2024 BRFSS Survey Results: Western North Carolina

Cognitive Decline

During the past 12 months, have you experienced difficulties with thinking or memory that are happening more often or are getting worse?*

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  Total
Respond.^
Yes No
N % C.I.(95%) N % C.I.(95%)
North Carolina 2,259 288 12.4 10.9-14.2 1,971 87.6 85.8-89.1
Western 495 75 16.2 12.3-21.0 420 83.8 79.0-87.7
GENDER
Male 200 31 15.1 10.2-21.8 169 84.9 78.2-89.8
Female 295 44 17.0 11.7-24.1 251 83.0 75.9-88.3
RACE
Non-Hispanic White 443 69 16.7 12.6-21.8 374 83.3 78.2-87.4
Non-Hispanic Black 18 *** *** *** *** *** ***
Other 30 *** *** *** *** *** ***
AGE
45-54 100 *** *** *** *** *** ***
55-64 108 21 20.1 12.5-30.6 87 79.9 69.4-87.5
65-74 130 17 14.5 8.5-23.8 113 85.5 76.2-91.5
75+ 149 *** *** *** *** *** ***
EDUCATION
Less Than H.S. 47 *** *** *** *** *** ***
H.S. or G.E.D. 96 *** *** *** *** *** ***
Some Post-H.S. 143 22 15.2 9.3-23.6 121 84.8 76.4-90.7
College Graduate 208 35 17.0 12.0-23.5 173 83.0 76.5-88.0
FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY
Yes 223 59 27.6 20.5-36.0 164 72.4 64.0-79.5
No 265 *** *** *** *** *** ***
VETERAN STATUS
Veteran 50 *** *** *** *** *** ***
Non-Veteran 444 65 15.8 11.7-20.9 379 84.2 79.1-88.3
EMPLOYMENT STATUS
Employed or Self-Employed 159 *** *** *** *** *** ***
Unemployed 12 *** *** *** *** *** ***
Retired 260 43 19.8 13.6-27.9 217 80.2 72.1-86.4
Unable to Work 46 *** *** *** *** *** ***
Other not in Labor Force 14 *** *** *** *** *** ***
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Less than $15,000 18 *** *** *** *** *** ***
$15,000- 24,999 39 *** *** *** *** *** ***
$25,000- 34,999 41 *** *** *** *** *** ***
$35,000- 49,999 73 *** *** *** *** *** ***
$50,000- 74,999 54 *** *** *** *** *** ***
$75,000+ 129 20 14.3 8.7-22.6 109 85.7 77.4-91.3
Don't know/Not sure or Refused 141 22 21.8 13.3-33.7 119 78.2 66.3-86.7
POVERTY LEVEL2
Less than 50% 8 *** *** *** *** *** ***
50% to 100% 24 *** *** *** *** *** ***
101% to 150% 56 *** *** *** *** *** ***
151% to 200% 27 *** *** *** *** *** ***
More than 200% 237 39 15.2 10.5-21.5 198 84.8 78.5-89.5
Don't know/Not sure or Refused 141 22 21.8 13.3-33.7 119 78.2 66.3-86.7
HOUSING
Own 408 61 15.3 11.3-20.4 347 84.7 79.6-88.7
Rent 68 *** *** *** *** *** ***
Other arrangement 16 *** *** *** *** *** ***
RURAL-URBAN RESIDENT1
Regional City or Suburban County 137 22 13.7 8.2-21.8 115 86.3 78.2-91.8
Rural 358 53 17.0 12.3-23.0 305 83.0 77.0-87.7
NC DEPT OF COMMERCE COUNTY TIER3
Most Distressed Counties (Tier 1) 70 *** *** *** *** *** ***
Less Distressed Counties (Tier 2) 288 42 16.4 11.4-23.2 246 83.6 76.8-88.6
Least Distressed Counties (Tier 3) 137 22 13.7 8.2-21.8 115 86.3 78.2-91.8
CDC SOCIAL VULNERABILITY INDEX4
1st Quartile - Least Vulnerable 282 40 14.0 9.8-19.7 242 86.0 80.3-90.2
2nd Quartile 83 *** *** *** *** *** ***
3rd Quartile 130 22 19.4 11.6-30.6 108 80.6 69.4-88.4

Back to Cognitive Decline.

*Asked only of Respondents aged 45 or older.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to changes in the weighting methodology and other factors, results from 2024 are NOT comparable to 2010
and earlier years.

***The estimate was suppressed because it did not meet statistical reliability standards. See BRFSS 2024 Annual Results Technical Notes for more details.

1Based on U.S Census Bureau population estimates at the county level. Please see the BRFSS 2024 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

2Based on 2024 U.S Census Bureau poverty threshold incomes. Please see the BRFSS 2024 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

3NC Dept. of Commerce County Tier Classification, based on respondent’s county of residence.
Please see the BRFSS 2024 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

4Quartile of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Social Vulnerability Index
(https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/placeandhealth/svi/index.html) for respondent’s county of residence.
Please see the BRFSS 2024 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

^Use caution in interpreting cell sizes less than 50, % = Percentage, C.I.(95%) = Confidence Interval (at 95 percent probability level).
Percentages are weighted to population characteristics and therefore cannot be calculated exactly from the numbers in this table.

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This page was generated on 18SEP25.

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