Nearby Evolved Stars Survey. III.

Comparison with a large combined literature sample finds that high mass-loss rate and especially carbon-rich sources are over-represented in literature, while NESS is probing significantly more sources at low mass-loss rates, detecting 59 sources in CO for the first time and providing useful upper limits on non- detections. CO line detection rates are 81% for the CO (2-1) line and 75% for CO (3-2). The majority (82%) of detected lines conform to the expected soft parabola shape, while eleven sources show a double wind.

Calculated mass-loss rates show power-law relations with both the dust-production rates and expansion velocities, up to a mass-loss rate saturation value ~5x10^-6^M_{sun}_/yr. Median gas-to-dust ratios of 250 and 680 are found for oxygen-rich and carbon-rich sources, respectively. Our analysis of CO observations in this first data release highlights the importance of our volume-limited approach in characterizing the local AGB population as a whole.