Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
68% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Duck, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 29%. Only one of the 235 North Carolina towns we compare has a higher midpoint home value than Duck. Duck’s trail density is 1.5 miles per square mile, above both North Carolina’s towns (0.2) and U.S. towns (0.4). Caffeys Inlet Lifesaving Station is on the National Register of Historic Places. Duck has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Duck beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1933 and 2 maps from 1940 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Duck, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Duck.
A home in Duck typically sold within 217 days of listing. Home values are up 3.5% over the year to September 2026. The share of households in Duck who live in a home they own: 89%.
| Duck | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 89% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,500 a month | $1,085 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Only 10 of the 291 North Carolina towns we compare have a higher median household income than Duck. Jobs in Duck grew by 205 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 1,011. Also worth knowing: the mean commuting time for Duck comes to 31 minutes. Half the trips to work are shorter than 14 miles.
| Duck | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $136,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.5% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 13% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Paid flood insurance claims in Duck since 1993: 127. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage here than in 98% of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Duck households in 5 declared disasters; the latest was in 2019. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 81% come from hurricanes and 13% from inland flooding.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The range runs from 34° on a January night to 87° on a July afternoon, with about 1 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown. 20 crimes were reported in Duck in 2025: 19 property and 1 violent.
Duck is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Among 290 North Carolina towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Duck. For adults here, the share who report frequent mental distress is 11%. The town beats the North Carolina average on 20 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5.
| Duck | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 34% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 33% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 86% | 80% | 79% |
| What stands out | Duck | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 4.8% | 15.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 3.9% | 12.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 15.3% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
In 1 park or preserve, walkers have 5.7 miles of trail. One park or preserve covers 10 acres in Duck.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Duck Town Park | 0.6 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Duck. Close and well known come first.
12 mi National MemorialWright Brothers National Memorial342K visitors a year
21 mi National SeashoreCape Hatteras National Seashore2.7M visitors a year
17 mi National Historic SiteFort Raleigh National Historic Site267K visitors a year
28 mi LighthouseBodie Island Light
17 mi State parkJockey's Ridge State Park
37 mi MuseumMilitary Aviation MuseumWright Brothers National Memorial: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Cape Hatteras National Seashore: Vbofficial, Public domain · Fort Raleigh National Historic Site: Sarah Stierch, CC BY 4.0 · Bodie Island Light: RyanGRodgers, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jockey's Ridge State Park: Zach Rudisin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Military Aviation Museum: Jnc, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Duck; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Duck residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
Where Duck’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in North Carolina, United States
Duck is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 746. Duck is the northernmost incorporated town in Dare County and the Outer Banks' newest town, incorporated on May 1, 2002. Duck offers visitors outdoor recreational activities, summer events and concerts, watersports, fine dining, shopping, art galleries, and a nationally known jazz festival, as well as the 11-acre (4.5 ha) Town Park and soundside boardwalk.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Duck has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
