Highlands is a very small town located in the state of North Carolina. With a population of 1,119 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.Highlands is a decidedly white-collar town, with fully 92.05% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, Highlands is a town of sales and office workers, service providers, and managers. There are especially a lot of people living in Highlands who work in sales jobs (18.11%), management occupations (16.64%), and food service (16.45%). 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. Also of interest is that Highlands has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 19.37% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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 a major vacation destination. Much of the town’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, Highlands’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live. One of the benefits of Highlands is that there is very little traffic. The average commute to work is 13.93 minutes, which is substantially less than the national average. Not only does this mean that the drive to work is less aggravating, but noise and pollution levels are lower as a result. As is often the case in a small town, Highlands doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.If knowledge is power, Highlands is a pretty powerful place. 53.01% 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 $48,722, which is wealthy relative to North Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $194,888 for a family of four. However, Highlands contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Highlands is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. 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. Highlands also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 10.11% of the town’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Highlands include English, German, Irish, Scots-Irish, and Scottish. The most common language spoken in Highlands is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Miao/Hmong.
