Asheville, NC vs Durham, NC

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Asheville

67.9

#1366 nationally

Durham

69.4

#1213 nationally

Asheville leads in walk score (44 vs 33). Durham leads in median household income ($67,432 vs $51,752). Asheville leads in average commute (20.6 min vs 22.8 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Asheville, NC	Durham, NC
WhereAtHome Score	67.9 (#1366)	69.4 (#1213)
Population	95,670	283,506
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$458,266	$395,976
Median Household Income	$51,752	$67,432
Average Commute	20.6 min	22.8 min
Walk Score	44	33
Crime Level	Moderate	Moderate
School Rating	6.2	6.4
Cost of Living Index	107	102
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+24.8	D+61.9