Beaufort 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 4,804 people and three associated neighborhoods, Beaufort is the 182nd largest community in North Carolina. Much of the housing stock in Beaufort was built relatively recently. The construction of new real estate can often be taken as an indication that the local Beaufort economy is robust, and that jobs or other amenities are attracting an influx of new residents. This seems to be the case in Beaufort, where the median household income is $48,111.00.

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

Of important note, Beaufort is also a town of artists. Beaufort has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Beaufort’s character.

Also of interest is that Beaufort has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 17.83% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. 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.

Beaufort 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.

Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Beaufort spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 18.52 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the town are less than they would otherwise be.

The education level of Beaufort citizens is very high relative to the national average among all cities (21.84%): 35.96% of adults in Beaufort have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.

The per capita income in Beaufort in 2022 was $37,018, which is upper middle income relative to North Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $148,072 for a family of four. However, Beaufort contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

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

The most common language spoken in Beaufort is English. Other important languages spoken here include Italian and Spanish.