Coastal Demographics

Of the total population of approximately 9.8 million in North Carolina, over 1.2 million people live in coastal portions of the state.

Coastal Economy

Coastal North Carolina employs almost 436,000 people annually, earning a total of almost $17 billion. This equates approximately $46 billion in gross domestic product.

Natural Hazards

Six billion-dollar weather disasters affected North Carolina in 2018—and a total of 30 affected the state between 2010 and 2018. In September 2018, Hurricane Florence produced up to 35.93 inches of rainfall across eastern North Carolina, along with storm surge up to 10 feet and wind gusts over 100 miles per hour. The total damage from Florence in North Carolina was more than the cost of Hurricanes Matthew (2016) and Floyd (1999) combined. Total costs for Florence (including damages in South Carolina) was $24.2 billion.*