Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,110. 2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical North Carolina town.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 98% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Overall it grades B+, 30th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 93% of the country. 32% of residents are 65 or older in Southern Shores, above both North Carolina’s towns (18%) and U.S. towns (18%). Only 16 of North Carolina’s 190 towns score higher on safety.
Where Southern Shores beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Southern Shores | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.5% | 13.9% |
2,714 counted in 2010 and 3,090 in 2020; an estimated 3,110 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 13.9% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Southern Shores is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 395 in 1980, 3,090 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 2 maps from 1940 on.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Southern Shores, 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 Southern Shores.
Southern Shores fares better on crime within North Carolina than nationally and is a second-home town, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of North Carolina (mostly hurricanes).
At 9 years of the Kill Devil Hills area’s $89K median household income, the typical home (about $803K) costs more against local pay than in 98% of North Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $3,770, against $1,896 across North Carolina, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Southern Shores home is worth about $803,000, up 1.7% in a year, more than twice the North Carolina typical home. 91% of Southern Shores households own their home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Dare County Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitty Hawk Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 487 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
11% of adults report frequent mental distress in Southern Shores. Among 289 North Carolina towns, just 4 have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Southern Shores. 13% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Southern Shores.
| Southern Shores | 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) | 85% | 80% | 79% |
| What stands out | Southern Shores | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.5% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5% | 15.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 14.2% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 93% of North Carolina towns; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on. 170 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 13 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1991, 170 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Southern Shores.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here grew from 384 in 2013 to 591.
The median household income in Southern Shores is $131,000. Among 290 North Carolina towns, just 1 have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Southern Shores. Jobs based in Southern Shores grew to 591 in 2023, 207 more than in 2013.
| Southern Shores | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $131,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 0.6% | 13% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1.1 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves.
| Southern Shores | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 11.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 94% of North Carolina’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 43 to 26 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Southern Shores’ violent crime rate is 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Southern Shores | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 11.1 per 1,000 residents | 24.2 | 11.5 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Southern Shores has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 35° and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Southern Shores. Close and well known come first.
7 mi National MemorialWright Brothers National Memorial342K visitors a year
16 mi National SeashoreCape Hatteras National Seashore2.7M visitors a year
12 mi National Historic SiteFort Raleigh National Historic Site267K visitors a year
12 mi State parkJockey's Ridge State Park
23 mi LighthouseBodie Island Light
39 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 Southern Shores; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Southern Shores residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
Where Southern Shores’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in North Carolina, United States
Southern Shores is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. It is located on the Outer Banks and the population was 3,107 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Southern Shores.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Shores | #30 | B+ | C | B+ | B+ | A |
| Kitty Hawk | #97 | B− | C+ | C+ | B+ | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Southern Shores grades B+ overall, better than 74% of U.S. towns and #30 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades A for health, B+ for safety and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 9 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.
