Beaufort County Demographics

A map of Beaufort County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	29,481	29,431	66.3%	65.9%
Black	10,131	10,195	22.8%	22.8%
Hispanic	3,513	3,433	7.9%	7.7%
Multiracial	1,131	1,201	2.5%	2.7%
Native American/Other	150	228	0.3%	0.5%
Asian	93	164	0.2%	0.4%

Beaufort County, North Carolina has an estimated population of 44,499, a less than 1% change from the 44,652 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 66.3% White, 22.8% Black, 7.9% Hispanic, 2.5% Multiracial, 0.3% Native American/Other, and 0.2% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Beaufort County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Beaufort is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than North Carolina overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Beaufort County, that probability was 50.7% in 2020 and 50.2% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Beaufort County is ranked the 57th most populous county in North Carolina, out of 100 counties. Beaufort County was ranked the 55th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Beaufort County's White Population

29,481 residents of Beaufort County, or 66.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Beaufort County is higher than in North Carolina overall, where 60% of the population is White. Beaufort County ranks 50th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Beaufort County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Beaufort County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 66.3%.

Beaufort County is more White than neighboring Craven County (64.5% White), Martin County (51.2% White), Washington County (44.5% White), and Pitt County (51.9% White). Beaufort County is less White than neighboring Pamlico County (73.4% White).

Beaufort County's Black Population

10,131 residents of Beaufort County, or 22.8% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Beaufort County is slightly higher than in North Carolina overall, where 20% of the population is Black. Beaufort County ranks 39th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Beaufort County's Black population has remained roughly the same. Black residents' share of Beaufort County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 22.8%.

Beaufort County is more Black than neighboring Pamlico County (16.1% Black), and Craven County (19.5% Black). Beaufort County is less Black than neighboring Martin County (40.1% Black), Washington County (47.7% Black), and Pitt County (34.7% Black).

Beaufort County's Asian Population

93 residents of Beaufort County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Beaufort County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 3.3% of the population is Asian. Beaufort County ranks 75th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Beaufort County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 43.3%. Asian residents' share of Beaufort County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Beaufort County is more Asian than neighboring Washington County (0% Asian). Beaufort County is less Asian than neighboring Pamlico County (0.6% Asian), Craven County (2.9% Asian), Martin County (0.6% Asian), and Pitt County (2% Asian).

Beaufort County's Hispanic Population

3,513 residents of Beaufort County, or 7.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Beaufort County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 11.3% of the population is Hispanic. Beaufort County ranks 46th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Beaufort County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 2.3%. Hispanic residents' share of Beaufort County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 7.9%.

Beaufort County is more Hispanic than neighboring Pamlico County (4.8% Hispanic), Craven County (7.8% Hispanic), Martin County (4.4% Hispanic), and Washington County (4% Hispanic).

Beaufort County's Native American/Other Population

150 residents of Beaufort County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Beaufort County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 1.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Beaufort County ranks 90th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Beaufort County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 34.2%. Native American/Other residents' share of Beaufort County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Beaufort County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Washington County (0.1% Native American/Other). Beaufort County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Pamlico County (0.5% Native American/Other), Craven County (1.4% Native American/Other), Martin County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Pitt County (0.5% Native American/Other).

Beaufort County's Multiracial Population

1,131 residents of Beaufort County, or 2.5% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Beaufort County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 4.1% of the population is Multiracial. Beaufort County ranks 89th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Beaufort County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 5.8%. Multiracial residents' share of Beaufort County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.5%.

Beaufort County is less Multiracial than neighboring Pamlico County (4.6% Multiracial), Craven County (3.9% Multiracial), Martin County (3.4% Multiracial), Washington County (3.7% Multiracial), and Pitt County (3.1% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.