HomeNorth CarolinaDare County
Dare County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Dare County, North Carolina has a population of 37,875 across 383 square miles, up 3.4 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $3.09 bn in 2024, 2,079 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 57 7(a) approvals worth $44.2 m.
128 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Dare County
How many people live in Dare County
- Population37,875
- Households16,836
- Average household size2.25
- Median household income$88,994
- Median age49.0
- Median gross rent$1,345 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$460,400
- Home value to household income5.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher43.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree13.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over28,880
- Population under 186,771
- Share under 1817.9 percent
- Population 65 and over9,563
- Share 65 and over25.2 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6421,541
- Civilian labor force20,470
- Unemployment rate5.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over65.8 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties65th of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1259th
Dare County is the 65th largest of 100 North Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 5.2 times median household income, which is a stretched ownership market and usually shows up as rental demand. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 25.2 percent against 17.9 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Dare County
Is Dare County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base3.44 percent
- Census 2020 base population36,912
- Births, 2024259
- Deaths, 2024423
- Natural change, 2024-164
- Net domestic migration, 202428
- Net international migration, 2024137
- Total net migration, 2024165
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,288
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents787th
The county has grown 3.44 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Dare County
Where people moving to Dare County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,416
- People arriving, from those returns2,446
- Adjusted gross income arriving$177.8 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$125,532
- Largest single originDare County Non-migrants (15,920 households)
- Largest single destination (15,920 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dare County Non-migrants | 15,920 | 29,711 | $1.63 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 866 | 1,514 | $114.1 m |
| Other flows - South | 496 | 862 | $61.5 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 256 | 424 | $17.8 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 190 | 349 | $30.3 m |
| Other flows - West | 105 | 176 | $15.7 m |
| Currituck County | 83 | 144 | $5.9 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 75 | 127 | $6.6 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Dare County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Dare County
What the Dare County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$3.09 bn
- County GDP, 2023$3.01 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20242.6 percent
- GDP change over five years33.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among North Carolina counties43rd
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents958th
- GDP per resident$81,512
Output grew 2.6 percent in the latest year and 33.5 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Dare County
Who employs people in Dare County
- Covered employment, annual average20,359
- Establishments reporting2,329
- Average annual pay$46,480
- Average weekly wage$894
- Sector 72, employment4,898
- Sector 72, average annual pay$32,152
- Sector 44-45, employment3,913
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$39,489
- Sector 53, employment1,870
- Sector 53, average annual pay$43,928
- Sector 23, employment1,245
- Sector 23, average annual pay$56,723
- Sector 56, employment1,027
- Sector 31-33, employment681
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 72 | 4,898 | 348 | $32,152 |
| Sector 44-45 | 3,913 | 362 | $39,489 |
| Sector 53 | 1,870 | 160 | $43,928 |
| Sector 23 | 1,245 | 304 | $56,723 |
| Sector 56 | 1,027 | 173 | $44,971 |
| Sector 31-33 | 681 | 49 | $59,354 |
| Sector 54 | 680 | 254 | $76,156 |
| Sector 81 | 550 | 143 | $39,200 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 4,898 jobs, 24.1 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Dare County
What businesses operate in Dare County
- Establishments, all industries2,079
- Employment at those establishments16,320
- Annual payroll$740.1 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents54.9
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Dare County
What is being built in Dare County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024371
- Declared construction value permitted$228.0 m
- Single family units authorised371
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$614,518
- Units authorised per 1,000 households22.0
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Dare County
How much SBA lending happens in Dare County
- 7(a) approvals recorded57
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$44.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$775,505
- Median 7(a) approval$300,000
- 10th percentile approval$43,500
- 90th percentile approval$1,900,000
- Largest single approval$4,320,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)738
- Jobs per approval12.9
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active21
- Distinct industries receiving approvals30
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer15.8 percent
- Loans on real estate terms9
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter46
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals1.8 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (8)
- Most active lenderTowneBank (11)
- 504 approvals recorded31
- 504 gross approval dollars$20.4 m
- Average 504 approval$656,677
- Median 504 approval$391,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval7.1
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved10.8
- Most active CDC504 Capital Corporation (19)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals64.8 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$64.6 m
The average approval of $775,505 sits well above the median of $300,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 15.8 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Dare County
Do SBA loans in Dare County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded11
- Paid in full11
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure41
- Status: Paid in full11
- Status: Cancelled2
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed3
Of the 11 loans that have reached a final outcome, 0.0 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Dare County
Which parts of Dare County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending14
- KILL DEVIL HILLS, approvals16
- NAGS HEAD, approvals12
- Kitty Hawk, approvals10
- Manteo, approvals4
- AVON, approvals3
- Manns Harbor, approvals2
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| KILL DEVIL HILLS | 16 | $15,380,300 |
| NAGS HEAD | 12 | $8,163,800 |
| Kitty Hawk | 10 | $6,222,600 |
| Manteo | 4 | $2,966,000 |
| AVON | 3 | $2,020,800 |
| Manns Harbor | 2 | $895,000 |
| HATTERAS | 2 | $2,130,000 |
| DUCK | 2 | $695,000 |
KILL DEVIL HILLS accounts for 16 approvals against 12 in NAGS HEAD. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Dare County
How big is Dare County
- Land area383 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties68th of 100
- Width, east to west33 mi
- Height, north to south80.8 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land99
- Establishments per square mile5.43
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Dare County
What hazards affect Dare County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book7
- Of those, participating in the NFIP7
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 5
- Communities carrying a CRS class7
The EPA places the county in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. The best Community Rating System class in the county is 5, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for properties in the participating community.
US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001. FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Dare County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Dare County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population37,875
- Households16,836
- Average household size2.25
- Median household income$88,994
- Median age49.0
Common questions
Dare County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Dare County, North Carolina?
37,875, in 16,836 households, ranking 65th of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Dare County growing?
The population has grown 3.44 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 259 births against 423 deaths, with net migration of 165. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Dare County?
$88,994. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $460,400, which is 5.2 times income, and median gross rent is $1,345 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Dare County?
2,079 establishments, employing 16,320 people with an annual payroll of $740.1 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Dare County?
Average annual pay is $46,480, or $894 a week, across 20,359 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Dare County?
57 7(a) approvals totalling $44.2 m since FY2020, across 21 lenders, with a median approval of $300,000, plus 31 504 approvals worth $20.4 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Dare County get paid back?
Of the 11 loans that have reached a final outcome, 11 were paid in full and 0 charged off, a charge off rate of 0.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Dare County?
371 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $228.0 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Dare County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Dare County come from?
The largest single origin is Dare County Non-migrants, with 15,920 households. Arriving households report an average income of $125,532 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Dare County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Dare County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.