Cullowhee is a somewhat small town located in the state of North Carolina. With a population of 7,682 people and two associated neighborhoods, Cullowhee is the 120th largest community in North Carolina. Cullowhee has seen a significant amount of newer housing growth in recent years. Quite often, new home construction is the result of new residents moving in who are middle class or wealthier, attracted by jobs, a healthy local economy, or other amenities as they leave nearby or far away areas for greener pastures. This seems to be the case in Cullowhee, where the median household income is $35,076.00.Unlike some towns where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Cullowhee is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Cullowhee is a town of service providers, sales and office workers, and professionals. There are especially a lot of people living in Cullowhee who work in food service (18.35%), sales jobs (17.15%), and personal care services (8.64%). Also of interest is that Cullowhee has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. Cullowhee is a small town with a large college student population. Because of this, there is a real youthful, hip vibe to the place, and much of the life in the town is centered on the college. This has helped Cullowhee to buck the trend of other small towns that have suffered declining populations over the past 20 to 30 years. Spending by students, and faculty and staff jobs, are a big part of the local economy. As is often the case in a small town, Cullowhee doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.The education level of Cullowhee citizens is substantially higher than the typical US community, as 29.42% of adults in Cullowhee have at least a bachelor's degree. The per capita income in Cullowhee in 2022 was $12,587, which is low income relative to North Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $50,348 for a family of four. Cullowhee also has one of the higher rates of people living in poverty in the nation, with 51.31% of its population below the federal poverty line.Cullowhee is a very ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Cullowhee home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Cullowhee residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Cullowhee also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 10.48% of the town’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Cullowhee include German, English, Irish, Italian, and Scots-Irish. The most common language spoken in Cullowhee is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Italian.
