The Town Files

Carteret County, North Carolina

69,148 people. The median home is worth $333,300 (typical North Carolina town: $228,900) and the median household earns $72,322.

Towns in Carteret County

Towns in Carteret County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
Morehead City9,556$357,400$56,23344.2
Beaufort4,464$354,900$53,32155.0
Newport4,364$233,600$56,35144.1
Emerald Isle3,847$603,700$89,77360.3
Cape Carteret2,224$375,700$86,13646.3
Broad Creek1,968$244,200$57,50052.4
Cedar Point1,764$423,700$98,75047.0
Pine Knoll Shores1,388$592,300$109,37564.2
Atlantic Beach1,364$498,400$70,40256.6
Brandywine Bay1,153$371,500$105,00058.8
Harkers Island1,127$313,100$60,00061.5
Peletier769$208,500$55,89340.8
Bogue695$291,100$93,51650.0

People and housing

Carteret CountyTypical North Carolina town
Median home value$333,300$228,900
Median rent$1,108$969
Median household income$72,322$60,458
Median age50.541.1
Bachelor's degree or higher34.5%24.5%
Below the poverty line10.1%14.3%

Jobs and pay

25,022 jobs in 2024, average pay $45,708 a year.

Largest industries in Carteret CountyHotels & restaurants4,617 jobs · $25,243Retail4,343 jobs · $33,967Health care & social assistan…2,303 jobs · $59,778Construction1,627 jobs · $52,230Administrative & support1,222 jobs · $39,697Professional & technical serv…961 jobs · $82,218
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in Carteret County0%2%4%6%8%10%2000200420082012201620202023 3.2%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 462 storm events in Carteret County from 1996 to 2026, with 13 deaths.

Storm events in Carteret County by type since 1996Hail73Flood15Drought9Tornado62High Wind5Heavy Rain5Flash Flood53Rip Current8Winter Storm6Excessive Heat10
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

Carteret County has been included in 30 FEMA declarations since 1953.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
January 24, 2026Winter StormEM-3637: Severe Winter Storm
October 19, 2024Tropical StormDR-4837: Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight
September 26, 2024Tropical StormEM-3617: Hurricane Helene
August 6, 2024Tropical StormEM-3608: Tropical Storm Debby
October 1, 2022HurricaneEM-3586: Hurricane Ian
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).