27949 ZIP Code — Kitty Hawk, NC

Dare County, North Carolina

ZIP code 27949 is located in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, within Dare County. It covers approximately 15.17 square miles and serves a population of 7,874 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Eastern (ET) timezone, served by area code 252.

About ZIP code 27949

The housing stock consists of predominantly single-family detached homes. Most homes were built in the 1980s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $532,600. Owner-occupancy is high at 83%, well above the national average.

The gap between median ($103,429) and mean household income suggests income inequality — a small number of higher earners pull the average up. The poverty rate of 3% is below the national average. 45% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 24 minutes is near the national average.

Educational attainment is high — 51% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher, well above the national average of 33%.

Overall, ZIP code 27949 reflects a community defined by a highly educated population, high homeownership, and a significant Social Security-dependent population.

7,874

population

15.17

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Eastern (ET)

timezone

27949 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 27949

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 27949. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Kitty Hawk	Acceptable
Kitty Hawk	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

27964 Point Harbor (5.3 mi) 27941 Harbinger (5.8 mi) 27966 Powells Point (6.1 mi) 27948 Kill Devil Hills (6.8 mi) 27947 Jarvisburg (8.2 mi) 27939 Grandy (12.2 mi) 27965 Poplar Branch (12.6 mi) 27916 Aydlett (15.9 mi) 27954 Manteo (17 mi) 27974 Shiloh (17.8 mi) 27927 Corolla (18.5 mi) 27959 Nags Head (18.7 mi)

Demographics updated 06/2026

Population
Total population	7,874
Population density	519 / sq mi
State FIPS	37
County FIPS	055

Geography
Land area	15.17 sq mi
Water area	22.48 sq mi
Latitude	36.1361
Longitude	-75.7294
Timezone	Eastern (ET)
Area code	252

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 06/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	23.9%	36.4%	44.4%
$50k – $100k	33.7%	35.6%	30.6%
$100k – $200k	26.6%	22.2%	19.1%
Over $200k	15.8%	5.8%	6.0%

Demographics & statistics

7,874

Population

519

People per sq mi

54.8

Median age

$103,429

Median household income

$59,426

Per capita income

$532,600

Median home value

$1,346

Median monthly rent

83.2%

Home ownership

2.7%

Poverty rate

9.1%

Unemployment

8,347

Housing units

50.5%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

124

Under 5

128

171

5–9

175

235

10–14

240

175

15–19

179

115

20–24

118

314

25–34

322

444

35–44

455

379

45–54

389

374

55–59

384

476

60–64

487

671

65–74

687

343

75–84

352

85+

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	1,298	16.5%
18 and over	6,576	83.5%
65 and over	2,190	27.8%
Median age	54.8 years

Race & ethnicity

White 87%

Hispanic or Latino 5%

Two or more races 4.1%

Other race 2.8%

Black or African American 0.7%

Asian 0.3%

Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%

Group	Count	%
White	7,211	87%
Hispanic or Latino	415	5%
Two or more races	336	4.1%
Other race	234	2.8%
Black or African American	62	0.7%
Asian	23	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	8	0.1%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	23.9%	36.4%	44.4%
$50k – $100k	33.7%	35.6%	30.6%
$100k – $200k	26.6%	22.2%	19.1%
Over $200k	15.8%	5.8%	6.0%

Under $10k 1.2%

$10k–$15k 0.8%

$15k–$25k 1.9%

$25k–$35k 3.4%

$35k–$50k 8.1%

$50k–$75k 14.9%

$75k–$100k 17.5%

$100k–$150k 22.0%

$150k–$200k 12.6%

$200k+ 17.6%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	1.2%
$10k–$15k	0.8%
$15k–$25k	1.9%
$25k–$35k	3.4%
$35k–$50k	8.1%
$50k–$75k	14.9%
$75k–$100k	17.5%
$100k–$150k	22.0%
$150k–$200k	12.6%
$200k+	17.6%
Median income	$103,429

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 0.5%

$50k–$100k 1.5%

$100k–$150k 0.5%

$150k–$200k 1.6%

$200k–$300k 4.5%

$300k–$500k 37.3%

$500k–$1M 46.2%

$1M+ 7.9%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$532,600
Median rent / month	$1,346
Owner occupied	83.2%
Renter occupied	16.8%
Vacant	63.0%
Single-family detached	80.8%
Large apartment buildings	0.8%
Mobile homes	0.4%
Median rooms	5.8
Avg household size (owned)	2.44

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.1%
2010–2019	3.4%
2000–2009	19.3%
1990–1999	19.6%
1980–1989	39.3%
1970–1979	11.1%
1960–1969	4.2%
1950–1959	2.3%
1940–1949	0.0%
1939 or earlier	0.6%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	0.7%
1 bedroom	3.1%
2 bedrooms	15.9%
3 bedrooms	28.1%
4 bedrooms	35.6%
5+ bedrooms	16.6%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	1.0%
1 vehicle	22.2%
2 vehicles	49.3%
3 or more	27.5%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	2.6%
Electricity	92.3%
Propane / LP gas	4.1%
Fuel oil	0.1%
Wood	0.1%
No fuel used	0.8%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	2,316	70.3%
Cohabiting couple	106	3.2%
Male householder, no spouse	383	11.6%
Female householder, no spouse	491	14.9%
Households with children under 18	763	23.1%
Households with seniors (65+)	1,504	45.6%
Average household size	2.39

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	18.7%	13.6%
Married	72.1%	67.2%
Separated	0.2%	1.3%
Widowed	4.7%	10.6%
Divorced	4.3%	7.2%

Education

Less than 9th grade 0.7%

Some HS, no diploma 1.4%

HS graduate 20.9%

Some college, no degree 19.4%

Associate's degree 7.1%

Bachelor's degree 30.8%

Graduate / professional 19.7%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	97.9%
Bachelor's or higher	50.5%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	105	8.2%
Kindergarten	62	4.8%
Elementary school	677	52.8%
High school	298	23.2%
College / grad school	141	11.0%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 18.0%

Finance & real estate 13.9%

Professional & management 13.0%

Retail trade 12.8%

Arts, food & hospitality 11.9%

Construction 10.2%

Other services 5.6%

Manufacturing 4.6%

Transportation & utilities 3.4%

Public administration 3.3%

Wholesale trade 1.3%

Agriculture & mining 1.0%

Information 1.0%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	49.7%
Service	13.2%
Sales & office	18.4%
Natural resources & construction	9.6%
Production & transportation	9.1%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	76.9%
Government	10.7%
Self-employed	12.4%
Unpaid family workers	0.0%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	77.2%
Carpool	4.1%
Public transit	0.0%
Walk	0.6%
Work from home	17.0%
Other means	1.1%
Avg commute (minutes)	23.8

Poverty

All people 2.7%

Under 18 years 0.5%

18 and over 3.1%

Married-couple families 0.6%

Female-led households 5.8%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	44.5%
Retirement income	40.3%
Supplemental Security	2.4%
Cash public assistance	0.7%
Food stamps / SNAP	1.8%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	27.4%
High blood pressure	34.5%
High cholesterol	39.0%
Diabetes	9.2%
Heart disease	6.6%
Stroke	2.7%
Asthma	8.0%
Arthritis	26.6%
Kidney disease	2.8%
Pulmonary disease	5.6%
Cancer	8.5%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	12.1%
Binge drinking	15.0%
No physical activity	16.6%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	25.6%
Depression	20.3%
Fair or poor health	9.5%
Poor mental health	11.1%
Poor physical health	8.5%
No health insurance	10.7%
Visited doctor (checkup)	79.3%
Visited dentist	76.8%
Cholesterol screening	94.0%
Teeth loss	7.3%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	682	10.4%

Disability	%
Any disability	8.7%
Under 18	0.5%
18–64 years	5.8%
65 and over	19.6%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	87.2%
Public insurance	29.4%
No insurance	4.9%
Uninsured under 19	3.6%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	7,622	96.8%
Spanish	97	1.3%
Other Indo-European	97	1.3%
Asian & Pacific Islander	0	0.0%
Other languages	0	0.0%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	7,546	95.8%
Born in same state	7,369	93.6%
Born in different state	2,163	27.5%
Foreign born	177	2.2%
Naturalized citizen	328	4.2%
Not a US citizen	115	35.1%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Arab	1,468	18.6%
French	1,386	17.6%
Italian	936	11.9%
Dutch	56	0.7%

Ancestry	Count	%
German	52	0.7%
Irish	47	0.6%
English	35	0.4%
Polish	29	0.4%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	41.9%
Internet access	98.8%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 27949

What city is ZIP code 27949 in?

ZIP code 27949 is primarily assigned to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

What county is ZIP code 27949 in?

ZIP code 27949 falls within Dare County, North Carolina.

Does ZIP code 27949 have an older population?

28% of residents in ZIP code 27949 are 65 or older, above the national average of ~17%.

Does ZIP code 27949 have a large retiree population?

45% of households in ZIP code 27949 receive Social Security income, suggesting a significant retiree or disability population.

How educated is the population of ZIP code 27949?

51% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher — well above the national average of ~33%, reflecting a highly educated population.

Is ZIP code 27949 mostly owner-occupied?

83% of occupied units in ZIP code 27949 are owner-occupied, well above the national average.

What timezone is ZIP code 27949 in?

ZIP code 27949 observes the EST timezone.