This data is based on ZIP codes 28604, 28646, which covers Sugar Mountain and Banner Elk and Beech Mountain and Grandfather Village and Seven Devils.
The U.S. Census reports business data by ZIP code, not city boundaries. All numbers reflect the combined ZIP codes 28604, 28646 area shared across these towns.
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Sugar Mountain ZIP Area Economy · 2023
Wages -2% vs. avg. Avery Co. town
Sugar Mountain's ZIP area supports 4,101 jobs across 377 businesses, with workers earning an average of $40K per year, 2% below the Avery County average. The economy is well-diversified (0.91 index), led by construction and food & accommodation. 88.3% of businesses have fewer than 20 employees, and each business employs an average of 10.9 people. Jobs grew 2.9% from the prior year while business count grew 1.3%.
Where Businesses Clusteri
Larger blocks have more businesses.
Local Specialization vs. Avery Avg.i
Industries sorted by relative concentration in this ZIP area.
Business Size Distributioni
377 businesses by employee count. 88.3% are small businesses (under 20 employees).
Micro (<5)
Small (5-9)
Small (10-19)
Medium (20-49)
Medium (50-99)
Large (100-249)
Economic Densityi
2.00+
jobs per resident
Capped: ZIP includes employers outside city limits
10.9
employees per business
County avg: 10.0+9%
$303K
payroll per resident
$433K
payroll per business
Sugar Mountain ZIP Area vs. Avg. Avery Co. Towni
All Industries in ZIP Areai
| Sector | Sugar Mountain ZIP | Avg. Avery Co. | Spec. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 56 | 26 | 0.9x |
| Food & Accommodation | 54 | 20 | 1.1x |
| Retail Trade | 51 | 23 | 0.9x |
| Real Estate | 47 | 18 | 1.1x |
| Professional Services | 32 | 13 | 1.0x |
| Arts & Entertainment | 26 | 9 | 1.2x |
| Admin Services | 24 | 12 | 0.8x |
| Other Services | 23 | 12 | 0.8x |
| Healthcare | 21 | 10 | 0.9x |
| Finance & Insurance | 10 | 4 | 1.0x |
| Manufacturing | 7 | 4 | 0.7x |
| Wholesale Trade | 6 | 3 | 0.8x |
| Information | 4 | 2 | 0.8x |