Morehead City, NC

Census Place

2024 Population

9,806

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

44.2

0.227% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

18.1%

4.31% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$56,233

4.68% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$357,400

Population & Diversity

Morehead City, NC is home to a population of 9.81k people, from which 98% are citizens.

As of 2024, 4% of Morehead City, NC residents were born outside of the country (392 people).

In 2024, there were 12.5 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (7.59k people) in Morehead City, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 606 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 527 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98%

2024 Citizenship

98.1%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98% of Morehead City, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Morehead City, NC was 98.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Morehead City, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
7.59k ± 367
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
606 ± 224
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
527 ± 178

9.44%

Hispanic Population

926 people

9.44% of the people in Morehead City, NC are hispanic (926 people).

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

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
228,441 ± 11,609 people
India
90,815 ± 7,367 people
Honduras
52,061 ± 5,588 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 228,441 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 90,815 and Honduras with 52,061.

Foreign-Born Population

2024 Foreign-Born Population

392 people

4.29%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

416 people

As of 2024, 4% of Morehead City, NC residents (392 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 Morehead City, NC was 4.29%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
296 ± 109
Vietnam
167 ± 73
Gulf War (1990s)
83 ± 48

Morehead City, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.77 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Morehead City, NC.

Economy

The economy of Morehead City, NC employs 4.78k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Morehead City, NC were Health Care & Social Assistance (866 people), Other Services, Except Public Administration (417 people), and Retail Trade (416 people), and the highest paying industries were Wholesale Trade ($130,625), Transportation & Warehousing ($95,042), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($78,397).

Employment

Occupations

4.78k

2024 Value

± 490

4.46%

1 Year growth

± 13.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Morehead City, NC grew at a rate of 4.46%, from 4.57k employees to 4.78k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Morehead City, NC, are Management Occupations (533 people), Sales & Related Occupations (479 people), and Business & Financial Operations Occupations (402 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Morehead City, 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

4.78k

2024 Value

± 490

4.46%

1 Year growth

± 13.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Morehead City, NC grew at a rate of 4.46%, from 4.57k employees to 4.78k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Morehead City, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (866 people), Other Services, Except Public Administration (417 people), and Retail Trade (416 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Morehead City, NC, though some of these residents may live in Morehead City, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,585

Median earning men ± $11,288

$38,100

Median earning women ± $4,626

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($131,875), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($79,295), and Public Administration ($75,982).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($83,333), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($66,121), and Construction ($54,750).

Education

The student population of Morehead City, NC in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 584 male students and 1,030 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Morehead City, NC are White (419 and 76.5%), Hispanic or Latino (48 and 8.76%), Black or African American (40 and 7.3%), and Two or More Races (19 and 3.47%).

The largest universities in Morehead City, NC by number of degrees awarded are Carteret Community College (550 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Morehead City, NC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (86 and 15.6%), General Business Administration & Management (43 and 7.82%), and Other Mental, Social Health Services, & Allied Professions (41 and 7.45%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 1,614 students enrolled in Morehead City, NC, 36.2% men and 63.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,182 records, of which 63.3% were women and 36.7% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
31 degrees awarded
General Applied Horticulture Operations
25 degrees awarded
Aesthetician & Skin Care Specialist
24 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years recipients in Morehead City, NC was General Business Administration & Management with 31 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years from schools in Morehead City, NC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Carteret Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

550 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Carteret Community College with 550 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 225 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Morehead City, NC, which is 0.692 times less than the 325 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 419 degrees mean that there were 8.73 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 48 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 ($2,128) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($182) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,400) 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 Morehead City, NC was $357,400 in 2024, which is 1.07 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $330,900 to $357,400, a 8.01% increase. The homeownership rate in Morehead City, NC is 46.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Morehead City, NC have an average commute time of 18.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Morehead City, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$357,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$28,587

$2,413

Median Property Taxes

±$267

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 Morehead City, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

46.7%

Homeownership

2024

66.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 46.7% of the housing units in Morehead City, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 47.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Morehead City, 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.

$56,233

Median Household Income

± $3,697

5.17k

Number of Households

± 497

In 2024, the median household income of the 5.17k households in Morehead City, NC grew to $56,233 from the previous year's value of $53,718.

The following chart displays the households in Morehead City, 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 $100k - $125k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Morehead City, NC is from North Carolina.

0.466

2024 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2024, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.466 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.16% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 (81.9%)
Worked At Home (12.1%)
Carpooled (3.46%)

In 2024, 81.9% of workers in Morehead City, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (12.1%) and those who carpooled to work (3.46%).

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

18.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Morehead City, NC have a shorter commute time (18.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.632% of the workforce in Morehead City, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

18.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Morehead City, NC (1.75k out of 9.64k 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 25 - 34, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Morehead City, NC is White, followed by Two Or More and Black.

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

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

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

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