The Town Files

Beaufort County, North Carolina

44,499 people. The median home is worth $192,700 (typical North Carolina town: $228,900) and the median household earns $58,357.

Towns in Beaufort County

Towns in Beaufort County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
Washington9,875$206,800$40,18646.8
River Road4,048$232,800$46,35247.0
Belhaven1,410$103,000$32,64448.7
Cypress Landing1,257$440,000$83,78571.6
Chocowinity722$114,300$41,38236.1

People and housing

Beaufort CountyTypical North Carolina town
Median home value$192,700$228,900
Median rent$871$969
Median household income$58,357$60,458
Median age47.741.1
Bachelor's degree or higher21.2%24.5%
Below the poverty line17.8%14.3%

Jobs and pay

15,848 jobs in 2024, average pay $50,313 a year.

Largest industries in Beaufort CountyManufacturing2,235 jobs · $79,741Retail2,097 jobs · $32,640Health care & social assistan…1,569 jobs · $39,822Hotels & restaurants1,422 jobs · $19,220Construction1,061 jobs · $70,568Wholesale trade1,010 jobs · $57,760
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in Beaufort County0%2%4%6%8%10%12%2000200420082012201620202023 4%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 467 storm events in Beaufort County from 1996 to 2026, with 10 deaths.

Storm events in Beaufort County by type since 1996Hail128Flood7Drought14Tornado27Flash Flood22Funnel Cloud5Winter Storm25Excessive Heat7Tropical Storm15Storm Surge/Tide8
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

Beaufort County has been included in 32 FEMA declarations since 1953.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
January 24, 2026Winter StormEM-3637: Severe Winter Storm
September 26, 2024Tropical StormEM-3617: Hurricane Helene
August 6, 2024Tropical StormEM-3608: Tropical Storm Debby
October 1, 2022HurricaneEM-3586: Hurricane Ian
March 3, 2021Severe StormDR-4588: Tropical Storm Eta
October 14, 2020HurricaneDR-4568: Hurricane Isaias
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BLS QCEW and LAUS; NOAA Storm Events; FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA).