Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,423. 2.4 times the nonprofits per person than the typical North Carolina town.
Pine Knoll Shores’ best subject grades are an A for health and civic life and an A− for safety; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. 47% of residents are 65 or older in Pine Knoll Shores, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 18% and U.S. towns at 18%. Only 11 of North Carolina’s 451 towns score lower on hazard risk. Pine Knoll Shores's schools rank ahead of 70% of North Carolina towns. On civic life, just 8 of North Carolina’s 331 towns do better. Theodore Roosevelt State Natural Area, at 288 acres with 1.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. On the outdoors, just 42 of North Carolina’s 451 towns do better. Pine Knoll Shores has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Pine Knoll Shores beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Pine Knoll Shores | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 4.8% | 15.2% |
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Pine Knoll Shores is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 646 in 1980, 1,388 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 4 maps from 1951 on.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Pine Knoll Shores, 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 Pine Knoll Shores.
98% of households own their home in Pine Knoll Shores, above both North Carolina’s towns (67%) and U.S. towns (73%). Pine Knoll Shores’ median rent is $1,750 a month. The typical Pine Knoll Shores home is worth about $730,000, up 2.9% in a year, about twice the North Carolina typical home.
| Pine Knoll Shores | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 98% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,750 a month | $1,085 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 99% of U.S. communities. Since 1985, 144 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pine Knoll Shores.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
11% of adults report frequent mental distress in Pine Knoll Shores. Among 290 North Carolina towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Pine Knoll Shores. 14% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Pine Knoll Shores.
| Pine Knoll Shores | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 17% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 33% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 34% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 87% | 80% | 79% |
| What stands out | Pine Knoll Shores | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 4.8% | 15.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 4% | 12.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 16% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The property crime rate in Pine Knoll Shores is 6.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Pine Knoll Shores | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.2 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Pine Knoll Shores 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.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Pine Knoll Shores for work: only 5% work in town. 3.5% of Pine Knoll Shores residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Morehead City (16%), Atlantic Beach (7%) and Beaufort (6%).
| Pine Knoll Shores | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.5% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $109,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.5% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Pine Knoll Shores | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Theodore Roosevelt State Natural Area | 1.3 mi | 288 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pine Knoll Shores. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi Ancient siteQueen Anne's Revenge
8 mi State parkFort Macon State Park
31 mi MuseumTryon Palace
18 mi LighthouseCape Lookout Lighthouse
10 mi National SeashoreCape Lookout National Seashore513K visitors a year
10 mi MuseumNorth Carolina Maritime MuseumQueen 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
1 within 15 miles of the center of Pine Knoll Shores
About 3 of every 100 Pine Knoll Shores residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Pine Knoll Shores is a coastal town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,388 at the 2020 census. One of North Carolina's state aquariums is located here.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
2.4 times the nonprofits per person than the typical North Carolina town.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
