Emerald Isle is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, home to about 3,934 people across 4.9 square miles. Its ZIP code is 28594.
Homes sold for a median of $474 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a buyer’s market.
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Emerald Isle. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Emerald Isle’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)130 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Coastal Carolina Regional Airport (EWN)28 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Raleigh, NC121 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Philadelphia, PA383 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Emerald Isle; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Emerald Isle had 3,847 residents in the 2020 census, up 10% since 2000.
It’s the 211th largest of 771 towns in North Carolina by population.
Carteret County grew from 11,811 residents in 1900 to 67,686 in 2020.
Carteret County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 87°F in summer, and winter lows average 34°F. About 60.7 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Newport/Morehead City Wfo, NC weather station (11 miles away).
21,789 jobs at 2,249 businesses in Carteret County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2022 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
14 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Emerald Isle.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 1 |
|---|---|
| Dentists | 2 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 1 |
| Mental health providers | 9 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 1 |
| Pharmacies | 1 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (3 nearby)
Grocery stores (3 nearby)
Pharmacies
Libraries
Counts are within about 1.5 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Established in 1951.
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
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Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.