Emerald Isle, North Carolina demographics

Emerald Isle, NC demographics: median age 60.3; 57.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree. Age, race, households, languages and education, ACS 2020–2024 with margins of error.

ACS 2020–2024 · Emerald Isle town, North Carolina · Incorporated town · GEOID 3721160. The survey estimates a population of 3,934 for its five-year window. This is separate from the annual July 2025 population estimate on the city overview.

Median age in Emerald Isle is 60.3 years, with a 90% margin of error of 2.0 years. There are 1,940 households (±95). Age and household distributions show how these totals are composed; they do not establish which neighborhood suits a particular person.

Every count and share is an estimate. “±” is a 90% margin of error (MOE); pp means percentage points. Derived shares use the category count divided by the named universe. Aggregated category MOEs and percentage MOEs are approximate. A margin larger than half its estimate is flagged as low precision. Blank source uncertainty is shown as unavailable, never zero.

Age distribution and sex

City, state and U.S. estimates · ACS 2020–2024
Measure / survey universe	City estimate ± MOE	State estimate ± MOE	U.S. estimate ± MOE
Median age Total population · years	60.3 ±2.0	39.1 ±0.2	38.9 ±0.1

Age groups · B01001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 3,934
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Under 18	437 ±111	11.1% ±2.8 pp	21.8%	22.0%
18–34	362 ±102	9.2% ±2.6 pp	22.9%	22.8%
35–64	1,686 ±218	42.9% ±5.5 pp	38.2%	38.0%
65 and older	1,449 ±183	36.8% ±4.7 pp	17.2%	17.2%

Sex categories as published by ACS · B01001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 3,934
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Male	1,866 ±85	47.4% ±2.1 pp	48.9%	49.5%
Female	2,068 ±80	52.6% ±2.0 pp	51.1%	50.5%

The age groups are mutually exclusive and cover the entire population. The sex categories follow this ACS table’s published classification; they are not a survey of gender identity.

Race and Hispanic origin

Race · B02001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 3,934
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
White alone	3,652 ±128	92.8% ±3.2 pp	61.8%	61.0%
Black or African American alone	13 ±11 · low precision	0.3% ±0.3 pp · low precision	20.3%	12.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone	11 ±9 · low precision	0.3% ±0.2 pp · low precision	1.1%	0.9%
Asian alone	0 ±14 · low precision	0.0% ±0.4 pp · low precision	3.3%	6.0%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone	0 ±14 · low precision	0.0% ±0.4 pp · low precision	0.1%	0.2%
Some other race alone	13 ±19 · low precision	0.3% ±0.5 pp · low precision	5.2%	7.1%
Two or more races	245 ±118	6.2% ±3.0 pp	8.3%	12.6%

Hispanic or Latino origin · B03003 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 3,934
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Not Hispanic or Latino	3,922 ±21	99.7% ±0.3 pp	88.7%	80.7%
Hispanic or Latino	12 ±12 · low precision	0.3% ±0.3 pp · low precision	11.3%	19.3%

Hispanic origin and race are separate questions. People of Hispanic or Latino origin may be of any race and appear in both tables. Do not add the Hispanic share to race shares. Race alone and two-or-more-race groups are the mutually exclusive categories of the race table.

Household types, children and living alone

Household types · B11001 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 1,940
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Married-couple family	1,297 ±97	66.9% ±3.8 pp	47.2%	46.9%
Other family: male householder, no spouse present	73 ±68 · low precision	3.8% ±3.5 pp · low precision	4.6%	5.1%
Other family: female householder, no spouse present	47 ±36 · low precision	2.4% ±1.9 pp · low precision	12.5%	12.2%
Nonfamily: householder living alone	484 ±117	24.9% ±5.9 pp	29.4%	28.7%
Nonfamily: householder not living alone	39 ±27 · low precision	2.0% ±1.4 pp · low precision	6.3%	7.0%

Households with children · B11005 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 1,940
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Households with people under 18	258 ±55	13.3% ±2.8 pp	29.1%	29.5%
Households without people under 18	1,682 ±123	86.7% ±4.7 pp	70.9%	70.5%

Household size · B11016 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 1,940
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
One-person nonfamily households	484 ±117	24.9% ±5.9 pp	29.4%	28.7%
Two-person households	1,107 ±117	57.1% ±5.4 pp	35.6%	33.8%
Three-person households	168 ±71	8.7% ±3.7 pp	15.6%	15.3%
Four-person households	94 ±51 · low precision	4.8% ±2.6 pp · low precision	11.8%	12.6%
Five-person households	69 ±46 · low precision	3.6% ±2.4 pp · low precision	5.0%	5.9%
Six-person households	10 ±21 · low precision	0.5% ±1.1 pp · low precision	1.8%	2.2%
Seven or more people	8 ±18 · low precision	0.4% ±1.0 pp · low precision	0.9%	1.4%

A family household contains related people under the Census definition. A nonfamily household can contain one person or unrelated people sharing a home. Households with children can also appear in the household-type and size tables, so those tables must not be added together. Household estimates exclude people living in group quarters from the household universe.

Nativity and languages spoken at home

Nativity · B05002 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 3,934
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Native	3,817 ±56	97.0% ±1.4 pp	90.9%	85.9%
Foreign born	117 ±52	3.0% ±1.3 pp	9.1%	14.1%

Language spoken at home · C16001 · ACS 2020–2024 Population age 5 and older: 3,820
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
English only	3,735 ±83	97.8% ±1.7 pp	86.5%	77.7%
Spanish	18 ±13 · low precision	0.5% ±0.3 pp · low precision	8.7%	13.6%
French, Haitian, or Cajun	7 ±10 · low precision	0.2% ±0.3 pp · low precision	0.4%	0.7%
German or other West Germanic	5 ±8 · low precision	0.1% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.3%	0.5%
Russian, Polish, or other Slavic	16 ±19 · low precision	0.4% ±0.5 pp · low precision	0.3%	0.7%
Other Indo-European	16 ±23 · low precision	0.4% ±0.6 pp · low precision	1.2%	2.0%
Korean	0 ±14 · low precision	0.0% ±0.4 pp · low precision	0.2%	0.3%
Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese	0 ±14 · low precision	0.0% ±0.4 pp · low precision	0.4%	1.1%
Vietnamese	0 ±14 · low precision	0.0% ±0.4 pp · low precision	0.3%	0.5%
Tagalog, including Filipino	0 ±14 · low precision	0.0% ±0.4 pp · low precision	0.2%	0.6%
Other Asian and Pacific Island	0 ±14 · low precision	0.0% ±0.4 pp · low precision	0.9%	1.1%
Arabic	23 ±30 · low precision	0.6% ±0.8 pp · low precision	0.3%	0.5%
Other and unspecified	0 ±14 · low precision	0.0% ±0.4 pp · low precision	0.5%	0.8%

Foreign born means not a U.S. citizen at birth; it includes naturalized citizens. Language categories describe speech at home among people age five and older. A language other than English at home does not establish that someone cannot speak English. This city page uses the published C16001 summary categories because the more detailed B16001 table does not provide these city records in this release.

Educational attainment

Highest completed education · B15003 · ACS 2020–2024 Population age 25 and older: 3,326
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Less than high school graduate	44 ±61 · low precision	1.3% ±1.8 pp · low precision	9.9%	10.4%
High school graduate or equivalency	479 ±115	14.4% ±3.4 pp	24.8%	26.0%
Some college, no degree	580 ±152	17.4% ±4.5 pp	19.6%	19.1%
Associate’s degree	324 ±107	9.7% ±3.2 pp	10.1%	8.8%
Bachelor’s degree	1,099 ±152	33.0% ±4.4 pp	22.2%	21.6%
Graduate or professional degree	800 ±129	24.1% ±3.8 pp	13.5%	14.1%

The denominator excludes residents under 25. Each person is counted in the highest attainment category they completed. This table does not measure the quality of local schools or the education level of every current student.

Residence one year earlier

Geographic mobility · B07003 · ACS 2020–2024 Population age 1 and older: 3,917
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	North Carolina	U.S.
Same house	3,416 ±181	87.2% ±4.6 pp	87.3%	87.7%
Moved within same county	84 ±61 · low precision	2.1% ±1.6 pp · low precision	5.5%	6.3%
Moved from a different county in the same state	164 ±88 · low precision	4.2% ±2.2 pp · low precision	3.6%	3.1%
Moved from a different state	180 ±142 · low precision	4.6% ±3.6 pp · low precision	3.0%	2.3%
Moved from abroad	73 ±87 · low precision	1.9% ±2.2 pp · low precision	0.6%	0.6%

These are respondents’ residence patterns one year before their survey response, pooled across the five-year window. They are not a net migration count for 2025. A person can move to a different house within the same city or county; moves within the same county should not automatically be interpreted as new arrivals to the city.

Health insurance, internet access and veterans

2.4% of Emerald Isle residents (±1.5 percentage points) had no health insurance coverage when surveyed, compared with 9.9% in North Carolina and 8.4% nationally. 97.4% of households subscribe to broadband of any type, including cellular data plans. A subscription is not the same as available service: the FCC National Broadband Map shows providers at a specific address.

City, state and U.S. shares · ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Emerald Isle	North Carolina	U.S.	Compared with North Carolina
People without health insurance Civilian noninstitutionalized population	2.4% ±1.5 pp · low precision	9.9%	8.4%	Lower
Households with a broadband subscription Households	97.4% ±0.5 pp	90.1%	91.0%	Higher
Veterans Civilian population age 18 and older	12.5% ±2.9 pp	7.4%	6.2%	Higher

Reading and reusing the estimates

The Census table links above lead to the original detailed tables. Counts, source universes and uncertainty are retained in the source observation download for Emerald Isle . Compare these figures with the same survey window; do not compare one city’s five-year estimate with another city’s annual estimate as though they measured the same period. For methods, see uncertainty and denominator calculations.

Read Emerald Isle housing and cost context or return to the city profile.