The majority of the land area in oceanfront municipalities is located on a barrier island, however, some of the towns have expanded onto the mainland over the years. This accounts for the larger land areas indicated for some of the oceanfront municipalities. As noted, Emerald Isle is approximately 5.2 square miles, and ranks 8th in this indicator.
Total Land Area - Square Miles: North Carolina Oceanfront Towns
2009
Source: NC State Demographer
| Rank | Municipality | Square Miles |
|---|
| 1 | Oak Island | 15.1 |
| 2 | Kitty Hawk | 8.2 |
| 3 | Surf City | 6.7 |
| 4 | Nags Head | 6.5 |
| 5 | North Topsail Beach | 6.4 |
| 6 | Sunset Beach | 6.3 |
| 7 | Kill Devil Hills | 5.5 |
| 8 | Emerald Isle | 5.2 |
| 9 | Topsail Beach | 4.4 |
| 10 | Bald Head Island | 4.3 |
| 11 | Southern Shores | 4.1 |
| 12 | Ocean Isle Beach | 3.6 |
| 13 | Caswell Beach | 3.1 |
| 14 | Holden Beach | 3.0 |
| 15 | Pine Knoll Shores | 2.6 |
| 16 | Carolina Beach | 2.6 |
| 17 | Duck | 2.4 |
| 18 | Atlantic Beach | 2.3 |
| 19 | Wrightsville Beach | 1.3 |
| 20 | Kure Beach | 0.8 |
| 21 | Indian Beach | 0.6 |