Emerald Isle 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 4,001 people and two associated neighborhoods, Emerald Isle is the 210th largest community in North Carolina.

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

There are quite a few people in the armed forces living in Emerald Isle, and when you visit or drive around town, you will see military people in and out of uniform, shopping, enjoying life, and being part of the community.

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

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 27.21% 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.

Another notable thing is that Emerald Isle is an extremely popular destination for tourists and seasonal residents. So much of the population is seasonal such that the town’s population swells significantly during the vacation season, and drops again when the season ends. Because of this, much of the local economy is centered around tourism; some businesses may be operated only during the high season. During the low season, year-round residents will notice that the city is a substantially quieter place to live.

The town is relatively quiet, having a combination of lower population density and few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. For example, Emerald Isle has relatively fewer families with younger children, and/or college students. Combined, this makes Emerald Isle a pretty quiet place to live overall. If you like quiet, you will probably enjoy it here.

One of the nice things about Emerald Isle is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

In Emerald Isle, however, the average commute to work is quite long. On average, people spend 30.76 minutes each day getting to work, which is significantly higher than the national average.

As is often the case in a small town, Emerald Isle doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.

If knowledge is power, Emerald Isle is a pretty powerful place. 57.10% of the adults in Emerald Isle have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Emerald Isle in 2022 was $70,224, which is wealthy relative to North Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $280,896 for a family of four.

The people who call Emerald Isle home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Emerald Isle residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Emerald Isle include English, German, Irish, Polish, and Scottish.

The most common language spoken in Emerald Isle is English. Other important languages spoken here include Italian and Polish.