Housing data for Nags Head, NC
Nags Head, NC has an estimated 3,160 residents and 5,275 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a town in Dare County.
17.2% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,005 a month.
Its population grew measurably since 2015–2019 (+8.1%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 3,160 (±17)
- Housing units
- 5,275 (±196)
- Households that rent
- 17.2%
- Median gross rent
- $1,005
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +8.1%
What stands out in Nags Head
Rental vacancy rate: 86.7% (±5.9 points) in Nags Head, higher than in Dare County (65.6%).
Housing in Nags Head at a glance
- Median rent: $1,005 median gross rent a month
- Rent burden: 64.0% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 17.2% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $91,264 median household income
- Home values: $490,800 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,851 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $2,632 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 11.9% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 84.5% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 25.2% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 86.7% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 90.9% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 22.6 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +8.1% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 22.5% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 2.3% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Nags Head against Dare County, its state and the nation
| Nags Head | Dare County | North Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 3,160 (±17) | 37,875 (exact) | 10,730,404 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 5,275 (±196) | 35,278 (±74) | 4,895,668 (±642) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 17.2% (±7.3 points) | 21.6% (±2.4 points) | 33.4% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,005 (±$428) | $1,345 (±$85) | $1,228 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $91,264 (±$15,374) | $88,994 (±$5,211) | $72,388 (±$324) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $490,800 (±$81,751) | $460,400 (±$16,420) | $288,900 (±$1,086) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $2,632 (±$320) | $2,391 (±$97) | $1,896 (±$8) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 25.2% (±6.3 points) | 23.9% (±2.1 points) | 33.9% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 22.6 minutes (±7.5) | 22.4 minutes (±1.7) | 25.1 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 94.2% (±4.9 points) | 91.7% (±2.0 points) | 90.1% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 58.4 years (±6.1) | 49.0 years (±0.4) | 39.1 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Nags Head covers 6.6 square miles of land, about 477 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Nags Head has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 2,923 (±16) | 3,160 (±17) | +8.1% | Measurable increase |
| Housing units | 4,839 (±164) | 5,275 (±196) | +9.0% | Measurable increase |
| Median gross rent | $1,310 (±$370) | $1,005 (±$428) | −23.3% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $327,900 (±$27,928) | $490,800 (±$81,751) | +49.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $65,968 (±$11,944) | $91,264 (±$15,374) | +38.3% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,879 (±$256) | $1,851 (±$186) | −1.5% | Down after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $2,083 (±$262) | $2,632 (±$320) | +26.4% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 29.3% (±8.3 points) | 17.2% (±7.3 points) | −12.1 percentage points | Measurable decrease |
| Rental vacancy rate | 74.4% (±7.9 points) | 86.7% (±5.9 points) | +12.3 percentage points | Measurable increase |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Dare County
Nags Head has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Dare County as a whole.
In 2024, the police departments that report for Dare County recorded 216 violent and 1,355 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
ZIP codes in Nags Head
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27959 | 45% | 3,170 | $1,005 | $490,800 | $91,264 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Nags Head
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manteo | 3.7 mi | $1,204 | $444,400 | 36.7% |
| Kill Devil Hills | 5.4 mi | $1,626 | $442,200 | 26.1% |
| Wanchese | 7.5 mi | $1,073 | $311,800 | 30.6% |
| Kitty Hawk | 9.9 mi | $1,309 | $535,000 | 27.4% |
| Southern Shores | 13 mi | — | $712,300 | 8.7% |
| Duck | 18 mi | $1,500 | $767,500 | 11.0% |
| Grandy | 24 mi | $1,122 | $306,000 | 27.1% |
| Columbia | 34 mi | $678 | $120,000 | 50.7% |
Places in North Carolina most like Nags Head
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kitty Hawk | $1,309 | $535,000 | $94,450 | 27.4% |
| Swansboro | $1,106 | $378,700 | $114,425 | 27.5% |
| Southport | $1,426 | $437,700 | $87,641 | 19.8% |
| Clemmons | $1,269 | $335,800 | $87,655 | 24.3% |
| Oak Island | $1,339 | $456,500 | $85,872 | 10.3% |
| Oriental | $1,138 | $422,900 | $57,880 | 15.6% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across North Carolina.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Nags Head, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,194 | $1,387 | $1,510 | $1,918 | $2,001 |
HUD income limits for Nags Head, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $23,150 | $38,600 | $61,750 |
| 2 people | $26,450 | $44,050 | $70,550 |
| 3 people | $29,750 | $49,600 | $79,350 |
| 4 people | $33,050 | $55,100 | $88,150 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $59,550 | $95,250 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $63,950 | $102,300 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $68,350 | $109,300 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $72,750 | $116,350 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Dare County, NC, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $116,900.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Nags Head
What is the average rent in Nags Head, NC?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Nags Head is $1,005 (±$428) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
Are renters in Nags Head rent-burdened?
64.0% of renting households in Nags Head pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Nags Head?
Nags Head has an estimated 272 (±129) renting households, 17.2% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Nags Head?
The median household income in Nags Head is $91,264 (±$15,374) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Nags Head, NC?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $490,800 (±$81,751) for owner-occupied homes in Nags Head (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Nags Head?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Nags Head, NC is $1,851 (±$186) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
Is Nags Head growing?
In Nags Head, the number of residents went from 2,923 in 2015–2019 to 3,160 in 2020–2024 (+8.1%), a measurable increase.
What ZIP codes are in Nags Head?
The ZIP code that covers Nags Head is 27959.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 27959?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 27959 is $1,005 (±$428) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Nags Head town, North Carolina
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Nags Head town, North Carolina
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Nags Head town, North Carolina
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Nags Head town, North Carolina
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Nags Head town, North Carolina
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Nags Head town, North Carolina
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Nags Head town, North Carolina
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Dare County, NC
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Dare County, NC
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Nags Head town, North Carolina (place:45880, in state:37).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .