Population
185 residents
Census ACS 2023 - North Carolina
City profile · North Carolina · Census ACS 2023
Gulf, NC
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Gulf - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 185
- Residents
- $1,136
- Median rent (state)
Gulf - the verdict
185 people call Gulf, North Carolina home. Source: Census ACS.
- 31st
- percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Gulf, NC
Gulf is a small town in North Carolina, home to 185 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The median resident age is 34.0 years. About 18.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 100.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Living costs in North Carolina run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, North Carolina scores 94.3 (Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,136 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts North Carolina's average monthly utility costs around $215 (state average). The average commute for Gulf workers runs 27.3 minutes, with 100.0% driving alone and 0.0% working from home. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 67.5 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).
Median Household Income
N/A /yr
Poverty 0.0%
Cost of Living Index (state)
94.3 (US=100)
Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, North Carolina average
How does Gulf compare to other US cities?
Here's how Gulf stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Median rent 31% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Gulf against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to North Carolina only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
North Carolina-relative analysis
Poverty Rate places Gulf near the bottom of North Carolina's cities
Among the 746 North Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported poverty rate data, Gulf ranks #653 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Gulf only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Gross Rent
#384 of 746
48th percentile in North Carolina
Poverty Rate
#653 of 746
0th percentile in North Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#461 of 746
38th percentile in North Carolina
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within North Carolina only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Income distribution context
Median household income is not available for Gulf in the current Census ACS release (common for very small places).
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 18.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 0.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 100.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
185
Median Income
N/A
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
34.0
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Labor force participation
100.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
18.1%
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
27.3 minutes
Drive Alone
100.0%
Carpool
0.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
0.0%
Based on 116 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for North Carolina - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$115
avg/month
Natural Gas
$55
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$45
avg/month
Total Utilities
$215
estimated/month
Estimates reflect North Carolina state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a North Carolina state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Gulf sits in
Cost of Living Index
94.3
Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,136/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
67.5 / 100
Moderate
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in North Carolina
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Gulf's 185 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Gulf compares to nearby North Carolina cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Census ACS 5-year FIPS NC OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Gulf, NC?
What is the population of Gulf, NC? +
185 people live in Gulf, NC according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the cost of living in Gulf? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Gulf; the closest available measure is the North Carolina state average, a cost of living index of 94.3 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within North Carolina vary by metro area.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCitiesEvery figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.