What is the median rent in Emerald Isle, NC?

Name: Median rent in Emerald Isle, NC, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in Emerald Isle, NC is $1,704 (±$268) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 244 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Emerald Isle, the median gross rent went from $1,408 in 2015–2019 to $1,704 in 2020–2024 (+21.0%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,704 (±$268)
Rented homes: 244 (±79)
$2,000 or more: 31.6%
Since 2015–2019: +21.0%

How much rent costs in Emerald Isle

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Emerald Isle	Carteret County	North Carolina	United States
Less than $500	0.0% (±15.9 points)	10.4%	6.6%	6.3%
$500 to $999	7.8% (±11.2 points)	30.9%	27.5%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	29.5% (±16.5 points)	32.0%	32.6%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	31.1% (±16.8 points)	18.0%	21.4%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	6.6% (±8.4 points)	5.9%	7.8%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	25.0% (±17.4 points)	1.5%	2.2%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	0.0% (±15.9 points)	1.3%	1.8%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,500 to $1,999, paid by 31.1% of renting households.

31.6% of rented homes in Emerald Isle cost $2,000 or more a month.

Emerald Isle against Carteret County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Emerald Isle	Carteret County	North Carolina	United States
Median gross rent	$1,704 (±$268)	$1,108 (±$48)	$1,228 (±$5)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	244 (±79)	7,121 (±486)	1,337,899 (±8,405)	42,849,984

In Emerald Isle, median gross rent is higher than in Carteret County ($1,108).

It is also higher than in North Carolina ($1,228).

It is higher than the national figure ($1,413).

In Carteret County, Emerald Isle ranks 4 of 13 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 39 of 586.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How rent in Emerald Isle has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$1,408 (±$110)	$1,704 (±$268)	+21.0%	No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent	16.8% (±4.1 points)	14.4% (±4.3 points)	−2.4 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	27.9% (±10.0 points)	10.1% (±10.3 points)	−17.8 percentage points	Measurable decrease

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Median gross rent in places near Emerald Isle

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Emerald Isle
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Emerald Isle	—	$1,704 (±$268)	—
Bogue	1.9 mi	$1,188 (±$444)	Not measurably different
Cape Carteret	2.6 mi	$1,745 (±$60)	Not measurably different
Cedar Point	3.2 mi	$1,438 (±$495)	Not measurably different
Peletier	5.0 mi	$1,196 (±$139)	Lower
Swansboro	6.2 mi	$1,106 (±$991)	Not measurably different
Broad Creek	8.0 mi	$908 (±$300)	Lower
Newport	11 mi	$896 (±$308)	Lower
Pine Knoll Shores	12 mi	$1,750 (±$178)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Peletier, NC ($1,196), Broad Creek, NC ($908), Newport, NC ($896).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Median gross rent across Carteret County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
1	Brandywine Bay	$2,141 (±$348)
2	Pine Knoll Shores	$1,750 (±$178)
3	Cape Carteret	$1,745 (±$60)
4	Emerald Isle	$1,704 (±$268)
5	Cedar Point	$1,438 (±$495)
6	Atlantic Beach	$1,206 (±$151)
7	Peletier	$1,196 (±$139)
8	Bogue	$1,188 (±$444)
9	Morehead City	$1,134 (±$85)
10	Harkers Island	$1,125 (±$79)

Showing 10 of 13 places in Carteret County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Emerald Isle

What is the average rent in Emerald Isle, NC?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Emerald Isle is $1,704 (±$268) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in Emerald Isle?

In Emerald Isle, the median gross rent went from $1,408 in 2015–2019 to $1,704 in 2020–2024 (+21.0%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

How many rentals in Emerald Isle cost more than $2,000 a month?

31.6% of rented homes in Emerald Isle have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 0.0% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Emerald Isle higher than in Carteret County?

In Emerald Isle, median gross rent is higher than in Carteret County ($1,108).

It is also higher than in North Carolina ($1,228).

It is higher than the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Emerald Isle town, North Carolina (place:21160, in state:37).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.