Highlands is a very small town located in the state of North Carolina. With a population of 1,097 people and two associated neighborhoods, Highlands is the 396th largest community in North Carolina.

Highlands home prices are not only among the most expensive in North Carolina, but Highlands real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Of important note, Highlands is also a town of artists. Highlands has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Highlands’s character.

A relatively large number of people in Highlands telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 17.11% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Another notable thing is that Highlands is an extremely popular destination for tourists and seasonal residents. So much of the population is seasonal such that the town’s population swells significantly during the vacation season, and drops again when the season ends. Because of this, much of the local economy is centered around tourism; some businesses may be operated only during the high season. During the low season, year-round residents will notice that the city is a substantially quieter place to live.

Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Highlands spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 12.87 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the town are less than they would otherwise be.

Highlands is a small town, and as such doesn't have a public transit system that people use to get to and from their jobs every day.

If knowledge is power, Highlands is a pretty powerful place. 54.24% of the adults in Highlands 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 Highlands in 2022 was $45,851, which is wealthy relative to North Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $183,404 for a family of four. However, Highlands contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call Highlands home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Highlands residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Highlands include English, Irish, German, Scots-Irish, and Scottish.

The most common language spoken in Highlands is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Miao/Hmong.