Salvo Post Office · National Register of Historic Places
Salvo’s story
125 years in pictures
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1901Salvo is settled
SalvoNC
A town of 220, settled in 1901.
1 bordering townMap →
Rasmus Midgett House · Photo: Jasonspsyche · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
220
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$626K
−2.6% in a year
Median age
36.3
years
Jobs based here
33
A commuter town
Is Salvo a good place to live?
Salvo’s concentration of trails is 2.3 miles per square mile, above both North Carolina’s towns (0.2) and U.S. towns (0.4). Salvo has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Salvo Post Office and Rasmus Midgett House. Salvo has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
By the sea
Salvo lives by the ocean
Coastal flooding makes up 11% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
11%of expected storm damage is coastal flooding
100thpercentile for coastal flood risk nationally
3storm & flood disasters paid out here
On the water
- Cape Hatteras National Seashore
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
Nearby attractions
All 8 attractions →Cape Hatteras National Seashore and 6 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Salvo. Close and well known come first.
in town National SeashoreCape Hatteras National Seashore2.7M visitors a year
21 mi LighthouseCape Hatteras Lighthouse
34 mi National MemorialWright Brothers National Memorial342K visitors a year
19 mi LighthouseBodie Island Light
29 mi National Historic SiteFort Raleigh National Historic Site267K visitors a year
3 mi MuseumChicamacomico Life-Saving StationSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Cape Hatteras National Seashore: Vbofficial, Public domain · Cape Hatteras Lighthouse: Henryhartley, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wright Brothers National Memorial: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Bodie Island Light: RyanGRodgers, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Raleigh National Historic Site: Sarah Stierch, CC BY 4.0 · Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station: Elizabeth from burlington, CC BY 2.0
Getting set up
Moving to Salvo: who provides what
Salvo is unincorporated, so Dare County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerDominion Energy12.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterDare Co-Rws Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers97% 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 code2797227972 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 Salvo.
Housing
The typical home in Salvo: about $626K
Homes sold in Salvo spent a median 53 days on the market. Typical home values fell 2.6% in the year to September 2026. Sellers in Salvo got 96.4% of the asking price, typically.
$626KZillow home value
Typical home value
Salvo$626K
North Carolina$332K
Market temperature
53
days on market
96.4%
sale-to-list price
−2.6%
value change, 1 year
6
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazards
Compared with most of North Carolina and the rest of the country, the FEMA risk score in Salvo is higher
Of the losses FEMA expects in Salvo, 82% come from hurricanes and 11% from coastal flooding. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 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 flooding
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commute
Salvo has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
The top destinations are Avon (19%), Buxton (9%) and Frisco (7%). Half of commuters travel less than 31 miles.
0%work in town
Where working residents work
In Salvo0%
Avon19%
Buxton9%
Frisco7%
Manteo5%
31 mi
median commute distance
33
jobs based in Salvo
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Outdoors
In Salvo, 21.2% of the land is conserved
Cape Hatteras National Seashore, at 111 acres with 1.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
21.2%conserved
21.2%
conserved · 131 of 616 acres
2.3 mi
of trails · 2.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cape Hatteras National Seashore | 1.9 mi | 111 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Who lives here
Salvo is older than the North Carolina average
Four-year graduates: 39% of adults 25 and older here, 36% across North Carolina. People 65 and older are 27% of residents (17% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (23% statewide).
36.3median age · NC 39.1
SalvoNorth CarolinaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
20%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma2%
High school37%
Some college22%
Associate’s0%
Bachelor’s20%
Graduate19%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 0% and 92% women
The Census survey reached too few of Salvo’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±47.6 points. Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Salvo | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 19.1% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 0% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.7% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.7% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.2% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 5% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.3% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 20% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.2% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 37.1% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.9% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 0% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.2% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18.5% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 200, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
The climate in Salvo brings four seasons and pleasant summers
July afternoons reach 86° and January nights drop to 38°.
86°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter40–55°
Spring53–67°
Summer72–85°
Fall60–73°
Dec 20
typical first frost
Mar 1
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
86°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Salvo is
The share of adults in Salvo who feel lonely: 29%. This North Carolina town does better than the North Carolina average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 2. Also worth knowing: among adults here, 27% sleep under 7 hours, against 34% in North Carolina’s towns and 36% across U.S. towns.
| Salvo | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 34% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
32 measures vs. North Carolina
10 better20 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Salvo | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7% | 12.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.7% | 8.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.7% | 7.9% |
The Outer Banks Hospital
28.4 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Salvo
15pages on Salvo
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Salvo; the nearest are
Elizabeth City State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Elizabeth City65.4 mi$6,536 in-state tuitionCollege of the AlbemarleCommunity college · Public · Elizabeth City68.2 mi$2,242 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Salvo residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
Small town
220 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
WavesSalvo
Landmarks
2 places in Salvo on the National Register of Historic Places.
About Salvo
Census-designated place in North Carolina, United States
Salvo is a census-designated place located in Dare County, North Carolina, United States, on Hatteras Island, part of North Carolina's Outer Banks. As of the 2020 census, Salvo had a population of 303. Originally (with Rodanthe and Waves) part of the settlement of Chicamacomico, Salvo was originally known as "Clarks" or "Clarksville." The name "Salvo" allegedly stems from the American Civil War, during which a passing Union vessel spotted the settlement, which was not marked on their maps. The commanding officer ordered an attack, and a sailor marked the site on his map with the word "Salvo." The name was formally given to the town when it received a post office in 1901. The Salvo post offi…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 30 ft
- ZIP code
- 27972
Questions about Salvo
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Salvo, NC a good place to live?
Salvo has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.