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.

Emerald Isle is home to a number of people employed in the armed forces. When you visit or walk around Emerald Isle, some of the people you will bump into will be military people In and out of uniform, jogging, shopping and generally out and about town.

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.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 27.21% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. 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 a major vacation destination. Much of the town’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, Emerald Isle’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live.

It is a fairly quiet town because there are relatively few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. (Children, for example, often can't help themselves from being noisy, and being parents ourselves, we know!) Emerald Isle has relatively few families with children living at home, and is quieter because of it. Renters and college students, for their own reasons, can also be noisy. Emerald Isle has few renters and college students. But the biggest reason it is quieter in Emerald Isle than in most places in America, is that there are just simply fewer people living here. If you think trees make good neighbors, Emerald Isle may be for you.

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.

One downside of living in Emerald Isle is that it can take a long time to commute to work. In Emerald Isle, the average commute to work is 30.76 minutes, which is quite a bit 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.

Do you like to read, write and learn? If you move to Emerald Isle, you'll likely find that many of your neighbors like to as well. Emerald Isle is one of the more educated communities in America, with a full 57.10% of its adults having a college degree or even advanced degree, compared to a national average across all communities of 21.84%.

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.