Junction of U.S 264 and U.S. 64, 2014
Manns Harbor’s story
150 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 3 maps from 1953 on.
- 1876Manns Harbor is settled
Manns HarborNC
With 926 residents, this town was settled in 1876.
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
926
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$338K
−0.7% in a year
Household income
$52K
median
Median age
45.2
years
Jobs based here
61
A commuter town
Is Manns Harbor a good place to live?
25% of residents live below the poverty line in Manns Harbor, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Among 291 North Carolina towns, just 9 have a lower mean commuting time than Manns Harbor. 35% of the land in Manns Harbor is conserved, above both the North Carolina town median (3.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest park or preserve is Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, at 681 acres. Manns Harbor has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
By the sea
Manns Harbor lives by the ocean
Coastal flooding makes up 28% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
28%of expected storm damage is coastal flooding
100thpercentile for coastal flood risk nationally
3storm & flood disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
Nearby attractions
All 9 attractions →Wright Brothers National Memorial and 4 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Manns Harbor. Close and well known come first.
10 mi National MemorialWright Brothers National Memorial342K visitors a year
4 mi National Historic SiteFort Raleigh National Historic Site267K visitors a year
10 mi National SeashoreCape Hatteras National Seashore2.7M visitors a year
13 mi LighthouseBodie Island Light
27 mi MuseumChicamacomico Life-Saving StationSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Wright Brothers National Memorial: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Fort Raleigh National Historic Site: Sarah Stierch, CC BY 4.0 · Cape Hatteras National Seashore: Vbofficial, Public domain · Bodie Island Light: RyanGRodgers, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station: Elizabeth from burlington, CC BY 2.0
Getting set up
Moving to Manns Harbor: who provides what
Manns Harbor is unincorporated, so Dare County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerTideland Electric Member16.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterDare County Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers95% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesDare CountyDare County provides services here
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 hereDare County Board of ElectionsDare County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code2795327953 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 Manns Harbor.
Natural hazards
Manns Harbor stands out in North Carolina and nationally: the FEMA risk score there is higher
FEMA puts 56% of Manns Harbor’s expected hazard losses down to hurricanes, and 28% to coastal flooding. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Manns Harbor after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2016. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 100% of U.S. communities.
100risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HurricanesCoastal floodingInland flooding
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Outdoors
Conservation land takes up nearly a third of Manns Harbor
Walkers can cover 0.5 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. In Manns Harbor, the trail network density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
35.4%conserved
35.4%
conserved · 904 of 2,554 acres
0.5 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge | — | 681 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Work & commute
With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Manns Harbor’s workers commute out
In Manns Harbor, the median household income is $52,000. Just 7% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. The top destinations are Manteo (15%), Nags Head (10%) and Wanchese (6%).
7%work in town
| Manns Harbor | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.2% | 6.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Manns Harbor7%
Manteo15%
Nags Head10%
Wanchese6%
Kill Devil Hills6%
10 mi
median commute distance
61
jobs based in Manns Harbor
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Expect mild winters and pleasant summers in Manns Harbor
Manns Harbor’s July high comes in at 87°F.
1″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter37–54°
Spring51–68°
Summer71–85°
Fall57–72°
Dec 6
typical first frost
Mar 15
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
A larger share of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Manns Harbor than in most of North Carolina or the rest of the country
Manns Harbor: 21% of adults worry about having enough food. Only 10 of the 290 North Carolina towns we compare have a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Manns Harbor.
| Manns Harbor | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 25% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
32 measures vs. North Carolina
0 better14 too close to call18 worse
| What stands out | Manns Harbor | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 26.5% | 13.9% |
| More smokers | 21.1% | 13.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 11% | 7.1% |
The Outer Banks Hospital
9.6 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
Homes in Manns Harbor are worth about $338K, by Zillow’s estimate
For households here, the share who are owner-occupiers is 78%. Manns Harbor’s going rate for rent stands at $1,294 a month.
$338KZillow home value
| Manns Harbor | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 78% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,294 a month | $1,085 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Manns Harbor$338K
North Carolina$332K
−0.7%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Manns Harbor
16pages on Manns Harbor
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Manns Harbor; the nearest are
Elizabeth City State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Elizabeth City35.7 mi$6,536 in-state tuitionCollege of the AlbemarleCommunity college · Public · Elizabeth City38.3 mi$2,242 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Manns Harbor residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
Small town
926 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
About Manns Harbor
Census-designated place in North Carolina, United States
Manns Harbor is a census-designated place (CDP) in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Manns Harbor had a population of 790.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 7 ft
- ZIP code
- 27953
- Area code
- 252
Questions about Manns Harbor
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Manns Harbor, NC a good place to live?
Manns Harbor has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.