Kitty Hawk, NC · standard

ZIP Code 27949

Dare County, North Carolina — Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.

Reviewed by PlainZIP Editorial Team, ZIP Code Data Editors · June 13, 2026

6,947
177/sq mi: $120,662
Median income: $677,600
Median home value: 55.0%
Bachelor's or higher

The verdict

Kitty Hawk pairs a top-decile household income with top-decile home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.

Top 9%
household income, US ZIPs: Top 7%
home value, US ZIPs: 177
people per sq mi: 83%
owner-occupied homes

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 27949 against every reporting US ZIP.

ZIP code 27949 is classified by USPS as a standard delivery area and covers roughly 39.3 square miles in Kitty Hawk, Dare County, North Carolina. The area is home to 6,947 residents, producing a population density of 177 people per square mile, and falls within the New York time zone. These USPS and Census boundary values drive every downstream statistic on this page, including the benchmarks that compare 27949 against North Carolina and the nation.

On the economic side, the median household income for ZIP 27949 sits at $120,662 (74% above the North Carolina average), while per-capita income is $67,976. The poverty rate stands at 3.2% and the unemployment rate at 9.2%. On housing, the median home value is $677,600 (161% above the state average) with median rent at $1,306 per month, and 83.4% of occupied units are owner-occupied, a direct signal of whether 27949 behaves more like a homeowner neighborhood or a renter-heavy ZIP.

Education and household profile round out the picture: 55.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 55.3, and the average commute is 26 minutes. We also surface 6 nearby ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 additional ZIPs sharing Dare County, so you can benchmark 27949 against its immediate geography rather than a national average alone. Every figure is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, HUD Fair Market Rents, and FHFA Home Price Index data, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with HUD →

Top industries in ZIP 27949

Retail trade

125
Construction

96
Accommodation and food services

81
Real estate and rental and leasing

63
Professional, scientific, and technical services

45

What this shows Establishment counts come from the Census ZIP Code Business Patterns program, which counts physical business locations rather than employees or revenue.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + HUD FMR + FHFA HPI ACS demographics, ZBP business establishments, HUD Fair Market Rents, FHFA HPI for ZIP 27949, Kitty Hawk, NC · 2023 Accessed 2026-06-13 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; HUD FMR + FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.

Quick Facts

6,947

Population

39.3

Area (sq mi)

177

People / sq mi

New York

Time Zone

standard

ZIP Type

Neighborhood Scorecard

Get an A-F grade across income, safety, housing, rent, education, commute, and childcare for this ZIP code.

View Scorecard →

Who lives in ZIP 27949?

55.3

Median Age

49.3%

Male

50.7%

Female

5.8%

Foreign-Born

White 91.4%

African American 0.0%

Asian 0.3%

American Indian or Alaska Native 0.0%

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.0%

Two or More Ethnicities 5.0%

Hispanic or Latino 2.5%

Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

How much do residents earn?

$120,662

Median Household Income

+74% vs state

$67,976

Per Capita Income

3.2%

Poverty Rate

9.2%

Unemployment Rate

25.8 min

Mean Commute Time

How ZIP 27949 ranks nationally

Household income vs. every US ZIP code

Median household income — the full national distribution, with this ZIP marked

$120,662 Top 9% higher than 91% of 30,318 US ZIPs

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What is the education profile here?

High School Graduate or Higher 73.9%

Bachelor's Degree or Higher 55.0%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What does housing look like?

8,994

Total Housing Units

3,589

Occupied Units

5,405

Vacant Units

2.30

Avg Household Size

Occupancy Type

Owner 83.4%

Renter 16.6%

$677,600

Median Home Value

+161% vs state

$1,306

Median Rent

1988

Median Year Built

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

How have home values changed over time?

FHFA House Price Index, annual appreciation data based on repeat sales and appraisals

+1.3%

YoY Change (2024)

336

HPI Index (2000 = 100)

+236%

Total Change Since 2000

Home values in ZIP 27949 have increased 1.3% over the past year (2024). Since 2000, this ZIP has seen +236% cumulative appreciation.

Year	Annual Change	HPI Index
2020	+8.0%	206
2021	+14.7%	236
2022	+26.2%	298
2023	+11.2%	332
2024	+1.3%	336

Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index, All-Transactions, Five-Digit ZIP Codes (Developmental Index). Index base = 100 in year 2000. Data through 2024. ZIP codes with few transactions may show missing values.

What businesses operate in this ZIP?

Census Bureau data shows 576 business establishments in ZIP 27949, employing approximately 4,717 people with a combined annual payroll of $229,232,000.

576

Businesses

4,717

Employees

$229.2M

Annual Payroll

Industry Sectors

Industry	Establishments	% of Total
Retail trade	125	21.7%
Construction	96	16.7%
Accommodation and food services	81	14.1%
Real estate and rental and leasing	63	10.9%
Professional, scientific, and technical services	45	7.8%
Other services (except public administration)	37	6.4%
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	36	6.3%
Finance and insurance	29	5.0%
Health care and social assistance	29	5.0%
Wholesale trade	7	1.2%
Information	6	1.0%
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	6	1.0%
Manufacturing	5	0.9%
Educational services	5	0.9%
Transportation and warehousing	4	0.7%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.

Nearby ZIP Codes

Want a side-by-side? Compare 27949 vs 27941 →

27948

10,862
27949

6,947
27939

2,361
27947

1,230
27966

1,052
27964

545
27941

536

What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 27949 ranks #2 by population — useful context the national average alone can't give.

27949

$120,662
27948

$86,193
27966

$78,507
27947

$78,125
27939

$62,463
27941

$50,893

What this shows By household income, ZIP 27949 ranks the highest of 6 neighboring ZIPs — local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.

ZIP Code	City	Population	Distance
27941	Harbinger, NC	536	4.8 mi
27964	Point Harbor, NC	545	4.3 mi
27966	Powells Point, NC	1,052	6.3 mi
27948	Kill Devil Hills, NC	10,862	6.7 mi
27947	Jarvisburg, NC	1,230	10.6 mi
27939	Grandy, NC	2,361	11.7 mi

More ZIP Codes in Dare County

Dare County Kitty Hawk, NC North Carolina

Frequently Asked Questions

What county is ZIP code 27949 in? ▼

ZIP code 27949 (Kitty Hawk) is located in Dare County, North Carolina. Dare County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/dare-nc.

What is the population of ZIP code 27949? ▼

ZIP code 27949 in Kitty Hawk, NC has a population of 6,947 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in ZIP 27949? ▼

The median household income in ZIP 27949 is $120,662, which is 58% above the national average of $76,288.

What is the average home value in ZIP 27949? ▼

The median home value in ZIP 27949 is $677,600, which is 144% above the national average of $278,155.

What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 27949? ▼

The largest racial group in ZIP 27949 is White at 91.4%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 2.5% of the population.

How many businesses are in ZIP code 27949? ▼

ZIP code 27949 has 576 business establishments employing approximately 4,717 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.

What are the main industries in ZIP code 27949? ▼

The top industries by establishment count in ZIP 27949 are: Retail trade (125), Construction (96), Accommodation and food services (81). There are 15 industry sectors represented in total.

How have home values changed in ZIP code 27949? ▼

According to the FHFA House Price Index, home values in ZIP 27949 increased by 1.3% in 2024. Since 2000, home values in this ZIP have appreciated by approximately 236%. This is a developmental index based on repeat sales and appraisal data from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

What is the education level in ZIP code 27949? ▼

In ZIP code 27949, 73.9% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 55.0% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).

What is the average commute time in ZIP 27949? ▼

The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 27949 is 25.8 minutes according to Census ACS data. The national average is roughly 26 minutes, so commuters here spend less time traveling to work than typical.

What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 27949? ▼

In ZIP code 27949, approximately 83.4% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 16.6% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 27949? ▼

The poverty rate in ZIP code 27949 is 3.2% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.