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Place dossier plate
SheetNC-KILL-DEVIL-HILLS-NC · Kill Devil Hills, NC 7,727 pop · income 67th pct · 12 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Kill Devil Hills
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Kill Devil Hills on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Brevard · lowest
44,356
Brevard · lowest
44,356 median HH income
24.5% of the leader · rank #1
Kill Devil Hi… · this city
85,747
Kill Devil Hi… · this city
85,747 median HH income
47.4% of the leader · rank #2
Wainwright · near
85,750
Wainwright · near
85,750 median HH income
47.4% of the leader · rank #3
Rising Sun · near
85,750
Rising Sun · near
85,750 median HH income
47.4% of the leader · rank #4
Rio Rancho · near
85,755
Rio Rancho · near
85,755 median HH income
47.4% of the leader · rank #5
New Windsor · near
85,755
New Windsor · near
85,755 median HH income
47.4% of the leader · rank #6
Manhasset · highest
180,776
Manhasset · highest
180,776 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Kill Devil Hills on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 7,727.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Kill Devil Hills - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Kill Devil Hills lands in the 67th percentile for household income and the 39th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
67th
percentile, household income
77th
percentile, home value
48th
percentile, median rent
39th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Kill Devil Hills, NC
7,727 people live in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Kill Devil Hills brings in $85,747 a year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 5.0%. Kill Devil Hills's housing stock carries a median value of $401,700, and the median resident age is 48.6 years. 44.1% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 65.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 61 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Stable), down 3% from five years earlier. Kill Devil Hills reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 1714.2 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in North Carolina run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, North Carolina scores 94.3 (Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,161 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in North Carolina run around $215, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 66.7 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Kill Devil Hills's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from population change to housing and income to reported crime to within-city variation to comparison shortlist to schools and households to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Kill Devil Hills, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles, matched public-school count, local building permits.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Population change
Is Kill Devil Hills growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +70 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +0.9% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 61 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
How far does income reach against housing in Kill Devil Hills?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.7 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 5.0%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
What can 12 Census tracts reveal inside Kill Devil Hills?
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
PlainCities matches 12 Census tracts to this city.
Which cities make useful reference points for Kill Devil Hills?
Within North Carolina, the closest population matches are Etowah (7,765 residents, $73,000 income); Half Moon (7,780 residents, $61,848 income); Oak Ridge (7,660 residents, $140,583 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Sky Lake, FL (7,728 residents); Park City, KS (7,726 residents); Manhasset, NY (7,730 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Kill Devil Hills?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1714.2 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 25% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
1496.7
Violent rate
217.5
Total reported rate
1714.2
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
What does the education layer cover for Kill Devil Hills?
The NCES join finds 3 public schools within the city match. 44.1% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
3
Bachelor's degree+
44.1%
Poverty estimate
5.0%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
What does the journey to work look like in Kill Devil Hills?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 75.9%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
0.0%
Work from home
13.4%
Drive alone
75.9%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 4,306 workers age 16+.
Above median income · poverty 5.0% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
94.3 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, North Carolina average
C+
City profile score · Kill Devil Hills, NC
64/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Bachelor's+ share B+
44.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Cost of living B-
94.3 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Household income B-
$85,747
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate B-
5.0%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime D
218 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Kill Devil Hills profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 79/100 (B+) · 44.1%
Cost of living: 67/100 (B-) · 94.3 index
Household income: 65/100 (B-) · $85,747
Poverty rate: 65/100 (B-) · 5.0%
Violent crime: 45/100 (D) · 218 /100k
Where Kill Devil Hills sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Kill Devil Hills's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Kill Devil Hills highlighted among 24 peers.Read the chart values
Kill Devil Hills, NC (this city): home $401,700, crime 1,714/100k
Park City, KS : home $163,800, crime 2,603/100k
Marion, NC : home $131,100, crime 3,443/100k
Siler City, NC : home $154,900, crime 2,628/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Kill Devil Hills compare to other US cities?
Where Kill Devil Hills sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income67% higher than other cities
Home value77% pricier than other cities
Median rent48% pricier than other cities
Safety39% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just North Carolina and the picture shifts: Kill Devil Hills ranks #58 of 195 North Carolina cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Kill Devil Hills against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to North Carolina only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
North Carolina-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Kill Devil Hills near the bottom of North Carolina's cities
Among the 746 North Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Kill Devil Hills ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Kill Devil Hills only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#124 of 700
82nd percentile in North Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 746
0th percentile in North Carolina
Median Home Value
#75 of 708
89th percentile in North Carolina
Poverty Rate
#509 of 746
31st percentile in North Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#116 of 746
84th percentile in North Carolina
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within North Carolina only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
67th percentile nationally for median household income · 39th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Kill Devil Hills's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Kill Devil Hills's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Kill Devil Hills's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$401,70023rd percentilemore affordable than 23% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. 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 · 2023
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#12,357 of 15,516
More affordable than 20% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#9,416 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 4.7×, Kill Devil Hills sits in the moderate band:
national rank #12,357 of 15,516 and #9,416 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$85,747Kill Devil Hills, NC median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Kill Devil Hills, NC median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Kill Devil Hills, NC.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)44.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)5.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)65.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
7,727
Median Income
$85,747
Median Home Value
$401,700
Median Age
48.6
Poverty Rate
5.0%
Labor force participation
65.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
44.1%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1714.2
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
217.5
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1496.7
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Kill Devil Hills's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
7,661 residents
2021
7,811 residents
2022
7,806 residents
2023
7,793 residents
2024
7,755 residents
2025
7,731 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Stable
Total Permits (2024)
61
housing units authorized
Single-Family
61
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
7.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
63
57
6
$27.4M
2020
74
74
0
$18.4M
2021
112
112
0
$17.5M
2022
90
79
11
$33.5M
2023
57
49
8
$21.2M
2024
61
61
0
$35.4M
Permit volume decreased 3% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
75.9%
Carpool
7.5%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
1.8%
Work from Home
13.4%
Other
1.4%
Based on 4,306 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
North Carolina statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $215
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across North Carolina at $215 (electricity about $115 , water and sewer about $45 ).
These are North Carolina statewide averages, not a meter reading for Kill Devil Hills. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
North Carolina's BEA cost-of-living index is 94.3 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Kill Devil Hills is $1,161/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to North Carolina statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 66.7 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a North Carolina statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Kill Devil Hills sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Kill Devil Hills compares to similar-size North Carolina cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.