Beaufort County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Beaufort County, NC Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 70% of counties in North Carolina
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D
Income Well below average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Beaufort County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 44,493 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 46.2 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.84% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 45.3 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 19,382 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Beaufort County declined by 3.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 44,493 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Beaufort County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 24.6% of residents. That is 7.6 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 7,934 17.8% -4.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 7,554 17.0% -4.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 9,597 21.6% +1.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 10,952 24.6% +7.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below North Carolina, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 52.2% of the people living in Beaufort County and men 47.8%.
- Women 52.2% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 47.8% North Carolina 48.9%
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100% of everyone living in Beaufort County
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Economy
Beaufort County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Beaufort County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,253 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.52% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.9% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Beaufort County is about 20% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Beaufort County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $92,916 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $870 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 69.5% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Beaufort County is about 8.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $870 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Beaufort County spend about 40 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 167 hours, about 7.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Beaufort County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.0 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 40.1 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 167 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,177 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.9% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,985 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 574 | 1,609 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
North Carolina:
Macon County (17.2 min), Watauga County (17.2 min), Dare County (17.4 min).
Slowest:
Gates County (35.9 min), Currituck County (33.9 min), Tyrrell County (33.6 min).
The average commute time in Beaufort County is 20 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in North Carolina.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Beaufort County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Beaufort County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 18.1% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.27 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
North Carolina:
Orange County (0.5), Wake County (0.4), Durham County (0.4).
Lowest:
Hyde County (0.2), Greene County (0.2), Tyrrell County (0.2).
Health
Beaufort County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Beaufort County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.5 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.8% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.7% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
North Carolina:
Orange County (0.8), Wake County (0.8), Watauga County (0.8).
Lowest:
Robeson County (0.8), Lenoir County (0.8), Halifax County (0.8).
Beaufort County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Beaufort County, NC is the 3rd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 44,493 residents against a local median of 102,613. Where Beaufort County, NC breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 41% below the local median of $157,720 at $92,916.
The counties themselves spread $171,486 on median home price, so Beaufort County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Beaufort County, NC has the 3rd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaufort County, NC | 44,493 | $58,253 #2/4 | $92,916 #3/4 | 20.0 min #3/4 |
| Craven County, NC | 102,613 | $65,003 | $78,096 | 17.8 min |
| Martin County, NC | 21,644 | $48,856 | $157,720 | 23.5 min |
| Pitt County, NC | 177,193 | $57,898 | $249,582 | 17.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Beaufort County, North Carolina.
How big is Beaufort County, North Carolina by population?
About 44,493 people live in Beaufort County, North Carolina, in 19,382 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 45.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 8 years.
How densely populated is Beaufort County, North Carolina?
Averaged over its land area, Beaufort County, North Carolina has 46 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 53% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Beaufort County, North Carolina an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.6 times the median household income ($92,916 against $58,253), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $870 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Beaufort County, North Carolina?
Unemployment in Beaufort County, North Carolina is only 3.9%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How common is a college degree in Beaufort County, North Carolina?
18.1% of adults in Beaufort County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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