Real estate · County · North Carolina
Real estate businesses in Dare County, NC
The real estate businesses in Dare County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 29 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,113 of 2,229 scored counties
#83 of 90 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 239
- 10 chain locations (4%)
- Official establishments
- 148
- +16.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $275.7M
- On rent and homeowner costs · $16,377 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 27
- 73% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 142.0
- 3.7 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 38,245
- +3.3% since 2020
See the real estate businesses around any address in Dare County
The site report maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Dare County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Dare County scores 29 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for real estate businesses, ranking #2,113 of 2,229 scored counties and #83 of 90 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on rent and homeowner costs in Dare County comes to about $275.7M a year: $16,377 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 73% below the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in.
There are 239 real estate businesses on map listings in Dare County as of September 2026. Of those, 10 are chain locations, or 4%, against 6% across the U.S. That comes to 142.0 for every 10,000 households, 3.7 times the U.S. rate of 38.5.
In 2023, official counts showed 148 businesses with payroll in Dare County classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors, up 16.5% from 2019. That is one for every 114 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Dare County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.3%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Dare County compares
The same measures for North Carolina and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.
| Measure | Dare County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 142.0 | 37.8 | 38.5 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 27 | 92 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 114 | 378 | 414 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +16.5% | +20.8% | +15.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.3% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $16,377 | $15,139 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $88,994 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 29 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 127 → 148+16.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,646
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $90.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 585Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 23910 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 64The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Dare County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Dare County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 38,245+3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 16,836
- Median age
- 49.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 383 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 99
- Median household income
- $88,994+49.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $129,955
- Median home value
- $460,400
- Jobs located here
- 17,198
- Daytime population
- 38,549Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dare County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the real estate businesses on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Dare County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardReal estate across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for real estate businesses, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Dare County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Duplin County, NC | 78 | 17 | 8.2 | 374 | +6.0% | #52 of 2,229 |
| 2Perquimans County, NC | 76 | 5 | 8.9 | 369 | +3.6% | #80 of 2,229 |
| 3Camden County, NC | 76 | 6 | 15.0 | 244 | +8.8% | #90 of 2,229 |
| 4Yadkin County, NC | 75 | 11 | 7.3 | 445 | +2.9% | #95 of 2,229 |
| 5Hoke County, NC | 75 | 24 | 12.5 | 264 | +9.0% | #106 of 2,229 |
| 6Franklin County, NC | 75 | 37 | 13.0 | 263 | +18.8% | #108 of 2,229 |
| 7Sampson County, NC | 71 | 21 | 9.7 | 312 | +4.1% | #182 of 2,229 |
| 8Person County, NC | 71 | 20 | 12.5 | 264 | +3.7% | #187 of 2,229 |
| 9Davidson County, NC | 70 | 100 | 14.3 | 229 | +6.6% | #208 of 2,229 |
| 10Rowan County, NC | 67 | 75 | 12.7 | 259 | +5.6% | #298 of 2,229 |
| 83Dare County, NC | 29 | 239 | 142.0 | 27 | +3.3% | #2,113 of 2,229 |
Other business types in Dare County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many real estate businesses are in Dare County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 239 real estate businesses in Dare County. 10 of them (4%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 148 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, up 16.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 585 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dare County, NC spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $275.7M a year, or $16,377 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 239 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 73% below the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,836 households in Dare County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dare County, NC compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?
Dare County has 142.0 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 3.7 times the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 27, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Dare County would have about 64, against 239 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 114 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Dare County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Dare County at 38,245 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,836 households. Median household income in Dare County is $88,994, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 49.9%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Dare County scores 29 for real estate businesses (lower middle), #2,113 of 2,229 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dare County. It maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for real estate businesses · All 56 business types in Dare County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dare County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Dare County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.