| ZIP Codes: | 14 ZIP Codes (7 Standard, 7 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Code: | 252 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (GMT -05:00) |
| Local Time: | 2:12:56 PM |
| Population: | 37,875 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 37055 |
| CBSA: | Kill Devil Hills, NC |
| Land Area: | 382 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 137 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 35.6590, -75.6334 |
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37,875 residents live across 14 ZIPs covering 382 sq mi, served by 14 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 34,530 to 37,875 from 2014 to 2024 — a +9.7% change. 7 ZIPs gained residents, 7 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 27949 (Kitty Hawk, $120,662 median) and poorest ZIP 27915 (Avon, $35,365) are 52.4 miles apart — a 3.4× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 2.7× across this county — from $254,700 in 27953 (Manns Harbor) to $677,600 in 27949 (Kitty Hawk).
Density varies 768× across the county — from 2 people/sq mi in 27978 (Stumpy Point) to 1,378 in 27948 (Kill Devil Hills).
Educational attainment ranges from 21.8% bachelor's+ in 27953 (Manns Harbor) to 55.0% in 27949 (Kitty Hawk) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within North Carolina, this is the #65 most populous of 100 counties and ranks #31 for median household income with the #27 fastest decade growth .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $91,160 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
43.2% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (12,479 of 28,880 reporting).
7 Standard delivery, 7 PO Box only, 0 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this county.
Median household income spans 3.4× between the wealthiest and poorest ZIPs — a sign of significant intra-county inequality.
| ZIP | City | Type | Population | Median Income | Area (sq mi) | 10-yr Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27948 | Kill Devil Hills | Standard | 12,436 | $86,193 | 9.0 | 14.2% |
| 27949 | Kitty Hawk | Standard | 8,251 | $120,662 | 15.4 | 17.6% |
| 27954 | Manteo | Standard | 7,237 | $80,587 | 8.9 | 14.9% |
| 27959 | Nags Head | Standard | 3,170 | $91,264 | 14.7 | 12.9% |
| 27981 | Wanchese | Standard | 1,969 | $88,750 | 10.1 | 12.3% |
| 27920 | Buxton | PO Box | 1,267 | — | 13.3 | -0.4% |
| 27953 | Manns Harbor | Standard | 999 | $53,250 | 152.0 | -23.3% |
| 27968 | Rodanthe | PO Box | 781 | — | 12.6 | 177.0% |
| 27936 | Frisco | PO Box | 664 | $43,846 | 0.0 | -34.5% |
| 27915 | Avon | PO Box | 339 | $35,365 | 8.0 | -64.3% |
| 27978 | Stumpy Point | Standard | 237 | $60,192 | 132.2 | -2.5% |
| 27972 | Salvo | PO Box | 229 | — | 0.0 | -7.7% |
| 27943 | Hatteras | PO Box | 152 | $57,188 | 3.6 | -60.8% |
| 27982 | Waves | PO Box | 144 | — | 1.9 | 121.5% |