Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
64% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Caswell Beach, above both North Carolina’s towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). No town among the 291 in North Carolina we compare has a higher January low than Caswell Beach. Its National Register listings include Oak Island Life Saving Station and Oak Island Lighthouse. Caswell Beach has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Caswell Beach beats most towns.
Coastal flooding makes up 12% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
Census counts: 110 in 1980, 395 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1957 and 3 maps from 1946 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Caswell Beach, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Caswell Beach.
Typical home values rose 2.6% in the year to September 2026. 93% of Caswell Beach households own their home, above both the North Carolina town median (67%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%).
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Since 1989, 101 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Caswell Beach. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 97% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 70% come from hurricanes and 14% from inland flooding. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2020.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons reach 89° and January nights drop to 37°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among 291 North Carolina towns, just 10 have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Caswell Beach. For most workers, Caswell Beach is a place to come home to: only 5% work in town. Also worth knowing: the town’s income of the median household comes in at $131,000. The top destinations are Oak Island (16%), Wilmington (10%) and Southport (6%).
| Caswell Beach | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $131,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.2% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.6% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown. No violent or property crimes were reported in Caswell Beach in 2024.
Caswell Beach is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
4.7% of Caswell Beach adults worry about having enough food. Among 290 North Carolina towns, just 6 have a lower share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Caswell Beach. This North Carolina town does better than the North Carolina average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 6.
| Caswell Beach | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 17% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 15% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 38% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 33% | 33% |
| What stands out | Caswell Beach | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 3.4% | 12.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 2.5% | 8.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 18.3% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Caswell Beach. Close and well known come first.
9 mi LandmarkFort Fisher
12 mi GardenOrton Plantation
11 mi MuseumBrunswick Town
40 mi LighthouseFrying Pan Shoals Light
38 mi National BattlefieldMoores Creek National Battlefield56K visitors a year25 mi GardenAirlie GardensFort Fisher: Eric T. Gunther, CC BY 3.0 · Orton Plantation: AgnosticPreachersKid., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Brunswick Town: Brunswick1726, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Frying Pan Shoals Light: U.S. Department of Defense, Public domain · Moores Creek National Battlefield: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Caswell Beach
About 3 of every 100 Caswell Beach residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
3 places in Caswell Beach on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Caswell Beach is a small seaside town located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Cape Fear River in Southeastern North Carolina, United States. Occupying the eastern part of Oak Island in Brunswick County, its population was listed at 395 in the 2020 census. Prominent features include the Civil War era Fort Caswell, the Oak Island Lighthouse co-located with the Oak Island Coast Guard Station, and the Oak Island Golf Club, the sole business in town and one of the few eighteen-hole courses located on a North Carolina barrier island. Along with the Town of Oak Island which occupies the central and west parts of the island, Caswell Beach is part of the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statist…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Caswell Beach has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real. Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
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