Dare County Demographics

A map of Dare County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	32,339	31,921	85.4%	86.5%
Hispanic	2,788	2,554	7.4%	6.9%
Multiracial	1,233	1,253	3.3%	3.4%
Black	964	678	2.5%	1.8%
Native American/Other	382	249	1.0%	0.7%
Asian	169	260	0.4%	0.7%

Dare County, North Carolina has an estimated population of 37,875, a slight increase from the 36,915 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 85.4% White, 7.4% Hispanic, 3.3% Multiracial, 2.5% Black, 1.0% Native American/Other, and 0.4% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Dare County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Dare has become more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than North Carolina overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Dare County, that probability was 24.6% in 2020 and 26.4% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Dare County is ranked the 65th most populous county in North Carolina, out of 100 counties. Dare County was ranked the 66th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Dare County's White Population

32,339 residents of Dare County, or 85.4% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Dare County is significantly higher than in North Carolina overall, where 60% of the population is White. Dare County ranks 12th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Dare County's White population has grown by an estimated 1.3%. White residents' share of Dare County's population has decreased from 86.5% to 85.4%.

Dare County is more White than neighboring Tyrrell County (57.1% White), Hyde County (57.7% White), Currituck County (83.8% White), Pasquotank County (53.8% White), and Camden County (78.1% White).

Dare County's Black Population

964 residents of Dare County, or 2.5% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Dare County is significantly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 20% of the population is Black. Dare County ranks 88th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Dare County's Black population has grown by an estimated 42.2%. Black residents' share of Dare County's population has increased from 1.8% to 2.5%.

Dare County is less Black than neighboring Tyrrell County (32.6% Black), Hyde County (24.2% Black), Currituck County (5% Black), Pasquotank County (34.2% Black), and Camden County (9.4% Black).

Dare County's Asian Population

169 residents of Dare County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Dare County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 3.3% of the population is Asian. Dare County ranks 50th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Dare County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 35.0%. Asian residents' share of Dare County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Dare County is more Asian than neighboring Tyrrell County (0% Asian), and Hyde County (0% Asian). Dare County is less Asian than neighboring Currituck County (0.9% Asian), Pasquotank County (1.4% Asian), and Camden County (1.2% Asian).

Dare County's Hispanic Population

2,788 residents of Dare County, or 7.4% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Dare County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 11.3% of the population is Hispanic. Dare County ranks 57th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Dare County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 9.2%. Hispanic residents' share of Dare County's population has increased from 6.9% to 7.4%.

Dare County is more Hispanic than neighboring Currituck County (5.2% Hispanic), Pasquotank County (6% Hispanic), and Camden County (4.2% Hispanic). Dare County is less Hispanic than neighboring Tyrrell County (7.7% Hispanic), and Hyde County (10.1% Hispanic).

Dare County's Native American/Other Population

382 residents of Dare County, or 1.0% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Dare County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 1.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Dare County ranks 59th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Dare County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 53.4%. Native American/Other residents' share of Dare County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.0%.

Dare County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Tyrrell County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Pasquotank County (0.8% Native American/Other). Dare County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Hyde County (1.5% Native American/Other), Currituck County (1.2% Native American/Other), and Camden County (1.5% Native American/Other).

Dare County's Multiracial Population

1,233 residents of Dare County, or 3.3% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Dare County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 4.1% of the population is Multiracial. Dare County ranks 62nd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Dare County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 1.6%. Multiracial residents' share of Dare County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.3%.

Dare County is more Multiracial than neighboring Tyrrell County (2.2% Multiracial). Dare County is less Multiracial than neighboring Hyde County (6.5% Multiracial), Currituck County (3.9% Multiracial), Pasquotank County (3.7% Multiracial), and Camden County (5.6% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.