Economic Intelligence | Any Geography

Carteret County, NC

Welcome to Carteret County.

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Carteret County is the third largest by geography, among 100 counties in North Carolina.

Total GDP for the county increased 23%, in the five years ending in 2022, to reach $3.1 billion.

Between 2000 and 2024 presidential elections, Carteret County voted for Republican candidates six out of six times and never voted for a Democratic candidate.

Carteret County comprises Morehead City, NC micropolitan area.

The largest city in the county is Newport.

Surrounding counties and county equivalents include: Craven County, Hyde County, Jones County, Onslow County, and Pamlico County.

Presidential Election

🔵 Democrat    🔴 Republican

Election Year
Candidates (Party)*
Votes (% Total)Landslide
Scale**
🔵🔴
2000
🔴George W. Bush
🔵Al Gore
33.4%65.69%++
2004
🔴George W. Bush
🔵John Kerry
30.23%69.27%++
2008
🔵Barack Obama
🔴John McCain
32.17%66.86%++
2012
🔵Barack Obama
🔴Mitt Romney
29%69.76%++
2016
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Hillary Clinton
26.31%70.32%++
2020
🔵Joe Biden
🔴Donald Trump
28.32%70.33%++
2024
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Kamala Harris
Notes:
*Presidential Tickets
2000 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D) Al Gore & Joe Lieberman
2004 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D)John Kerry & John Edwards
2008 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) John McCain & Sarah Palin
2012 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan
2016 (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence; (D) Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine
2020 (D) Joe Biden & Kamala Harris; (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence
2024 (R) Donald Trump & JD Vance; (D) Kamala Harris & Tim Waltz
**Landslide Scale (county)
+ Victory margin was less than 20 percent
++ Victory margin was between 20 to 49 percentage points of more votes
+++ Victory margin was more than half but below three quarters
++++ Victory margin was three quarters or more

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Economic Significance

Key IndustryAs %
County GDP
GDP
Growth*
County GDP1100%23%
Government
Enterprises
16%23%
Private Industries84%22%
Agriculture<1%-57%
Mining<1%4746%
Utilities1%43%
Construction6%62%
Manufacturing8%-20%
– Durable8%-21%
– Nondurable<1%7%
Trade14%30%
– Wholesale2%-21%
– Retail11%48%
Transportation1%38%
Information1%-1%
Finance & Insurance5%27%
Real Estate22%15%
Professional &
Business Services
7%43%
Educational Services1%2%
Healthcare &
Social Services
7%34%
Arts, Recreation &
Entertainment
1%34%
Accommodation &
Food Services
6%40%
Other Services23%31%
Notes:
*Growth rates are based on most recent five-year value available and are updated dynamically
1. All industry total.
2. Includes various repairs, maintenance, personal care, religious organizations, social and professional organizations etc.

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Local Vibrancy

Total*Vibrancy
Indicator
(1-100)**
🚙 Automobile Dealers1569
🪑 Furniture &
Home Furnishings
2272
📺 Electronics & Appliance545
🛒 Grocery Stores2877
🍾 Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores860
⚕️ Health & Personal Care2171
⛽ Gasoline Stations4180
👕 Clothing Stores2570
👠 Shoe Stores434
🧳 Luggage, Leather Goods & Jewelry646
🏸 Sporting Goods1676
📚 Book Stores & News Dealers556
🏬 Department Stores2277
💐 Florists
🎁 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops1778
🐕 Pet & Pet Supplies 547
🍺 Bars & Taverns1266
🍽️ Full-service restaurants11686
🍔 Limited-service restaurants6376
🏠 Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers6480
🛏️ Traveler Accommodation2881
Notes:
* Total counts of establishments are places of business.
** Vibrancy score is based on comparisons of relevant establishments per square mile of land area among all counties and county equivalents in the United States; A score of 100 means the county is in the top one percentile.

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Wealth Indicators

Household Income by Distribution
As % County’s
Total Household Income
Average Household Income
Maximum Household Income
Top 5%114%$245,300 N/A
Top 20%40%$176,600 $185,800
Next highest 20%25%$109,700 $129,000
Middle 20%18%$80,300 $91,500
Second lowest 20%12%$50,800 $70,500
Bottom 20%5%$23,700 $37,000
Notes:
1. Households with aggregate income above 95% of all households in the county
% Total
Households
Average Household
Income*
Wages & Salaries75%$85,400
Self-Employment8%$16,600
Investment Income116%Below $10,000
Social Security40%$22,200
Supplemental Security3%Below $10,000
Public AssistanceLess than 1%Below $10,000
Retirement30%$30,600
Notes:
* Calculation based on households claim to have specific source of income; Households may have more than one source of income
1Includes interest, dividends, and net rental income

Under
25*
Age 25
to 49*
Age 50
to 64*
Age 65
& Older*
Below
$25K
1%2%6%8%
$25K
– $49K
1%4%7%9%
$50K
– $99K
1%7%11%12%
$100K
– $199K
<1%7%10%7%
$200K
& more
<1%1%4%2%
Notes:
* Age of heads of households

 

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Median Earnings by Worker Characteristics
Race/EthnicityMaleFemale
Non-Hispanic White$52,100 $39,700
African-American$40,600 $39,400
Hispanic$38,400
Asian$38,200 $18,000
Level of Education MaleFemale
Below Highschool$31,100
Highschool & GED$46,900 $24,800
Some College to
Associate’s
$60,300 $46,000
College/Bachelor’s
Degree
$82,500 $47,700
Graduate Degree$73,700 $60,500
OccupationMaleFemale
White-Collar1$71,000 $48,400
STEM2$55,600
Gray-Collar3$61,500 $50,200
Pink-Collar4Below $10,000
Sales5$24,000 $46,700
Blue-Collar6$42,000 $56,100
Notes:
1. Management, business, science, and arts occupations
2. Computer, engineering, and science occupations
3. Protective service occupations including firefighters and law enforcement
4. Personal care and service occupations
5. Sales and sales related
6.Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

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Climate Risks

Disaster CategoryNatural Hazard
Risk Rating
Annual Loss
Per Capita
Avalanche
Coastal Flooding++$
Cold Waves
Drought+
Earthquake+$
Hail+$
Heat Waves+++$
Hurricane+++$$$$
Ice Storm++$
Landslide+
Lightning++$
Riverine Flooding++$
Strong Wind+$
Tornado+$
Tsunami
Volcanic Activity
Wildfires++$
Winter Weather+++$
Notes:
Locations with insufficient data or not rated are left blank.
+: Very low to Relatively low risk ratings
++: Relatively moderate
+++: Relatively high
++++: Very high
$: Expected per capita annual loss from the natural disaster is below $100
$$: $100-499
$$$: $500-999
$$$$: $1,000 and more

 

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