• county
  • FIPS 37055
  • Largest town: Kill Devil Hills

Dare County, North Carolina

Dare County had 38,183 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 383.2 square miles of land. It ranks 65th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 68th by land area.

Population
38,183
#65 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,231 in US
Area
383.2 sq mi
#68 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,591 in US
Density
100 / sq mi
#58 of 100 in North Carolina · #915 in US
Median household income
$79,646
#12 of 100 in North Carolina · #489 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Dare County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Dare County

Dare County population, land area and income

Dare County had 38,183 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 383.2 square miles of land. It ranks 65th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 68th by land area. That works out to 99.6 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents; Dare County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $79,646 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

38,183

3144th1st

1231st of 3,144 (US)

Land area

383 sq mi

3144th1st

2591st of 3,144 (US)

Density

99.6 / sq mi

3144th1st

915th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$79,646

3143rd1st

489th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

38,183

100th1st

65th of 100 (NC)

Land area

383 sq mi

100th1st

68th of 100 (NC)

Density

99.6 / sq mi

100th1st

58th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$79,646

100th1st

12th of 100 (NC)

How Dare County's population changed since 2020

Dare County gained 1,145 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 3.1%. That ranks 46th of 100 in North Carolina for growth. The median North Carolina county changed by +2.7%, and the state as a whole by +5.7%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Dare County recorded 1,224 births and 1,701 deaths, a natural change of -477. Net international migration added +370 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,424. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,424 people.

37.0k202037.9k202138.0k202238.2k202338.2k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
1,224
Deaths
1,701
Net international migration
+370
Net domestic migration
+1,424
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+2

Where Dare County is

The Census internal point of Dare County is at 35.606300, -75.767500. It sits in UTM zone 18N. The map shades North Carolina's 100 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Dare County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Scotland County: +1.4%Rockingham County: +2.5%Franklin County: +15.6%Caswell County: -0.5%Stokes County: +2.9%Granville County: +2.3%Edgecombe County: +0.7%Randolph County: +2.8%Alexander County: +0.8%Person County: +2.4%Cherokee County: +5.2%Ashe County: +2.5%Davidson County: +5.2%Cabarrus County: +7.8%Mecklenburg County: +8.1%Burke County: +1.5%Cumberland County: +0.4%Northampton County: -4.9%Buncombe County: +3.5%Wilson County: +0.8%Bladen County: +0.5%Pitt County: +4.1%Yancey County: +2.7%Stanly County: +7.4%Harnett County: +9.3%Wilkes County: +0.5%Tyrrell County: +8.8%Pamlico County: +1.9%Hoke County: +6.0%Transylvania County: +2.5%Carteret County: +3.8%Durham County: +6.5%Anson County: +1.8%Pender County: +15.6%Alamance County: +6.7%Polk County: +4.9%Lenoir County: +0.5%Washington County: -3.0%Avery County: -0.0%Hyde County: +1.5%Gates County: -1.4%Davie County: +5.8%Jackson County: +7.4%Montgomery County: +2.5%Martin County: -2.0%Pasquotank County: +2.9%Perquimans County: +3.4%Cleveland County: +2.3%Sampson County: +2.3%Catawba County: +3.8%Alleghany County: +4.5%Robeson County: +2.3%Macon County: +4.4%Clay County: +8.0%Haywood County: +1.3%Duplin County: +3.8%Henderson County: +3.6%Craven County: +2.6%Warren County: +2.6%Graham County: +1.7%Union County: +9.9%Wayne County: +2.2%Gaston County: +5.9%Guilford County: +3.7%Yadkin County: +2.0%Watauga County: +1.0%Rowan County: +4.4%Swain County: -1.1%Chatham County: +9.4%Bertie County: -4.4%Halifax County: -2.9%Forsyth County: +4.1%Onslow County: +3.8%Dare County: +3.1%Chowan County: +1.3%Brunswick County: +20.9%Johnston County: +14.9%Orange County: +6.4%Currituck County: +13.6%New Hanover County: +7.5%Richmond County: -1.7%Vance County: -0.5%Iredell County: +9.9%Lincoln County: +12.0%Caldwell County: +0.2%McDowell County: +1.6%Rutherford County: +1.9%Mitchell County: +0.9%Moore County: +8.1%Columbus County: -0.8%Lee County: +8.1%Greene County: +1.1%Madison County: +5.0%Camden County: +7.5%Hertford County: -12.0%Beaufort County: -0.3%Jones County: +3.5%Wake County: +9.0%Nash County: +3.0%Surry County: +0.2%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +0.5%
  2. < +2.3%
  3. < +3.7%
  4. < +7.4%
  5. ≥ +7.4%
no data

Orange pin: Dare County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.606300, -75.767500
DMS
35°36'22.68"N 75°46'3.00"W
UTM
18N 430484.2E 3940553.9N
Geohash
dq64ecgv9
Plus code
8776J64M+G2

Towns in Dare County

5 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Dare County, 19,261 people together, or 50% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Dare County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Kill Devil Hills with 7,742.

  1. 01Kill Devil Hills7,742
  2. 02Kitty Hawk3,691
  3. 03Southern Shores3,127
  4. 04Nags Head3,106
  5. 05Manteo1,595
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Dare County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 3 neighbors for Dare County. The most populous is Currituck County, NC, with 32,278 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 161.6 miles W of Dare County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Chesapeake, VA (population 254,997), 79.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Elizabeth City, NC (population 19,028), 54.3 miles away.

Dare County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Dare County is 37055: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 055. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $79,646.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Dare County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 38,183. That is up 1,145 people (3.1%) from the July 2020 estimate of 37,038.

What is the FIPS code of Dare County?

37055. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (055) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Dare County?

Kill Devil Hills, with 7,742 residents inside Dare County in 2024.

Which counties border Dare County?

3 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Currituck County, NC; Hyde County, NC; Tyrrell County, NC.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.