Beaufort County, NC

County

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2024 Population

44,499

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

47.7

1.27% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

17.8%

1.07% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$58,357

0.621% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$192,700

6.35% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

19,597

1.31% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Beaufort County, NC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

97.5% of the residents in Beaufort County, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Beaufort County, NC are Beaufort County Community College (690 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Beaufort County, NC was $192,700, and the homeownership rate was 69.5%.

Most people in Beaufort County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 24.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Beaufort County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Beaufort County, NC borders Craven County, NC, Hyde County, NC, Martin County, NC, Pamlico County, NC, Pitt County, NC, and Washington County, NC.

United States North Carolina Washington, NC

Population & Diversity

Beaufort County, NC is home to a population of 44.5k people, from which 97.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 3.63% of Beaufort County, NC residents were born outside of the country (1.62k people).

In 2024, there were 2.91 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (29.5k people) in Beaufort County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 10.1k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.54k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.5%

2024 Citizenship

97.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.5% of Beaufort County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Beaufort County, NC was 97.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Beaufort County, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Beaufort County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
29.5k ± 93
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
10.1k ± 314
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
1.54k ± 607

7.89%

Hispanic Population

3.51k people

7.89% of the people in Beaufort County, NC are hispanic (3.51k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Beaufort County, NC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for North Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
224,963 ± 11,520 people
India
83,219 ± 7,055 people
Honduras
48,247 ± 5,380 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 224,963 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 83,219 and Honduras with 48,247.

Foreign-Born Population

3.63%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.62k people

3.44%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.54k people

As of 2024, 3.63% of Beaufort County, NC residents (1.62k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Beaufort County, NC was 3.44%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Beaufort County, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,339 ± 309
Gulf War (2001-)
567 ± 175
Gulf War (1990s)
468 ± 160

Beaufort County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.36 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Beaufort County, NC.

Economy

The economy of Beaufort County, NC employs 19.6k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Beaufort County, NC were Health Care & Social Assistance (2,991 people), Manufacturing (2,811 people), and Retail Trade (2,175 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($91,042), Information ($86,196), and Wholesale Trade ($70,983).

Employment

Occupations

19.6k

2024 Value

± 1,124

1.31%

1 Year growth

± 8.05%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Beaufort County, NC grew at a rate of 1.31%, from 19.3k employees to 19.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Beaufort County, NC, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,183 people), Sales & Related Occupations (2,068 people), and Management Occupations (1,859 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Beaufort County, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

19.6k

2024 Value

± 1,124

1.31%

1 Year growth

± 8.05%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Beaufort County, NC grew at a rate of 1.31%, from 19.3k employees to 19.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Beaufort County, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (2,991 people), Manufacturing (2,811 people), and Retail Trade (2,175 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Beaufort County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Beaufort County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$46,442

Median earning men ± $4,512

$35,501

Median earning women ± $1,493

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($87,174), Wholesale Trade ($73,523), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($68,526).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($70,833), Information ($57,250), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($48,156).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

Y-Axis

3.04%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.86M people employed in North Carolina. This represents a 3.04% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in North Carolina.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

87
Other Services (except Public Administration)
85
Retail Trade
75
Construction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$200k
Manufacturing
$88.7k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$65.2k
Construction

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2023, universities in Beaufort County, NC awarded 690 degrees. The student population of Beaufort County, NC in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 610 male students and 1,175 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Beaufort County, NC are White (400 and 58%), Black or African American (185 and 26.8%), Hispanic or Latino (63 and 9.13%), and Unknown (18 and 2.61%).

The largest universities in Beaufort County, NC by number of degrees awarded are Beaufort County Community College (690 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Beaufort County, NC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (131 and 19%), General Business Administration & Management (105 and 15.2%), and Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities (99 and 14.3%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 1,785 students enrolled in Beaufort County, NC, 34.2% men and 65.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 916 records, of which 61.1% were women and 38.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
131 degrees awarded
Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities
99 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
27 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Beaufort County, NC was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 131 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Beaufort County, NC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Beaufort County Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

690 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Beaufort County Community College with 690 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 169 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Beaufort County, NC, which is 0.324 times less than the 521 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 400 degrees mean that there were 2.16 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 185 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($2,432) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($108) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,930) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Beaufort County, NC was $192,700 in 2024, which is 0.579 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $181,200 to $192,700, a 6.35% increase. The homeownership rate in Beaufort County, NC is 69.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Beaufort County, NC have an average commute time of 24.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Beaufort County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 14.8% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Beaufort County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.799%.

Housing

Property

$192,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$9,447

$13,478

Median Property Taxes

±$803

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Beaufort County, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Beaufort County, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

69.5%

Homeownership

2024

59.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 69.5% of the housing units in Beaufort County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 70.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Beaufort County, NC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$58,357

Median Household Income

± $3,205

19.4k

Number of Households

± 1,067

In 2024, the median household income of the 19.4k households in Beaufort County, NC grew to $58,357 from the previous year's value of $57,997.

The following chart displays the households in Beaufort County, NC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Beaufort County, NC is from North Carolina.

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.47

2022 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2023, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.467 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.639% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Carolina in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in North Carolina across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (82.4%)
Worked At Home (8.95%)
Carpooled (6.17%)

In 2024, 82.4% of workers in Beaufort County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (8.95%) and those who carpooled to work (6.17%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

24.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Beaufort County, NC have a shorter commute time (24.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.52% of the workforce in Beaufort County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Beaufort County, NC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Beaufort County, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Beaufort County, NC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 14.8% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Beaufort County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.799%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

17.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Beaufort County, NC (7.82k out of 43.9k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Beaufort County, NC is Black, followed by White and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 30.5% of the children was living in poverty in Beaufort County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.2%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 298 in Beaufort County, NC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 86.1 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

91% of the population of Beaufort County, NC has health coverage, with 29.8% on employee plans, 22.2% on Medicaid, 17.7% on Medicare, 19.7% on non-group plans, and 1.6% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Beaufort County, NC see 1,933 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,933 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2604 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 483 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.7% were men and 52.3% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,933 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Beaufort County, NC

Primary care physicians in Beaufort County, NC see an average of 1,933 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,933 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Beaufort County, NC in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.4% under 18 years, 15.9% between 18 and 34 years, 38.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 25.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.7% were men and 52.3% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

9.02%

Uninsured

29.8%

Employer Coverage

22.2%

Medicaid

17.7%

Medicare

19.7%

Non-Group

1.6%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Beaufort County, NC declined by 14.4% from 10.5% to 9.02%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Beaufort County, NC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 93.7 in Beaufort County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Beaufort County, NC.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 38.3% in Beaufort County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Beaufort County, NC.