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 4,690 people and three associated neighborhoods, Beaufort is the 182nd largest community in North Carolina.

Beaufort real estate is some of the most expensive in North Carolina, although Beaufort house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.

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.

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.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 10.43% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

Residents of the town have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 18.30 minutes getting to work every day.

The education level of Beaufort citizens is substantially higher than the typical US community, as 30.09% of adults in Beaufort have at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Beaufort in 2018 was $32,059, which is upper middle income relative to North Carolina, and middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $128,236 for a family of four. However, Beaufort contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Beaufort is a very 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, Scottish, and French.

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