Morehead City is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, home to about 9,806 people across 7.4 square miles. Its ZIP code is 28557, and parts of 28516 and 28570 are in Morehead City too.
Homes sold for a median of $249 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a balanced market.
Mostly Morehead City; also Brandywine Bay
Mostly Beaufort; part is in Morehead City
Part is in Morehead City, part in Newport and Broad Creek
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Morehead City. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Morehead City’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)140 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Coastal Carolina Regional Airport (EWN)29 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Raleigh, NC131 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Philadelphia, PA375 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Morehead City; 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.
Morehead City had 9,556 residents in the 2020 census, up 24% since 2000.
It’s the 98th 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 86°F in summer, and winter lows average 36°F. About 61.2 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 1 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Morehead City 2 Wnw, NC weather station (about a mile 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).
472 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Morehead City.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 38 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 73 |
| Dentists | 41 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 138 |
| Mental health providers | 124 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 46 |
| Optometrists | 3 |
| Chiropractors | 9 |
| Pharmacies | 16 |
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 (10 nearby)
Grocery stores (2 nearby)
Libraries
Museums (2 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (1 nearby)
Counts are within about 2 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 1855.
Colleges and universities
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Carteret County Public Schools. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morehead City PrimaryMorehead City | Pre-K–3 | 502 | Public | 1.7 mi |
| Morehead Elem at Camp GlennMorehead City | 4–5 | 253 | Public | 0.2 mi |
| Bridges SchoolMorehead City | 6–12 | 11 | Alternative Education | 2.4 mi |
| Morehead City MiddleMorehead City | 6–8 | 506 | Public | 0.6 mi |
| West Carteret HighMorehead City | 8–12 | 1,095 | Public | 2.2 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chosen Generation Christ. AcademyMorehead City | Pre-K–12 | 36 | Pentecostal | 4.3 mi |
| St Egbert Catholic SchoolMorehead City | Pre-K–5 | 96 | Roman Catholic | 1.4 mi |
| A Sea of LearningMorehead City | K–7 | 103 | Christian (no specific denomination) | 2.1 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Beaufort, Newport, Broad Creek, Brandywine Bay and Bogue.
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.