Because Boone has a very large number of students who are 18 years or older and in college, it is thought of as a college town. This has a major influence on local Boone lifestyle, entertainment, and culture in general. Life in Boone is very much tied to the academic calendar: when students return from the summer break in the fall, one will notice them out and about, buying groceries, out with friends, and generally getting re-acquainted with each other. In Boone people study hard and play hard, and there is ample opportunity to do both.
Boone, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the town.
Residents of the town have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 16.38 minutes getting to work every day.
If knowledge is power, Boone is a pretty powerful place. 53.06% of the adults in Boone have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.
The per capita income in Boone in 2022 was $18,600, which is low income relative to North Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $74,400 for a family of four. However, Boone contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Boone also has one of the higher rates of people living in poverty in the nation, with 52.07% of its population below the federal poverty line.
Boone is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Boone home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Boone residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Boone include English, Irish, German, European, and Italian.
The most common language spoken in Boone is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Korean.
