Carolina Beach, North Carolina
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Growing. Up 4.6% since 2020.
6,870
people, the 124th-largest of North Carolina's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among North Carolina's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
8 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.
77.6%
of 2,635 jobs located in Carolina Beach are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 42% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$1,513
a month. North Carolina's median is $1,228.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.
A $1,375 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in New Hanover County.
- $961 Tract 121.09
- $2,336 Tract 118
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Room to build
The median rent is above what local wages can carry.
$757–$1,136
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $1,513 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
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Building
67% of the housing here was built before 2000.
- 346 homes permitted, 2022–2025
- 5% of those were in multifamily buildings
- 67% of all homes were built before 2000
Census Building Permits Survey, 2022–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year
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Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0.1–0.4% to the 6,266 homes here.
4–26
is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
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Home value
A median home costs 96% more than North Carolina's.
$566,200
median home value in Carolina Beach.
- $566,200 Carolina Beach
- $288,900 North Carolina
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year