| | Rutherfordton, NC | Boone, NC | United States |
| Population | 3,668 | 18,055 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 55.1% | 54.2% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 44.9% | 45.8% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 43.2 | 20.9 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 4,178 | 17,094 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 4,131 | 13,472 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 3,617 | 12,915 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | -1.0% | 48.5% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 13.1% | 54.9% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 890.3 | 2,862.2 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 4.1 | 6.3 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.0 | 0.0 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Rutherfordton, NC | Boone, NC | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 6.1% | 1.1% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 10.1% | 1.4% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 3.5% | 2.9% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 1.7% | 1.0% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 1.0% | 44.8% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 2.3% | 19.4% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 15.0% | 8.5% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 13.1% | 6.4% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 4.3% | 4.2% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 7.2% | 2.0% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 7.6% | 3.1% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 15.5% | 2.3% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 10.0% | 1.7% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 2.8% | 1.1% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Rutherfordton, NC | Boone, NC | United States |
| White | 84.0% | 87.4% | 59.4% |
| Black | 4.9% | 3.1% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 0.2% | 1.7% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 6.6% | 1.8% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 4.0% | 5.6% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Rutherfordton, NC | Boone, NC | United States |
| Married Population | 47.5% | 14.0% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 41.4% | 12.4% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 6.1% | 1.6% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 52.5% | 86.0% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 27.0% | 79.2% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 16.9% | 4.2% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 8.6% | 2.6% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.21 | 2.36 | 2.60 |
| Households | 1,533 | 5,304 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 802 | 1,307 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 23.1% | 33.7% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 46.0% | 38.9% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 731 | 3,997 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 23.7% | 17.0% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 7.2% | 10.4% | 10.8% |