45,281 people (2024 Census estimate, +7.4% since 2020)
491 square miles of land · 92 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
37 active community water systems list Jackson County in the area they serve, reporting 25,816 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| WESTERN CAROLINA UNIV WTP surface water · state · NC0150116 | 7,800 served |
| TUCKASEIGEE WATER & SEWER AUTH surface water · local government · NC0150035 | 7,528 served |
| FAIRFIELD SAPPHIRE groundwater · private · NC0150113 | 3,873 served |
| HH WATER, LLC groundwater · private · NC0150136 | 770 served |
| TRILLIUM LINKS & VILLAGE groundwater · private · NC0150193 | 610 served |
| HIGHLANDS COVE S/D groundwater · private · NC0150200 | 604 served |
| MOUNTAIN TOP GOLF & LAKE CLUB groundwater · private · NC1050035 | 467 served |
| WADE HAMPTON CLUB groundwater · private · NC0150171 | 429 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 65 people were held in Jackson County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2024), or 221 per 100,000 residents ages 15–64. In 2019 it was about 58.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
1 school district has its office in Jackson County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $50.8 million — $48.3 million to run schools, about $13,571 per student, plus $1.3 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $14.1 million local (mostly property tax), $28.3 million state, $9.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $9.8 million.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Jackson County about $28.7 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Low; social vulnerability: Very High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
230 bridges in Jackson County: 91 in good condition, 110 fair, and 29 poor (12.6%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| US64 over LONG BRANCH · built 1965 | 5,900 vehicles a day |
| NC116 over SAVANNAH CREEK · built 1951 | 3,800 vehicles a day |
| OLD FOREST HILL RD over CULLOWHEE CREEK · built 1952 | 3,300 vehicles a day |
| UNIVERSITY WAY over CULLOWHEE CREEK · built 1973 | 2,800 vehicles a day |
| SR1534 over TUCKASEGEE RIVER · built 1962 | 1,500 vehicles a day |
| PICNIC GROUNDS RD over CULLOWHEE CREEK · built 1954 | 1,000 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $11.5 million of work in Jackson County in fiscal 2025, about $268 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-09. Early voting: 2026-10-15 to 2026-10-31. Mail ballot request deadline: 2026-10-20. Election Day: 2026-11-03.
Source: NC State Board of Elections: upcoming election · NC State Board of Elections: vote in person · NC State Board of Elections: voter ID
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Jackson County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Jackson County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of North Carolina: the state government and every county in North Carolina.
Nearby counties: Transylvania County (18 mi) · Macon County (19 mi) · Haywood County (21 mi) · Swain County (27 mi) · Rabun County, GA (32 mi) · Pickens County, SC (36 mi).