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 3,966 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.

A relatively large number of people in Emerald Isle telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 22.80% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. 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 vacation destination. A significant portion of the population is seasonal. During the vacation season, the town experiences a large influx of people who take up residence in second homes they own in the area. As the vacation season ends, the population drops again, leaving behind a substantially quieter and smaller town.

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.

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 have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in Emerald Isle. 51.96% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.

The per capita income in Emerald Isle in 2022 was $66,213, which is wealthy relative to North Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $264,852 for a family of four. However, Emerald Isle contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

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 Italian.

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