2026 Compare Cities Economy:
Ithaca, NY vs Asheville, NC

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Highlights
- Household income in Asheville, is 42% more than it is in Ithaca and is 19% below the National Average.
- Ithaca unemployment rate is 4.5%.
- Asheville unemployment rate is 4.5%.
 Ithaca, NYAsheville, NCUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock4.5%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock1.6%1.6%
 Future Job Growth27.9%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes8.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock5.3%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$26,423  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$58,193$69,021
 Family Median Income$107,940  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Ithaca, NYAsheville, NCUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock10.5%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K4.8%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock10.2%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K9.7%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock7.8%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K6.4%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock11.0%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K7.3%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock12.9%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K5.4%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock7.4%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Ithaca, NYAsheville, NCUnited States
 Management, business, finance11.6%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock6.2%6.5%
 Community, social services3.7%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.9%1.2%
 Education, library22.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock5.2%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology2.1%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock2.7%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement2.2%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock11.4%5.4%
 Building maintenance1.3%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.3%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support16.8%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.1%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair2.0%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock9.1%13.1%
Reviews for Ithaca    32 Reviews

BILL · 

For a small city, its downtown has grown significantly and serves as the hub of the community. The Ithaca Commons remains the central gathering space for locals,  More

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Over 5 years ago

Great place to live. Lots to do, vibrant culture, and beautiful scenery. Don't fear the winter--it's even beautiful then. Only complaint is the housing market. Way  More

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I was born, raised, educated there (Ithaca High and Cornell). In my opinion, before leaving to pursue my career, it seemed like the most beautiful, clean, low crime,  More

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Reviews for Asheville    117 Reviews

Lived around this city my entire life, and have spent countless hours in every part of it- at one point, Asheville was the place to be, it had a high standard of living,  More

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Scotty · 

Asheville has changed dramatically over the pass twenty years . At one time downtown and the charming family friendly neighborhoods within, reminded me of The Waltons  More

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This city is very deceiving. Small but if you look close you see big liberal city problems in this town. Mainly because it is overwhelming liberal. Far left liberals.  More

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