| | Horse Shoe, NC | Mills River, NC | United States |
| Population | 2,201 | 7,082 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 55.2% | 50.2% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 44.8% | 49.8% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 47.3 | 46.3 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 2,800 | 6,739 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 2,105 | 5,595 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 1,605 | 4,155 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 23.4% | 33.5% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 61.9% | 79.8% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 295.0 | 317.4 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 7.5 | 22.3 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.1 | 0.2 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Horse Shoe, NC | Mills River, NC | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 2.3% | 4.5% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 7.0% | 4.2% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 6.5% | 6.6% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 3.9% | 6.6% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 2.3% | 3.7% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 2.5% | 1.8% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 10.5% | 7.7% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 11.9% | 12.7% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 12.0% | 12.6% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 5.9% | 9.6% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 5.1% | 5.6% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 19.4% | 16.2% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 7.1% | 6.9% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 3.3% | 1.4% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Horse Shoe, NC | Mills River, NC | United States |
| White | 97.5% | 87.3% | 59.4% |
| Black | 0.5% | 3.5% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 3.0% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.0% | 1.9% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.0% | 0.9% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 1.2% | 1.1% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 0.8% | 2.2% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Horse Shoe, NC | Mills River, NC | United States |
| Married Population | 64.0% | 56.5% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 64.0% | 55.7% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 0.0% | 0.9% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 36.0% | 43.5% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 22.7% | 26.6% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 5.4% | 9.6% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 7.9% | 7.3% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.59 | 2.44 | 2.60 |
| Households | 850 | 2,898 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 683 | 1,937 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 26.9% | 34.0% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 57.0% | 52.0% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 167 | 961 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 0.0% | 7.7% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 16.1% | 6.3% | 10.8% |