• county
  • FIPS 37031
  • Largest town: Morehead City

Carteret County, North Carolina

Carteret County had 70,259 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 507.6 square miles of land. It ranks 39th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 41st by land area.

Population
70,259
#39 of 100 in North Carolina · #787 in US
Area
507.6 sq mi
#41 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,046 in US
Density
138 / sq mi
#45 of 100 in North Carolina · #735 in US
Median household income
$76,397
#17 of 100 in North Carolina · #610 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Carteret County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Carteret County

Carteret County population, land area and income

Carteret County had 70,259 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 507.6 square miles of land. It ranks 39th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 41st by land area. That works out to 138.4 people per square mile, 1.4 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents; Carteret County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $76,397 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

70,259

3144th1st

787th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

508 sq mi

3144th1st

2046th of 3,144 (US)

Density

138.4 / sq mi

3144th1st

735th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$76,397

3143rd1st

610th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

70,259

100th1st

39th of 100 (NC)

Land area

508 sq mi

100th1st

41st of 100 (NC)

Density

138.4 / sq mi

100th1st

45th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$76,397

100th1st

17th of 100 (NC)

How Carteret County's population changed since 2020

Carteret County gained 2,564 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 3.8%. That ranks 40th of 100 in North Carolina for growth. The median North Carolina county changed by +2.7%, and the state as a whole by +5.7%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Carteret County recorded 2,072 births and 4,301 deaths, a natural change of -2,229. Net international migration added +329 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +4,482. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 4,482 people.

67.7k202068.7k202169.4k202269.7k202370.3k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
2,072
Deaths
4,301
Net international migration
+329
Net domestic migration
+4,482
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+547

Where Carteret County is

The Census internal point of Carteret County is at 34.858300, -76.535900. It sits in UTM zone 18N. The map shades North Carolina's 100 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Carteret County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Scotland County: +1.4%Rockingham County: +2.5%Franklin County: +15.6%Caswell County: -0.5%Stokes County: +2.9%Granville County: +2.3%Edgecombe County: +0.7%Randolph County: +2.8%Alexander County: +0.8%Person County: +2.4%Cherokee County: +5.2%Ashe County: +2.5%Davidson County: +5.2%Cabarrus County: +7.8%Mecklenburg County: +8.1%Burke County: +1.5%Cumberland County: +0.4%Northampton County: -4.9%Buncombe County: +3.5%Wilson County: +0.8%Bladen County: +0.5%Pitt County: +4.1%Yancey County: +2.7%Stanly County: +7.4%Harnett County: +9.3%Wilkes County: +0.5%Tyrrell County: +8.8%Pamlico County: +1.9%Hoke County: +6.0%Transylvania County: +2.5%Carteret County: +3.8%Durham County: +6.5%Anson County: +1.8%Pender County: +15.6%Alamance County: +6.7%Polk County: +4.9%Lenoir County: +0.5%Washington County: -3.0%Avery County: -0.0%Hyde County: +1.5%Gates County: -1.4%Davie County: +5.8%Jackson County: +7.4%Montgomery County: +2.5%Martin County: -2.0%Pasquotank County: +2.9%Perquimans County: +3.4%Cleveland County: +2.3%Sampson County: +2.3%Catawba County: +3.8%Alleghany County: +4.5%Robeson County: +2.3%Macon County: +4.4%Clay County: +8.0%Haywood County: +1.3%Duplin County: +3.8%Henderson County: +3.6%Craven County: +2.6%Warren County: +2.6%Graham County: +1.7%Union County: +9.9%Wayne County: +2.2%Gaston County: +5.9%Guilford County: +3.7%Yadkin County: +2.0%Watauga County: +1.0%Rowan County: +4.4%Swain County: -1.1%Chatham County: +9.4%Bertie County: -4.4%Halifax County: -2.9%Forsyth County: +4.1%Onslow County: +3.8%Dare County: +3.1%Chowan County: +1.3%Brunswick County: +20.9%Johnston County: +14.9%Orange County: +6.4%Currituck County: +13.6%New Hanover County: +7.5%Richmond County: -1.7%Vance County: -0.5%Iredell County: +9.9%Lincoln County: +12.0%Caldwell County: +0.2%McDowell County: +1.6%Rutherford County: +1.9%Mitchell County: +0.9%Moore County: +8.1%Columbus County: -0.8%Lee County: +8.1%Greene County: +1.1%Madison County: +5.0%Camden County: +7.5%Hertford County: -12.0%Beaufort County: -0.3%Jones County: +3.5%Wake County: +9.0%Nash County: +3.0%Surry County: +0.2%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +0.5%
  2. < +2.3%
  3. < +3.7%
  4. < +7.4%
  5. ≥ +7.4%
no data

Orange pin: Carteret County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
34.858300, -76.535900
DMS
34°51'29.88"N 76°32'9.24"W
UTM
18N 359599.5E 3858405.0N
Geohash
dq1w63u22
Plus code
8765VF57+8J

Towns in Carteret County

8 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Carteret County, 30,337 people together, or 43% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Carteret County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Morehead City with 9,963.

  1. 01Morehead City9,963
  2. 02Beaufort4,895
  3. 03Newport4,501
  4. 04Emerald Isle4,001
  5. 05Cape Carteret2,288
  6. 06Cedar Point1,833
  7. 07Pine Knoll Shores1,435
  8. 08Atlantic Beach1,421
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Carteret County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Carteret County. The most populous is Onslow County, NC, with 212,954 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 134.6 miles WNW of Carteret County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Wilmington, NC (population 125,284), 89.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Havelock, NC (population 17,407), 20.9 miles away.

Carteret County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Carteret County is 37031: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 031. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $76,397.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Carteret County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 70,259. That is up 2,564 people (3.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 67,695.

What is the FIPS code of Carteret County?

37031. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (031) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Carteret County?

Morehead City, with 9,963 residents inside Carteret County in 2024.

Which counties border Carteret County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Onslow County, NC; Craven County, NC; Pamlico County, NC; Jones County, NC; Hyde County, NC.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.