Dare County, North Carolina
County seat: Manteo · Population 38,245 (2025) · 383 sq mi
Dare County is the 66th most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 38,245 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Manteo. It is part of the Northeast Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 6 cities and towns and the 3 neighboring counties.
Dare County facts
- County seat
- Manteo
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 38,245 +3.6% since 2020
- Land area
- 383 sq mi 68th largest of 100
- Water area
- 1,159 sq mi
- Population density
- 100 per sq mi
- Established
- 1870
- Named after
- Virginia Dare first child born in the Americas to English parents (fl. 16. century)
- Largest city
- Kill Devil Hills 7,731
- Median household income
- $88,994
- Cities and towns
- 6 plus 9 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 14
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37055
Cities and towns in Dare County
Dare County has 6 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Dare County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kill Devil Hills | Town | 7,731 | |
| Kitty Hawk | Town | 3,670 | |
| Nags Head | Town | 3,117 | |
| Southern Shores | Town | 3,110 | |
| Manteo (county seat) | Town | 1,585 | |
| Duck | Town | 736 |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Wanchese | 1,956 | |
| Buxton | 1,267 | |
| Manns Harbor | 926 | |
| Rodanthe | 781 | |
| Frisco | 664 | |
| Avon | 339 | |
| Salvo | 220 | |
| Waves | 153 | |
| Hatteras | 152 |
ZIP codes in Dare County
14 ZIP codes reach into Dare County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 27915
- 27920
- 27936
- 27943
- 27948
- 27949
- 27953
- 27954
- 27959
- 27968
- 27972
- 27978
- 27981
- 27982
Population of Dare County, 2020–2025
Dare County grew by 1,331 people (+3.6%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 580 more deaths than births and a net gain of 1,970 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 37,036 |
| 2021 | 37,908 |
| 2022 | 38,000 |
| 2023 | 38,150 |
| 2024 | 38,228 |
| 2025 | 38,245 |
Neighboring counties
- Hyde County southwest · 4,554 people
- Tyrrell County northwest · 3,537 people
- Currituck County north · 33,158 people
Printable Dare County map
The PDF is a vector file with real text: it prints sharp on Letter paper and you can search it for a town. The PNG is 2400 pixels wide for slides and documents. Both are free to use with a credit to WhichCounty.
- PDF (Letter) (126 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (136 KB)
Paste this code to embed the map on your site:
Sources
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files (1:500,000).
- Population: Census Bureau county and city estimates, Vintage 2025. CDP populations: American Community Survey 2020–2024.
- Places and ZIP codes: Census Bureau 2026 Gazetteer and 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Area relationship files.
- County seat, founding year and name origin: Wikidata (CC0), checked against state sources.
Back to the North Carolina county map with all 100 counties. Found an error? Tell us.