Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 98% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Overall it grades B−, 97th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 90% of the country and 29% of its land is conserved. 29% of the land in Kitty Hawk is conserved, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 3.4% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Only 5 of North Carolina’s 331 towns score higher on civic life. The biggest place to walk is Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve, 1,023 acres with 1.3 miles of trail.
Where Kitty Hawk beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
28.6% of the town is conserved land, across 3 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Kitty Hawk is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,937 in 1990, 3,689 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1874 and 2 maps from 1940 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Kitty Hawk, 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 Kitty Hawk.
Kitty Hawk is a second-home town, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of North Carolina (mostly hurricanes) and has homes that cost more against local pay than most of North Carolina.
At 7.2 years of the Kill Devil Hills area’s $89K median household income, the typical home (about $645K) costs more against local pay than in 92% of North Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living.
The typical Kitty Hawk home is worth about $645,000, up 1.9% in a year, 94% above the North Carolina typical home. Kitty Hawk’s median rent is $1,309 a month, above North Carolina’s towns ($1,084 a month) and close to U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
| Kitty Hawk | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,309 a month | $1,084 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 67% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beacon Christian Academy PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 50 | – |
| Heron Pond Montessori School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 88 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 93% of North Carolina towns, with expected losses of about $1,775 per resident a year; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on. 1,608 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 293 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1989, 1,608 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Kitty Hawk.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its widest gap with North Carolina is food insecurity: 7.2% of its 2,982 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.2% statewide.
28% of Kitty Hawk adults sleep under 7 hours. Kitty Hawk beats the North Carolina average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 14% of Kitty Hawk adults report frequent mental distress.
| Kitty Hawk | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 24% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Kitty Hawk | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.2% | 15.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.1% | 8.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.8% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #4 of 290 in North Carolina.
4.8 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The trail density in Kitty Hawk is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve | 1.3 mi | 1,023 |
| 2. Sandy Run | 0.5 mi | 16 |
| 3. Kitty Hawk Boat Ramp | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Kitty Hawk has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 35° and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Kitty Hawk’s property crime rate is 16.4 per 1,000 residents. Within North Carolina, it does better than 72% of towns.
| Kitty Hawk | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 16.4 per 1,000 residents | 24.2 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 2.4 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Most working residents leave Kitty Hawk for work: only 18% work in town. 4.7% of residents live below the poverty line in Kitty Hawk. The top destinations are Kill Devil Hills (12%), Nags Head (10%) and Duck (6%).
| Kitty Hawk | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.7% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 18% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $94,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
32.7% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 3.9% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 44% of residents (38% statewide). 44% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across North Carolina.
| Kitty Hawk | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 49.3 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 44% | 29% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 18% | 18% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.4 points. Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 83% are men (NC 51%).
| Kitty Hawk | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.1% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.9% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.8% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.6% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 22.6% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.8% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.2% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.5% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.6% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.2% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.2% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 32.9% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.6% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,700, single groups can be off by several points
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Kitty Hawk. Close and well known come first.
4 mi National MemorialWright Brothers National Memorial342K visitors a year
13 mi National SeashoreCape Hatteras National Seashore2.7M visitors a year
9 mi National Historic SiteFort Raleigh National Historic Site267K visitors a year
9 mi State parkJockey's Ridge State Park
19 mi LighthouseBodie Island Light
36 mi MuseumChicamacomico Life-Saving StationWright 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 · Jockey's Ridge State Park: Zach Rudisin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bodie Island Light: RyanGRodgers, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station: Elizabeth from burlington, CC BY 2.0
None within 15 miles of Kitty Hawk; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Kitty Hawk residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
3,272 counted in 2010 and 3,689 in 2020; an estimated 3,670 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 12.7% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Town in North Carolina, United States
Kitty Hawk is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States, located on Bodie Island within the state's Outer Banks. The population was 3,708 at the 2020 United States census. It was established in the early 18th century as Chickahawk.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Kitty Hawk.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kitty Hawk | #97 | B− | C+ | C+ | B+ | A |
| Southern Shores | #30 | B+ | C | B+ | B+ | A |
| Kill Devil Hills | #93 | B− | C− | — | B+ | A |
Kill Devil Hills reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Kitty Hawk with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Kitty Hawk grades B− overall, better than 49% of U.S. towns and #97 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades A for health, C+ for safety and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 72% of towns.
That is 7.2 years of the area's median household income ($88,994 across the Kill Devil Hills, NC area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
