New County Snapshots reveal mixed results for Dare 

By Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice on March 21, 2025

County scores higher on education levels, but residents struggling with rent

By Mark Jurkowitz  | Outer Banks Voice

Dare County fares reasonably well compared to the state overall average when it comes to some measures of economic and social well-being, according to the “Economic County Snapshots” released by the NC Budget and Tax Center on March 19.

Among other metrics, 8% of Dare residents live in poverty (data from 2019-2023) compared with 13% of residents statewide. The median household income in Dare County (2019-2023) is $81,200, significantly larger than the state average of $69,900.

Another area where Dare outstrips statewide numbers is in educational levels. While 95% of Dare County residents have graduated high school, that number slips statewide to 87%. When it comes to earning a college degree, 43% of Dare residents have done so compared with 35% statewide.

Other measures are more sobering. The percentage of Dare County renter households spending more than 30% of their income on rent is slightly over half, at 52%. That is modestly larger than the statewide percentage of 48%.

There are minor differences in some areas regarding health and health care—with one exception. Dare life expectancy (79 years) is slightly better than the state average (77 years) and the share of Dare residents without health insurance is 9% compared with 10% at the state level.

But while that state average shows that there are 320 North Carolina residents per mental health provider, that number swells notably in Dare County, up to 490.

Currituck and Hyde Counties

In several categories, Currituck County’s numbers were better than Dare County’s and the state average. Median household income was considerably higher, at $91,500, and the percentage of renter households paying more than 30% of their income on rent, was a bit lower at 46%.

On the flip side, while the high school graduation rate was close to Dare County, the percentage of Currituck residents with college degrees was substantially lower at 29%. In addition, there were 1,290 residents for every mental health provider in Currituck County, well above the statewide average.

Hyde County numbers, in many ways, stood out from Dare and Currituck and statewide numbers—and not in a positive way.

More than one-fifth (22%) of Hyde County residents live in poverty, and its median household income of $47,300 trailed far behind. More stunningly, almost three-quarters (72%) of Hyde County renter households were paying more than 30% of their income on rent.

The percentage of residents without health insurance, at 12%, was higher than the neighboring counties or the state. And even Hyde County’s life expectancy of 75 years was a few years lower than Currituck, Dare and the statewide average.

As for the availability of mental health care, the number of Hyde County residents per mental health provider neared the 5,000 mark, at 4,580.

Much of the data the Budget and Tax Center uses in the County Economic Snapshots come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). This ongoing survey releases data in December of every year for the previous year (for example, 2023 data was released in December 2024.) Click here to read “2025 Economic County Snapshots for North Carolina”.