Beaufort is a very small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of North Carolina. With a population of 4,895 people and three associated neighborhoods, Beaufort is the 182nd largest community in North Carolina. Beaufort has seen a significant amount of newer housing growth in recent years. Quite often, new home construction is the result of new residents moving in who are middle class or wealthier, attracted by jobs, a healthy local economy, or other amenities as they leave nearby or far away areas for greener pastures. This seems to be the case in Beaufort, where the median household income is $53,321.00.

Beaufort home prices are not only among the most expensive in North Carolina, but Beaufort real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Of important note, Beaufort is also a town of artists. Beaufort has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Beaufort’s character.

Also of interest is that Beaufort has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 21.53% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Beaufort is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

The education level of Beaufort ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in Beaufort, 40.19% have at least a bachelor's degree. The typical US community has just 21.84% of its adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree.

The per capita income in Beaufort in 2022 was $44,277, which is wealthy relative to North Carolina, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $177,108 for a family of four. However, Beaufort contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Beaufort is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Beaufort home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Beaufort residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Beaufort include English, German, Irish, French, and Italian.

The most common language spoken in Beaufort is English. Other important languages spoken here include Italian and Spanish.