About Carteret County - The Crystal Coast

Carteret County is located on the coast of North Carolina and comes with some great benefits!

If you’re looking for low property rates and beautiful living, choose Carteret County! We’ve consistently had the lowest county property tax rates in all of North Carolina. We also have one of the highest-ranked school systems in North Carolina with the second-highest average SAT and ACT scores in 2020.

When it comes to healthcare, we have one of the best performing rural hospitals in the United States and the only Mayo Clinic Care network affiliated hospital in North Carolina. We have also enjoyed a partnership with the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and the UNC Cancer Care.

For those interested in marine sciences, Carteret County is home to one of the largest concentrations of marine scientists and researchers in all of the United States. We’re proud to be the home of the Duke University Marine Laboratory, the University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences, the North Carolina State University Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) Beaufort Laboratory, plus other marine sciences and fisheries research facilities.

Are you ready to consider life where you vacation?

Contact Our Team Today

Our Team

Vacant, Director

Lindsey Burton, Administrative Officer

252-648-7880
lindsey.burton@carteretcountync.gov

Mission

The Carteret County Economic Development Department provides an integrated approach to programs and services necessary to support local business, increase employment opportunities, encourage residential growth, and increase the County’s tax base to help our businesses grow and compete in today’s economy. We also foster relocation and expansion services to make start-up as smooth as possible.

We do this by:

Marketing Carteret County to relocating and expanding business
Providing up to date research data regarding population, workforce, wages and area population
Identifying relevant incentive, grant and workforce training programs for your business
Introducing businesses to financial contacts and strategic partners
Assisting your business in recruiting the talent it needs through partnerships with NCWORKS and Carteret Community College

Carteret County Economic Development Foundation

The Carteret County Economic Development Foundation a 501(c)(3) was established to make recommendations and assist the Carteret County Economic Development Department in economic development, marketing strategies, and strategic initiatives for Carteret County.

For information about investing in the Foundation, please contact Crystal Coast Economic Development at (252) 648-7880 or crystalcoasted@gmail.com

Responsibilities:

Promote economic development and encourage strong economic growth throughout the County
Encourage the establishment of a civic and economic climate that will encourage the expansion of existing business and attract new businesses to Carteret County
Create and maintain resources to assist in the promotion of economic development and marketing strategies for the County, existing businesses and potential businesses.