Chowan BeachNC
A town of 325.
Is Chowan Beach a good place to live?
68% of residents live below the poverty line in Chowan Beach, against 13% in North Carolina’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Of the 291 North Carolina towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Chowan Beach. Chowan Beach has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
325 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Chowan Beach: who provides what
Chowan Beach is unincorporated, so Chowan County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Chowan Beach.
Chowan Beach faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by hurricanes
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 80% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Compared with most of North Carolina and the rest of the country, the median household income in Chowan Beach is lower
Chowan Beach’s median household income is $23,000, where North Carolina’s towns sit at $69,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. Most working residents leave Chowan Beach for work: only 0% work in town. The top destinations are Edenton (19%), Elizabeth City (6%) and Raleigh (5%).
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Chowan Beach has mild winters and hot summers
Chowan Beach has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 32° and about 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Chowan Beach is
Chowan Beach beats the North Carolina average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 20% of Chowan Beach adults smoke cigarettes.
| Chowan Beach | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Chowan Beach | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 11.1% | 7.1% |
| More smokers | 19.7% | 13.5% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.1% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Chowan Beach
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Chowan Beach; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Chowan Beach residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
100% of working residents leave Chowan Beach for work
Where Chowan Beach’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Chowan Beach
Census-designated place in North Carolina, United States
Chowan Beach is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Chowan County, North Carolina, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 385. The community is in northern Chowan County, on the east bank of the tidal Chowan River. It is bordered to the north by Arrowhead Beach. Edenton, the county seat, is 13 miles (21 km) to the south-southeast.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 30 ft
Questions about Chowan Beach
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Chowan Beach, NC a good place to live?
Chowan Beach has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.