Nags Head, NC GIS Map
Nags Head is a city in Dare County, North Carolina, with a population of about 3,458. The map below shows its location, boundary and surrounding roads, with federal GIS layers you can turn on for the area.
- County
- Dare County
- Population
- 3,458
- Elevation
- 4 ft
- Coordinates
- 35.9573, -75.6241
- ZIP code
- 27959
- Land area
- 6.6 sq mi
- Time zone
- America/New York
About Nags Head, NC
Nags Head is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. It is a busy vacation spot because of its beaches and sand dunes of Jockey's Ridge. The population was 3,146 at the 2020 census.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Cities Near Nags Head
- Outer Banks, NC0 mi
- Manteo, NC4 mi
- Kill Devil Hills, NC6 mi
- Kitty Hawk, NC9 mi
- Elizabeth City, NC42 mi
- Virginia Beach, VA65 mi
- Chesapeake, VA67 mi
- Portsmouth, VA71 mi
Other Cities in Dare County
GIS Data for Nags Head, NC
The Nags Head map loads live federal GIS layers in your browser, so you can check flood zones, terrain, land cover and district boundaries for any address in Nags Head without a separate GIS login. Everything below is drawn from public U.S. government data.
Layers you can turn on
FEMA flood zones
National Flood Hazard Layer — flood insurance rate map zones.
Elevation contours and hillshade
USGS 3DEP terrain, so you can read slope and relief.
Land cover
NLCD land cover classes — forest, developed, wetland, water.
School districts
Census TIGER unified and elementary school district boundaries.
ZIP code and county boundaries
Census TIGER ZCTA and county boundary lines.
Map tools
Measure distance and area
Draw a line or polygon to get length in miles or area in acres.
Sketch and annotate
Add points, lines and shapes on top of the map.
Inspect any point
Click the map to read coordinates, elevation and the layers under your cursor.
Download the map
Save the current view as a PNG image.
Nags Head Demographics
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Population
3,160
Households
1,586
Median household income
$91,264
Median age
58.4 years
Median home value
$490,800
Median gross rent
$1,005/mo
Owner-occupied homes
82.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher
50.9%
Below poverty level
2.4%
Land area
6.6 sq mi
Population density
477 / sq mi
County
ZIP codes in Nags Head
Nags Head Population Growth
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census and Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2024: April 2020 estimates base and July 1, 2024 estimate).
2010 Census
2,757
April 2020 (estimates base)
3,175
July 2024 estimate
3,106
Change 2010-2020
+15.2%
Change 2020-2024
-2.2%
Photos of Nags Head
Hover over a photo to see it larger. Tap on mobile.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, taken in or near Nags Head. Credits and licenses are shown in the larger view.
Soils of Nags Head
General soil map unit at the city center: Newhan-Bohicket
Soil Properties
- Drainage class
- Excessively drained
- Hydrologic soil group
- A (high infiltration, low runoff)
- Available water storage (0–150 cm)
- 6.5 cm
- Typical slope
- 1%
- Flooding frequency
- None
- Min. annual water table depth
- 0 cm
Soil Components
- Bohicket21%
Entisols · Typic Sulfaquents
- Newhan16%
Entisols · Typic Quartzipsamments
- Newhan15%
Entisols · Typic Quartzipsamments
- Duckston7%
Entisols · Typic Psammaquents
- Currituck6%
Histosols · Terric Haplosaprists
- Fripp5%
Entisols · Typic Quartzipsamments
Source: USDA NRCS U.S. General Soil Map (STATSGO2). General soil map data (1:250,000 scale) is not suitable for site-specific decisions.
Climate of Nags Head
30-year averages (1991–2020) from the Manteo Ap, Nc weather station, elevation 13 ft, 5.1 miles from the city center.
Warmest month
Jul · avg high 86°F
Coldest month
Jan · avg low 36°F
Annual precipitation
46.5 in
Annual snowfall
1.1 in
Average Monthly Temperatures (°F)
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high °F | 51 | 52 | 59 | 68 | 75 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 79 | 71 | 61 | 55 |
| Avg low °F | 36 | 37 | 43 | 51 | 60 | 69 | 73 | 72 | 68 | 58 | 48 | 40 |
| Precip. in | 3.78 | 3.16 | 3.80 | 2.93 | 3.52 | 4.46 | 5.26 | 5.64 | 4.54 | 3.24 | 2.88 | 3.34 |
| Snow in | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Conditions at the station may differ from other parts of the city.
Natural Hazard Risk in Nags Head
FEMA National Risk Index ratings for Dare County, compared with all U.S. counties.
Overall risk
Score 89.6 of 100
Expected annual loss
Buildings, population & agriculture
Social vulnerability
Susceptibility to hazard impacts
Community resilience
Ability to prepare & recover
Risk by Hazard
- HurricaneRelatively High
- LightningRelatively High
- Winter WeatherRelatively High
- Coastal FloodingRelatively High
- WildfireRelatively Low
- Heat WaveRelatively Low
- Inland FloodingRelatively Low
- TornadoRelatively Low
- Strong WindRelatively Low
- EarthquakeVery Low
- Ice StormVery Low
- Cold WaveVery Low
- LandslideVery Low
- DroughtVery Low
- HailVery Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025 release). County-level ratings are relative to other U.S. counties and are not a property-specific assessment.
Nags Head FAQ
What county is Nags Head in?
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Nags Head, North Carolina is located in Dare County.
What is the population of Nags Head?
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Nags Head has a population of about 3,458, making it the number 51 of the 52 North Carolina cities listed on GIS Map.
What is the elevation of Nags Head?
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The elevation of Nags Head is approximately 4 feet (1 meters) above sea level at the city center.
What ZIP codes are in Nags Head?
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The ZIP code for Nags Head is 27959.
What time zone is Nags Head in?
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Nags Head is in the Eastern Time zone (America/New York).
How far is Nags Head from Raleigh?
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Nags Head is about 169 miles from Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, in a straight line.
How far is Nags Head from Charlotte?
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Nags Head is about 298 miles from Charlotte, the largest city in North Carolina listed on GIS Map, in a straight line.
What cities are near Nags Head?
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Cities near Nags Head include Outer Banks, NC (0 miles); Manteo, NC (4 miles); Kill Devil Hills, NC (6 miles); Kitty Hawk, NC (9 miles); Elizabeth City, NC (42 miles).
Local notes for Nags Head, NC
Questions and local knowledge from people who know the area. Every note is read before it appears here.