Broad CreekNC
A town of 1,836. Public schools that outperform most of North Carolina.
Is Broad Creek a good place to live?
Broad Creek’s best subject grades are a B+ for schools and cost of living; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Only 12 of North Carolina’s 451 towns score lower on hazard risk. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 94% of U.S. towns. 32% of the land in Broad Creek is conserved, above both the North Carolina town median (3.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest park or preserve is Croatan National Forest, at 363 acres. Broad Creek has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Broad Creek stand out
Where Broad Creek beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Broad Creek has shrunk 16% from 2010 to 2020
2,334 counted in 2010 and 1,968 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Broad Creek grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Broad Creek is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Broad Creek: who provides what
Broad Creek is unincorporated, so Carteret County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Broad Creek.
Very high risk in Broad Creek, with hurricanes at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 99% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 120 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Broad Creek.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Public schools in Broad Creek beat 70% of North Carolina districts
Its public schools are run by the Carteret County Public Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broad Creek MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 722 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Broad Creek has set aside nearly a third of its land for conservation
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Croatan National Forest | — | 363 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
With 0.5 jobs for every working resident, most of Broad Creek’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Broad Creek for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, Broad Creek has added 235 jobs, to 385 in 2023. Broad Creek’s median household income is $58,000, against $69,000 in North Carolina’s towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns.
| Broad Creek | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.8% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.6% | 6.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Broad Creek has mild winters and hot summers
Broad Creek has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 36° and snow is almost unheard of.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Broad Creek ranks healthier than 56% of the country’s towns
Broad Creek beats the North Carolina average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 30% of adults feel lonely in Broad Creek.
| Broad Creek | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 80% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 25% | 23% |
| What stands out | Broad Creek | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.3% | 15.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.1% | 12.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.6% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
A home in Broad Creek sells for about $425K at the median
85% of Broad Creek households own their home.
| Broad Creek | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 85% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $908 a month | $1,085 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Queen Anne's Revenge and 6 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Broad Creek. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi Ancient siteQueen Anne's Revenge
13 mi State parkFort Macon State Park
27 mi MuseumTryon Palace
24 mi LighthouseCape Lookout Lighthouse
15 mi National SeashoreCape Lookout National Seashore513K visitors a year
14 mi MuseumNorth Carolina Maritime MuseumPhoto credits
Queen Anne's Revenge: Joseph Nicholls, Public domain · Fort Macon State Park: Kevinbercaw, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tryon Palace: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Cape Lookout Lighthouse: United States Coast Guard, Public domain · Cape Lookout National Seashore: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY 3.0 · North Carolina Maritime Museum: Kd5463, CC BY-SA 3.0
Everything we know about Broad Creek
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Broad Creek
About 6 of every 100 Broad Creek residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
97% of working residents leave Broad Creek for work
Where Broad Creek’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about Broad Creek
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Broad Creek, NC a good place to live?
Public schools that outperform most of North Carolina.
Is Broad Creek, NC expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $244,000, 26% below the North Carolina typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.