According to Riverbird Research, the concentration of jobs in the agriculture industry across an 18-county area of WNC was on par with the national average in 2022.

The 2017-2022 jobs growth rate of 19% outpaced the state’s overall 1% rate of change, supporting the employment of 4,409 individuals earning an average annual wage of $35,114 excluding supplements.

The agriculture industry in Henderson County supported 1,918 of those jobs in 2022, followed by Buncombe County’s agricultural businesses which supported 852 of those jobs.