Emerald Isle is a very small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of North Carolina. With a population of 3,939 people and two associated neighborhoods, Emerald Isle is the 210th largest community in North Carolina.

Emerald Isle home prices are not only among the most expensive in North Carolina, but Emerald Isle real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

A relatively large number of people in Emerald Isle telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 20.18% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Another notable thing is that Emerald Isle is an extremely popular vacation destination. A significant portion of the population is seasonal. During the vacation season, the town experiences a large influx of people who take up residence in second homes they own in the area. As the vacation season ends, the population drops again, leaving behind a substantially quieter and smaller town.

The town is relatively quiet, having a combination of lower population density and few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. For example, Emerald Isle has relatively fewer families with younger children, and/or college students. Combined, this makes Emerald Isle a pretty quiet place to live overall. If you like quiet, you will probably enjoy it here.

Emerald Isle is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

Emerald Isle is a small town, and as such doesn't have a public transit system that people use to get to and from their jobs every day.

If knowledge is power, Emerald Isle is a pretty powerful place. 51.89% of the adults in Emerald Isle have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Emerald Isle in 2022 was $60,375, which is wealthy relative to North Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $241,500 for a family of four. However, Emerald Isle contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call Emerald Isle home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Emerald Isle residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Emerald Isle include English, German, Irish, Polish, and Scottish.

The most common language spoken in Emerald Isle is English. Other important languages spoken here include Italian and Polish.