HomeNorth CarolinaBeaufort County
Beaufort County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Beaufort County, North Carolina has a population of 44,499 across 827 square miles, down 0.2 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $2.37 bn in 2024, 1,138 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 32 7(a) approvals worth $29.4 m.
125 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Beaufort County
How many people live in Beaufort County
- Population44,499
- Households19,385
- Average household size2.30
- Median household income$58,357
- Median age47.7
- Median gross rent$871 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$192,700
- Home value to household income3.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher21.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over32,768
- Population under 188,515
- Share under 1819.1 percent
- Population 65 and over11,412
- Share 65 and over25.6 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6424,572
- Civilian labor force20,400
- Unemployment rate3.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over56.7 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties57th of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1107th
Beaufort County is the 57th largest of 100 North Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 3.3 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 25.6 percent against 19.1 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Beaufort County
Is Beaufort County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-0.17 percent
- Census 2020 base population44,651
- Births, 2024430
- Deaths, 2024640
- Natural change, 2024-210
- Net domestic migration, 2024377
- Net international migration, 2024-3
- Total net migration, 2024374
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024921
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1904th
The county has lost 0.17 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Beaufort County
Where people moving to Beaufort County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,150
- People arriving, from those returns2,147
- Adjusted gross income arriving$74.1 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$64,449
- Largest single originBeaufort County Non-migrants (16,789 households)
- Largest single destination (16,789 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaufort County Non-migrants | 16,789 | 33,254 | $1.10 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 397 | 721 | $31.2 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 309 | 562 | $16.6 m |
| Pitt County | 277 | 536 | $15.9 m |
| Other flows - South | 205 | 370 | $15.1 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 94 | 178 | $8.9 m |
| Other flows - West | 60 | 108 | $4.9 m |
| Wake County | 54 | 103 | $5.7 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Beaufort County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Beaufort County
What the Beaufort County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$2.37 bn
- County GDP, 2023$2.25 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20245.5 percent
- GDP change over five years27.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among North Carolina counties55th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1142nd
- GDP per resident$53,241
Output grew 5.5 percent in the latest year and 27.6 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Beaufort County
Who employs people in Beaufort County
- Covered employment, annual average15,848
- Establishments reporting1,350
- Average annual pay$50,313
- Average weekly wage$968
- Sector 31-33, employment2,235
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$79,741
- Sector 44-45, employment2,097
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$32,640
- Sector 62, employment1,569
- Sector 62, average annual pay$39,822
- Sector 72, employment1,422
- Sector 72, average annual pay$19,220
- Sector 23, employment1,061
- Sector 42, employment1,010
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 2,235 | 51 | $79,741 |
| Sector 44-45 | 2,097 | 175 | $32,640 |
| Sector 62 | 1,569 | 123 | $39,822 |
| Sector 72 | 1,422 | 98 | $19,220 |
| Sector 23 | 1,061 | 122 | $70,568 |
| Sector 42 | 1,010 | 70 | $57,760 |
| Sector 56 | 932 | 66 | $44,516 |
| Sector 54 | 454 | 131 | $62,844 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 2,235 jobs, 14.1 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Beaufort County
What businesses operate in Beaufort County
- Establishments, all industries1,138
- Employment at those establishments13,893
- Annual payroll$644.7 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents25.6
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Beaufort County
What is being built in Beaufort County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024216
- Declared construction value permitted$41.1 m
- Single family units authorised216
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$190,417
- Units authorised per 1,000 households11.1
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Beaufort County
How much SBA lending happens in Beaufort County
- 7(a) approvals recorded32
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$29.4 m
- Average 7(a) approval$919,638
- Median 7(a) approval$577,100
- 10th percentile approval$39,800
- 90th percentile approval$2,671,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)544
- Jobs per approval17.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active16
- Distinct industries receiving approvals19
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer25.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms8
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter21
- Franchise loans6
- Franchise share of approvals18.8 percent
- Leading industry by approval countResidential Remodelers (5)
- Most active lenderFirst Bank (6)
- 504 approvals recorded2
- 504 gross approval dollars$534,000
- Average 504 approval$267,000
- Median 504 approval$269,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval11.5
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved43.1
- Most active CDCBusiness Expansion Funding Corporation (2)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals94.1 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$30.0 m
The average approval of $919,638 sits well above the median of $577,100, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 25.0 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Beaufort County
Do SBA loans in Beaufort County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded8
- Paid in full8
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full8
- Status: Exempt from disclosure18
- Status: Cancelled4
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed2
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 8 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Beaufort County
Which parts of Beaufort County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending4
- WASHINGTON, approvals23
- Belhaven, approvals4
- PANTEGO, approvals3
- CHOCOWINITY, approvals2
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| WASHINGTON | 23 | $23,320,000 |
| Belhaven | 4 | $4,580,900 |
| PANTEGO | 3 | $412,500 |
| CHOCOWINITY | 2 | $1,115,000 |
WASHINGTON accounts for 23 approvals against 4 in Belhaven. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Beaufort County
How big is Beaufort County
- Land area827 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties8th of 100
- Width, east to west40.8 mi
- Height, north to south35.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land54
- Establishments per square mile1.38
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Beaufort County
What hazards affect Beaufort County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book8
- Of those, participating in the NFIP8
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 7
- Communities carrying a CRS class3
The EPA places the county in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. The best Community Rating System class in the county is 7, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for properties in the participating community.
US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001. FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Beaufort County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Beaufort County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population44,499
- Households19,385
- Average household size2.30
- Median household income$58,357
- Median age47.7
Common questions
Beaufort County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Beaufort County, North Carolina?
44,499, in 19,385 households, ranking 57th of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Beaufort County growing?
The population has fallen 0.17 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 430 births against 640 deaths, with net migration of 374. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Beaufort County?
$58,357. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $192,700, which is 3.3 times income, and median gross rent is $871 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Beaufort County?
1,138 establishments, employing 13,893 people with an annual payroll of $644.7 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Beaufort County?
Average annual pay is $50,313, or $968 a week, across 15,848 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Beaufort County?
32 7(a) approvals totalling $29.4 m since FY2020, across 16 lenders, with a median approval of $577,100, plus 2 504 approvals worth $534,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Beaufort County?
216 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $41.1 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Beaufort County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Beaufort County come from?
The largest single origin is Beaufort County Non-migrants, with 16,789 households. Arriving households report an average income of $64,449 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Beaufort County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Beaufort County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.