The healthcare industry is a sector that makes up a large part of the economy for the Asheville Metro Statistical Area which comprises Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, and Madison Counties.

Heidi Reiber, Senior Director of Riverbird Research at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, shared data showing the overall concentration of jobs in the Asheville MSA was 18 percent greater than the national average in 2021. Riverbird Research’s data healthcare industry segment includes social assistance jobs.

In the same year, the Asheville MSA showed 1,779 payrolled locations with employees earning an average annual wage of $57,593. Buncombe County boasts the majority of the jobs – 22,630, followed by Henderson, Haywood, and Madison with 5,736, 2,290, and 516 jobs respectively.