Mills River is a somewhat small town located in the state of North Carolina. With a population of 7,337 people and three associated neighborhoods, Mills River is the 127th largest community in North Carolina. Mills River has seen a significant amount of newer housing growth in recent years. Quite often, new home construction is the result of new residents moving in who are middle class or wealthier, attracted by jobs, a healthy local economy, or other amenities as they leave nearby or far away areas for greener pastures. This seems to be the case in Mills River, where the median household income is $88,359.00.

Mills River real estate is some of the most expensive in North Carolina, although Mills River house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.

Of important note, Mills River is also a town of artists. Mills River has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Mills River’s character.

A relatively large number of people in Mills River telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 9.88% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. 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.

Because of many things, Mills River is a very good place for families to consider. With an enviable combination of good schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who tend to support education because of their own experiences, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family properties, Mills River really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is Mills River perfect? Of course not, and if you like frenetic nightlife, it will be far from your cup of tea. But overall this is a solid community, with many things to recommend it as a family-friendly place to live.

Being a small town, Mills River does not have a public transit system used by locals to get to and from work.

The citizens of Mills River are among the most well-educated in the nation: 41.33% of adults in Mills River have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree, whereas the average US city has 21.84% holding at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Mills River in 2022 was $43,154, which is wealthy relative to North Carolina, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $172,616 for a family of four. However, Mills River contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Mills River is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Mills River home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Mills River residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Mills River include German, English, Irish, Italian, and Scottish.

The most common language spoken in Mills River is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Native American languages.