County outline
Where Dare County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 24.9% of Dare County’s measured area and water for 75.1%. Its combined area converts to 3,993.1 square kilometers or approximately 986,710 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 383.229 | 992.559 | 245,266.6 |
| Water | 1,158.505 | 3,000.514 | 741,443.2 |
| Total | 1,541.734 | 3,993.073 | 986,709.8 |
How Dare County compares
By original Census land area, Dare County ranks #68 of 100 in North Carolina and #2591 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.832 times the North Carolina county-equivalent median of 460.3 square miles. It accounts for 0.8% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete North Carolina ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Dare County
The Census Bureau estimates that 38,245 people lived in Dare County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,253 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #66 of 100 in North Carolina. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 36,914, the population has grown by 1,331 (+3.6%), compared with +7.2% for North Carolina as a whole.
With 383.2 square miles of land, that is 100 people per square mile (39 per km²), placing Dare County #1,000 nationally for density and #58 in North Carolina. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the North Carolina median is 116. Put another way, there are about 6.4 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 37,036 | 37,908 | 38,000 | 38,150 | 38,228 | 38,245 |
| Change | — | +872 | +92 | +150 | +78 | +17 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Dare County
6 incorporated places lie at least partly in Dare County. Together they are home to 19,949 people (52.2%); the other 18,296 (47.8%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Kill Devil Hills town, with 7,731 residents in the county. The county seat, Manteo town, has 1,585 residents. By land, Kitty Hawk town is the largest at 8.119 mi². Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Kill Devil Hills town grew fastest since then (+1.2%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kill Devil Hills town | 7,731 | +1.2% | 5.608 |
| Kitty Hawk town | 3,670 | −0.9% | 8.119 |
| Nags Head town | 3,117 | −1.9% | 6.618 |
| Southern Shores town | 3,110 | +0.6% | 3.946 |
| Manteo townCounty seat | 1,585 | −0.6% | 1.877 |
| Duck town | 736 | −0.8% | 2.417 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Dare County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Dare County is a central county of the Kill Devil Hills, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area. Dare County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 383.2 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #499 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #348 by population. It belongs to the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake, VA-NC Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
14 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Dare County, and each lies mostly inside the county.
2791527920279362794327948279492795327954279592796827972279782798127982
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Dare County
Dare County shares a land border with 2 county equivalents. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Hyde County (612.3 mi²) and the smallest is Currituck County (261.9 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Dare County forms a block of 1,257.5 mi² of land, of which it holds 30.5%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Dare | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyde County | 612.3 | 1.6× larger | Compare |
| Currituck County | 261.9 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
How big is Dare County compared with U.S. states?
Dare County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.7 times as much. North Carolina’s county land could hold about 127 areas the size of Dare County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 19.6 miles (31.5 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Dare County?
Dare County has more land than 631 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Dare County at #434 nationally by total area, 2,157 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 75.1%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 74 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Dare County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2590 | Jay County, Indiana | 383.9 | Compare |
| #2591 | Dare County, North Carolina | 383.2 | This county |
| #2592 | Huntington County, Indiana | 382.6 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 35.606269, -75.767536. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 992,558,966 m²; AWATER: 3,000,512,861 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Dare County?
Dare County, North Carolina has 383.2 square miles (992.6 km²) of land and 1,158.5 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,541.7 square miles. It ranks #2591 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Dare County the largest county in North Carolina?
No. Dare County ranks #68 of 100 in North Carolina by land area. The largest is Robeson County, with 947.3 square miles of land.
What counties border Dare County?
Dare County shares a land border with Hyde County and Currituck County.
What is the population of Dare County?
The Census Bureau estimates Dare County had 38,245 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,253 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 100 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Dare County?
The county seat of Dare County is Manteo.
What cities and towns are in Dare County?
Dare County has 6 incorporated places. The most populous five are Kill Devil Hills town, Kitty Hawk town, Nags Head town, Southern Shores town, and Manteo town; 18,296 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Dare County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Kill Devil Hills, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Dare County?
14 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Dare County, and 14 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Dare County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.7 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Dare County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 245,267 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 986,710 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.