Highlands is a very small town located in the state of North Carolina. With a population of 1,097 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 94.82% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, Highlands is a town of service providers, sales and office workers, and managers. There are especially a lot of people living in Highlands who work in management occupations (18.43%), food service (18.23%), and sales jobs (16.31%). 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. One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 17.11% 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 an extremely popular vacation destination. A significant portion of the population is seasonal. During the vacation season, the town experiences a large influx of people who take up residence in second homes they own in the area. As the vacation season ends, the population drops again, leaving behind a substantially quieter and smaller town. Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Highlands spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 12.87 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the town are less than they would otherwise be. 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. 54.24% 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 $45,851, which is wealthy relative to North Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $183,404 for a family of four. However, Highlands contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. 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. Important ancestries of people in Highlands include English, Irish, German, Scots-Irish, and Scottish. The most common language spoken in Highlands is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Miao/Hmong.
