minus 13.8
- Households643 plus or minus 154
- Family households301 plus or minus 76
- Share of households that are families46.8 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Highlands
Income and work in Highlands
- Median household income$71,509
- Per capita income$63,661
- Civilian labor force469 plus or minus 153
- Employed449 plus or minus 148
- Unemployed20 plus or minus 27
- Unemployment rate4.3 percent plus or minus 5.6
- Adults 25 and over932 plus or minus 190
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher96.9 percent plus or minus 27.2
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher57.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree20.9 percent plus or minus 5.4
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Highlands
Housing in Highlands
- Housing units2,454
- Occupied units643 plus or minus 154
- Vacant units1,811
- Vacancy rate73.8 percent
- Owner occupied432 plus or minus 94
- Renter occupied211 plus or minus 124
- Ownership rate67.2 percent plus or minus 21.7
- Median owner-occupied home value$700,900
- Median gross rent, monthly$650 plus or minus $533
- Annual rent as a share of median income10.9 percent plus or minus 9.0
- Single family units1,878
- Share single family76.5 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more468 plus or minus 127
- Share in buildings of two or more19.1 percent plus or minus 4.8
- Mobile homes108 plus or minus 80
- Median year structure built1981
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Highlands
How Highlands gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute341 plus or minus 140
- Commuting under 15 minutes252 plus or minus 122
- Share commuting under 15 minutes73.9 percent plus or minus 19.0
- Commuting 30 minutes or more43 plus or minus 36
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more12.6 percent plus or minus 9.1
- Drove alone43.6 percent
- Carpooled7.2 percent plus or minus 7.9
- Public transport0.0 percent
- Walked25.5 percent plus or minus 25.2
- Worked from home23.7 percent plus or minus 8.6
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Highlands
SBA loans in Highlands (7(a))
- Approvals8
- Gross approval$9,659,100
- Average approval$1,207,388
- Median approval$525,000
- Largest approval$4,758,000
- Jobs supported54
- Jobs per approval6.8
- Loans with a final outcome1
- Paid in full0
- Charged off1
- Median term120 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more25.0 percent
- Share to franchises12.5 percent
- Distinct lenders7
- Distinct industries by NAICS7
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Highlands, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026. Only 1 loan has reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Highlands
Flood risk in Highlands
- NFIP communityTown of Highlands
- NFIP community number370574
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classNone
- Currently effective map date04/19/10
The Town of Highlands participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 370574 and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies to it.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Macon County, not Highlands
Macon County context, not Highlands figures
- Establishments in Macon County1,282
- Covered employment, Macon County12,334
- Average annual pay, Macon County$46,461
- Housing units permitted, Macon County218
Every figure in this section is published for Macon County as a whole and is not a measurement of Highlands.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Common questions
Highlands questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Highlands, North Carolina?
1,074, in 643 households. Highlands town covers 6.25 square miles of land, which is 172 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Highlands in?
Highlands lies in more than one. By area it is 91.5 percent in Macon County, 8.5 percent in Jackson County. This page sits under Macon County because that county holds the largest share. The split is measured from the Census boundary of the place against the county boundaries.
What is the median household income in Highlands?
$71,509. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $700,900. Median gross rent is $650 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Highlands businesses?
8 7(a) approvals totaling $9.7 m since FY2020, across 7 lenders, median approval $525,000. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Highlands, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Highlands borrowers get paid back?
No rate is published for Highlands. Only 1 loan has reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published. The counts are shown instead.
Is Highlands in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Highlands appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Highlands, town of, community 370574, with no Community Rating System class, so no CRS discount applies. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page Highlands figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Macon County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of Highlands.
Is zoning published for Highlands?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.