Across the 18-county region, retirement-related industries supported 13,865 jobs in 2025, up about 2 percent from 2020. The sector included 891 payroll business locations, with an average annual wage of $43,016. The region’s concentration of retirement-industry jobs was about 96 percent of the national average in 2025. While employment grew during the five-year period, the region’s 2 percent growth lagged behind North Carolina’s 10 percent increase. 

By 2030, the state is projected to have 2.4 million residents age 65 and older, an increase of 282,000 from 2025. Older adults will then outnumber children in the state. That shift is particularly visible in Henderson County, where Carolina Village President and CEO Kevin Parries said population trends are a central reason the nonprofit Life Plan Community is planning an expansion expected to open in 2029.

“Demand and demographics are driving the need for expansion,” Parries said.

About one-quarter of Henderson County’s population is already age 65 or older, Parries noted, and state demographic analysis projects more than 32 percent of the county will be age 60 or older by 2030. He also pointed to research projecting North Carolina’s 65-and-older population will grow from about 1.9 million to 3 million by 2050, a 57 percent increase.

Carolina Village’s own experience provides another measure of that demand. The Hendersonville community has a growing waiting list and is planning 60 additional independent-living residences along with expanded wellness and community amenities.

Growth in the older population, however, means more than demand for housing. It also increases the need for services that help people remain healthy and independent. Vivian Gettys, Chronic Disease Project Manager at the NC Center for Health and Wellness at UNC Asheville, identified chronic health conditions, loss of loved ones and social isolation among the stressors facing older adults. Behavioral health workforce shortages, geographic distance, and transportation can make accessing care particularly difficult in rural communities.

A new $1.2 million, three-year grant to the center will expand chronic disease self-management education and behavioral health supports across North Carolina. The work is designed in part to better connect aging and disability service providers with behavioral health organizations, recognizing that physical health, mental health and the practical needs of daily life are often intertwined.

“Collaborative partnerships in North Carolina are essential for creating a holistic, accessible, and person-centered approach to promote older adult health and well-being,” Gettys said. “Partner organizations work collectively to improve access to care and empower older adults by bolstering confidence to manage their health, stay independent, and maintain wellness.”

The industry’s workforce can provide another kind of connection. Julie Chapman, community marketing manager at Always Best Care WNC, entered caregiving after decades in tech sales.

“After decades in a high pressure, corporate environment where I worked remotely, I needed a job that would feed my soul,” Chapman said. “I wanted to do something that felt meaningful, something that connected me to my local community.”

The region's retirement industry is facing a heavy responsibility as WNC ages: the provision of housing, caregivers, health and behavioral health services, transportation and community-based programs that allow a growing population of older adults remain healthy, independent and connected.