Carteret County Demographics

A map of Carteret County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	58,952	57,538	85.3%	85.0%
Hispanic	3,401	3,119	4.9%	4.6%
Black	2,841	3,208	4.1%	4.7%
Multiracial	2,810	2,670	4.1%	3.9%
Asian	692	584	1.0%	0.9%
Native American/Other	452	567	0.7%	0.8%

Carteret County, North Carolina has an estimated population of 69,148, a slight increase from the 67,686 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 85.3% White, 4.9% Hispanic, 4.1% Black, 4.1% Multiracial, 1.0% Asian, and 0.7% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Carteret County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Carteret 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 Carteret County, that probability was 27.1% in 2020 and 26.7% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Carteret County is ranked the 39th most populous county in North Carolina, out of 100 counties. Carteret County was ranked the 39th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Carteret County's White Population

58,952 residents of Carteret County, or 85.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Carteret County is significantly higher than in North Carolina overall, where 60% of the population is White. Carteret County ranks 16th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Carteret County's White population has grown by an estimated 2.5%. White residents' share of Carteret County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 85.3%.

Carteret County is more White than neighboring Pamlico County (73.4% White), Craven County (64.5% White), Hyde County (57.7% White), Beaufort County (66.3% White), and Jones County (63.1% White).

Carteret County's Black Population

2,841 residents of Carteret County, or 4.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Carteret County is significantly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 20% of the population is Black. Carteret County ranks 77th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Carteret County's Black population has declined by an estimated 11.4%. Black residents' share of Carteret County's population has decreased from 4.7% to 4.1%.

Carteret County is less Black than neighboring Pamlico County (16.1% Black), Craven County (19.5% Black), Hyde County (24.2% Black), Beaufort County (22.8% Black), and Jones County (26.6% Black).

Carteret County's Asian Population

692 residents of Carteret County, or 1.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Carteret County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 3.3% of the population is Asian. Carteret County ranks 44th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Carteret County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 18.5%. Asian residents' share of Carteret County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.0%.

Carteret County is more Asian than neighboring Pamlico County (0.6% Asian), Hyde County (0% Asian), and Beaufort County (0.2% Asian). Carteret County is less Asian than neighboring Craven County (2.9% Asian), and Jones County (1.2% Asian).

Carteret County's Hispanic Population

3,401 residents of Carteret County, or 4.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Carteret County is lower than in North Carolina overall, where 11.3% of the population is Hispanic. Carteret County ranks 76th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Carteret County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 9.0%. Hispanic residents' share of Carteret County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 4.9%.

Carteret County is more Hispanic than neighboring Pamlico County (4.8% Hispanic). Carteret County is less Hispanic than neighboring Craven County (7.8% Hispanic), Hyde County (10.1% Hispanic), Beaufort County (7.9% Hispanic), and Jones County (5.1% Hispanic).

Carteret County's Native American/Other Population

452 residents of Carteret County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Carteret County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 1.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Carteret County ranks 34th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Carteret County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 20.3%. Native American/Other residents' share of Carteret County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Carteret County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Pamlico County (0.5% Native American/Other), Beaufort County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Jones County (0.5% Native American/Other). Carteret County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Craven County (1.4% Native American/Other), and Hyde County (1.5% Native American/Other).

Carteret County's Multiracial Population

2,810 residents of Carteret County, or 4.1% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Carteret County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 4.1% of the population is Multiracial. Carteret County ranks 28th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Carteret County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 5.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Carteret County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 4.1%.

Carteret County is more Multiracial than neighboring Craven County (3.9% Multiracial), Beaufort County (2.5% Multiracial), and Jones County (3.6% Multiracial). Carteret County is less Multiracial than neighboring Pamlico County (4.6% Multiracial), and Hyde County (6.5% 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.