Bald Head Island Lighthouse · National Register of Historic Places
Bald Head Island’s story
41 years in pictures
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1985Bald Head Island is settled
Photo: KudzuVine · Public domain
Population
279
2025 Census estimate · +6.1% since 2020
Typical home
$1.44M
+4% in a year
Household income
$209K
median
Median age
67.8
years
Jobs based here
545
A job hub
Is Bald Head Island a good place to live?
42% of the land in Bald Head Island is conserved, above both North Carolina’s towns (3.4%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Bald Head Island has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Bald Head Island Lighthouse and Cape Fear Lighthouse Complex. Bald Head Island has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Bald Head Island stand out
Where Bald Head Island beats most towns.
By the sea
Bald Head Island lives by the ocean
Coastal flooding makes up 9% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
9%of expected storm damage is coastal flooding
99thpercentile for coastal flood risk nationally
437paid flood-insurance claims since 1985
10storm & flood disasters paid out here
On the water
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Bald Head Island: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bald Head Island, and how to reach them.
PowerDuke Energy15.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterThe Village of Bald Head Island water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpRecycling Center at the Public Works facilityDrop-offTown site
Register to voteOnlineIn North Carolina you can register online until 25 days before Election Day, in person with same-day registration during the early voting period, or by mail (postmarked 25 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereBrunswick County Board of ElectionsBrunswick County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2021
ZIP code2846128461 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Bald Head Island.
Housing
Bald Head Island stands out in North Carolina and nationally, with more of its households who live in a home they own
Homes sold in Bald Head Island spent a median 61 days on the market. The typical Bald Head Island home is worth about $1,438,000, up 4% in a year, 4 times the North Carolina typical home.
$1.44MZillow home value
Typical home value
Bald Head Island$1.44M
North Carolina$332K
Market temperature
61
days on market
96.1%
sale-to-list price
+4%
value change, 1 year
16
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commute
The median household income in Bald Head Island is higher than in most of North Carolina or the rest of the country
For Bald Head Island, the average commute is 29 minutes. 6.8% of Bald Head Island residents live below the poverty line, below both the North Carolina town median (13%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). The share of working residents in Bald Head Island who work locally: 26%. Jobs here fell by 34 from 2013 to 2023, to 545.
26%work in town
| Bald Head Island | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $209,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.8% | 13% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Bald Head Island26%
Wilmington15%
North Myrtle Beach5%
Charlotte4%
Myrtle Grove4%
26 mi
median commute distance
545
jobs based in Bald Head Island
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Outdoors
Protected land: nearly a third of Bald Head Island
Only one of the 263 North Carolina towns we compare has a higher trail network density than Bald Head Island. 21 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Bald Head Island Natural Area, at 1,113 acres.
41.7%conserved
41.7%
conserved · 1,397 of 3,347 acres
21 mi
of trails · 4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bald Head Island Natural Area | 0.8 mi | 1,113 |
| 2. The Common at Cape Fear Station | — | 3 |
| 3. Marina Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: very high risk in Bald Head Island, mostly hurricanes
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Bald Head Island after 10 declared disasters, most recently in 2024. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage here than in 97% of U.S. communities. Also worth knowing: 437 flood insurance claims have been paid here since 1985. Expected losses in Bald Head Island break down as 72% from hurricanes and 15% from inland flooding.
97risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HurricanesInland floodingCoastal flooding
437
paid flood claims since 1985
10
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Four seasons and hot summers in Bald Head Island
July afternoons reach 89° and January nights drop to 37°.
89°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter39–59°
Spring53–73°
Summer72–87°
Fall57–75°
Nov 17
typical first frost
Mar 24
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
89°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Bald Head Island is
12% of Bald Head Island adults report frequent physical distress. This North Carolina town beats the North Carolina average on 19 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. In Bald Head Island, a quarter of adults feel lonely, and 88% had a checkup this year. Among 290 North Carolina towns, just 8 have a lower share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Bald Head Island.
| Bald Head Island | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 17% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 33% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 88% | 80% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 16% |
32 measures vs. North Carolina
19 better8 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Bald Head Island | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 4.3% | 12.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 2.9% | 8.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 15.4% | 7.9% |
J Arthur Dosher Memorial Hospital
4.9 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Nearby attractions
All 14 attractions →Fort Fisher and 10 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bald Head Island. Close and well known come first.
8 mi LandmarkFort Fisher
14 mi GardenOrton Plantation
12 mi MuseumBrunswick Town
35 mi LighthouseFrying Pan Shoals Light26 mi GardenAirlie Gardens
8 mi MuseumFort Fisher Visitor CenterSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Fort Fisher: Eric T. Gunther, CC BY 3.0 · Orton Plantation: AgnosticPreachersKid., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Brunswick Town: Brunswick1726, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Frying Pan Shoals Light: U.S. Department of Defense, Public domain · Fort Fisher Visitor Center: TomasVial, CC BY-SA 4.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bald Head Island
17pages on Bald Head Island
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Bald Head Island; the nearest are
Brunswick Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Bolivia18.6 mi$2,553 in-state tuitionUniversity of North Carolina WilmingtonUniversity or college · Public · Wilmington25.5 mi$7,277 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Bald Head Island residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
Small town
279 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Landmarks
3 places in Bald Head Island on the National Register of Historic Places.
About Bald Head Island
Village in North Carolina, United States
Bald Head Island, historically known as Smith Island, is a village located on the east side of the Cape Fear River in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. Compared to the nearby city of Wilmington to the north, the village of Bald Head Island is small and somewhat remote. Despite its name, Bald Head Island is not an island. The historical Corncake Inlet that separated it from Kure Beach, filled in after Hurricane Floyd in 1999, and has remained closed ever since. It is accessible by ferry from the nearby town of Southport and by four-wheel drive vehicle along the beach strand from Fort Fisher to the north. Only government officials are allowed to drive the beach strand route. Th…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1985
- Area
- 5.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 7 ft
- Area code
- 910
Questions about Bald Head Island
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bald Head Island, NC a good place to live?
Bald Head Island has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.