Photo: Bz3rk · CC BY-SA 4.0Morehead City spent more per resident in 2022 than 90% of similar cities
Morehead City’s city government spent $22.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,285 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Morehead City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,011 per resident in 2022: more than 90% of them
Morehead City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,011 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 119 North Carolina cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $967, and the middle half spent $462–$1,402. Morehead City spent more than 90% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.9 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
North Carolina cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Morehead City itself left out).
About $2,285 per resident a year, or $6.26 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: fire, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 16% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Morehead City reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $2,011 · 2023: $2,174 · 2024: $2,285.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,678 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.47% of the home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Morehead City’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Morehead City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Morehead City →
Who’s in charge in Morehead City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Morehead City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on townofmorehead.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 62 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (9,857).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Carteret County Schools
Morehead City’s K–12 school district, shared with Atlantic Beach, Beaufort, Bogue, Cape Carteret, Cedar Point and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,751 per pupil, $8,015 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
North Carolina districts overall: 26% local, 57% state, 17% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Morehead City’s votes are counted by county
North Carolina reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Morehead City alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Carteret County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican71.0%32,508 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat28.0%12,813 votesOthers: 1.1% (496 votes).
Most votes in Carteret County: Donald J Trump
North Carolina: Trump 50.9%, Harris 47.6%
100% of Morehead City lies in Carteret County. Every 2024 race in Carteret County is on the county’s page.
Carteret County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Morehead City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: townofmorehead.com ↗
- 2North Carolina HouseState representatives
- 3North Carolina SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of North Carolina
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Morehead City compares with the towns next door
Morehead City spent $2,011 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Beaufort | estimate | $2,291 |
| Morehead City | $2,011 | $1,678 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Morehead City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Morehead City’s government
How much does Morehead City spend per resident?
About $2,285 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,011 was more than 90% of 119 North Carolina cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Morehead City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,678 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.47% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see townofmorehead.com.
Who runs Morehead City’s government?
See townofmorehead.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Morehead City yet.
How did Morehead City vote in 2024?
North Carolina counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Morehead City alone. Carteret County, where 100% of Morehead City lies, voted Trump 71.0%, Harris 28.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Morehead City?
160 full-time and 28 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $818,785 (about $9.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Morehead City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 2 (Norman Sanderson) and State House District 13 (Celeste Cairns). The House district also covers 11 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Morehead City’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →