13,945 people (2024 Census estimate, −1.1% since 2020)
528 square miles of land · 26 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.
6 active community water systems list Swain County in the area they serve, reporting 5,209 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| BRYSON CITY, TOWN OF surface water · local government · NC0187010 | 4,395 served |
| SMOKY MTN COUNTRY CLUB ESTATES groundwater · private · NC0187128 | 318 served |
| WHITTIER SANITARY DISTRICT groundwater · local government · NC0187020 | 252 served |
| NANTAHALA VILLAGE groundwater · private · NC0187124 | 132 served |
| NANTAHALA OUTDOOR--FLINT RIDGE groundwater · private · NC0187562 | 66 served |
| PELOHI COVE groundwater · private · NC1087004 | 46 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 73 people were held in Swain County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2024), or 845 per 100,000 residents ages 15–64. In 2019 it was about 85.
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 Swain County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $29.9 million — $27.7 million to run schools, about $14,519 per student, plus $1.7 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $3.2 million local (mostly property tax), $18.7 million state, $7.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $4.6 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 Swain County about $9.8 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.
131 bridges in Swain County: 33 in good condition, 83 fair, and 15 poor (11.5%). “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.
| SR1137 over BOWERS CREEK · built 1978 | 650 vehicles a day |
| SR1140 over ALARKA CREEK · built 1969 | 380 vehicles a day |
| SR1140 over ALARKA CREEK · built 1961 | 380 vehicles a day |
| SR1103 over SILVERMINE CREEK · built 1953 | 320 vehicles a day |
| SR1103 over SILVERMINE CREEK · built 1953 | 220 vehicles a day |
| SR1103 over SILVERMINE CREEK · built 1977 | 220 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $28.3 million of work in Swain County in fiscal 2025, about $2,004 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 Swain 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 Swain County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of North Carolina: the state government and every county in North Carolina.
Nearby counties: Sevier County, TN (15 mi) · Graham County (26 mi) · Blount County, TN (27 mi) · Haywood County (27 mi) · Jackson County (27 mi) · Macon County (29 mi).