18 cities
| City | Rank | 2025 Pop. ↓ | 2020 Pop. | Annual Change | Density | Area (mi²) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morehead City | 1 | 10,058 | 9,583 | 0.95% | 1,358 | 7 | Town |
| Beaufort | 2 | 4,999 | 4,476 | 2.12% | 982 | 5 | Town |
| Newport | 3 | 4,541 | 4,341 | 0.89% | 591 | 8 | Town |
| Emerald Isle | 4 | 4,039 | 3,846 | 0.95% | 820 | 5 | Town |
| Cape Carteret | 5 | 2,302 | 2,230 | 0.61% | 912 | 3 | Town |
| Broad Creek | 6 | 1,933 | 2,306 | -1.38% | 622 | 3 | CDP |
| Cedar Point | 7 | 1,846 | 1,779 | 0.71% | 827 | 2 | Town |
| Brandywine Bay | 8 | 1,674 | 1,322 | 7.17% | 2,077 | 1 | CDP |
| Pine Knoll Shores | 9 | 1,447 | 1,385 | 0.84% | 655 | 2 | Town |
| Atlantic Beach | 10 | 1,432 | 1,377 | 0.77% | 601 | 2 | Town |
| Harkers Island | 11 | 1,078 | 1,314 | -0.83% | 481 | 2 | CDP |
| Peletier | 12 | 811 | 771 | 1% | 224 | 4 | Town |
| Bogue | 13 | 720 | 692 | 0.7% | 262 | 3 | Town |
| Atlantic | 14 | 532 | 608 | 0% | 578 | 1 | CDP |
| Gloucester | 15 | 498 | 484 | -0.6% | 347 | 1 | CDP |
| Marshallberg | 16 | 437 | 412 | 0.69% | 686 | 1 | CDP |
| Davis | 17 | 238 | 226 | -4.8% | 109 | 2 | CDP |
| Indian Beach | 18 | 233 | 222 | 0.87% | 409 | 1 | Town |
Morehead City is the largest city in Carteret County, with a population of 10,058.
Indian Beach is the smallest city in Carteret County, with a population of 233.
There are 18 cities in Carteret County, North Carolina.