Kitty Hawk vs Kill Devil Hills: Two Dare County Outer Banks Towns Compared

Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills are adjacent barrier-island towns in Dare County on the Outer Banks. Kitty Hawk's budget places it between Southern Shores to the north and Kill Devil Hills to the south. They share a county, a revaluation calendar, a hospital in Nags Head and the same coastal insurance market, so the differences that matter are the town tax rate, how each town pays for beach nourishment, the flood profile and how each town describes its own finances.

Last reviewed 2026-09-30

Kitty Hawk vs Kill Devil Hills: the short answer

Both towns reset property values countywide on January 1, 2025 and both cut their town rates afterward, but by different amounts and from different starting points. The comparison below works through those numbers, the flood and evacuation details each town publishes, and the practical questions a year-round retiree should ask before contract.

Rates below come from the town budgets and the NC Department of Revenue's 2025-26 schedule and change each budget year. Confirm current figures and whether a parcel lies in a beach nourishment district with the town and Dare County. General state rules are in the NC retirement taxes guide.

Full profiles: Kitty Hawk (North Carolina) and Kill Devil Hills (North Carolina).

Which one fits you

Choose Kitty Hawk if

You want the lower town tax line: Kitty Hawk's 2025-26 budget sets 22 cents per $100 townwide, against the 28 cents proposed in the Kill Devil Hills FY 2025/2026 budget document.
You want a town that describes its mission as balancing year-round residents, property owners and visitors, with 3,689 residents at the 2020 census.
You value a published flood-risk portal with address lookup and a town flood page stating that only 1.29 square miles, about 15 percent of its land, sits outside the floodplain, so you can evaluate exposure before an offer.
You want a mix of ocean, bay and sound shoreline: the Kitty Hawk budget lists about 10.7 miles in all, including 3.6 miles of Atlantic beach, 3.3 miles along Kitty Hawk Bay and 3.8 miles fronting the sound.

Choose Kill Devil Hills if

You want a town with a large oceanfront nourishment program and a larger tax base: the Kill Devil Hills budget document puts the estimated base at $4,963,910,709 after the 2025 revaluation.
You want a town-operated water and wastewater system and a long menu of recreation, including a disc golf course, a splash pad, a dog park and the First Flight Farmers Market.
You want a town that sits in a known evacuation zone with a posted flood and elevation certificate database by street, and five flood zones described on its flood page.
You accept a higher townwide property tax rate in exchange for that scale and those services, and you will confirm whether the parcel pays the nourishment district rate.

Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills side by side

Dimension	Kitty Hawk	Kill Devil Hills
Townwide property tax rate and what it adds	Kitty Hawk's 2025-26 budget sets a townwide property tax rate of 22 cents per $100, made up of 20 cents for general purposes and 2 cents for beach nourishment, down from 30 cents the year before. The Department of Revenue lists Dare County at $0.2632 per $100 for 2025-26. Our arithmetic: adding the county rate to the townwide 22 cents gives $0.4832 per $100, or about $1,933 a year on a $400,000 assessed value, before the nourishment district and any other levy.	The Kill Devil Hills FY 2025/2026 budget document proposes a town rate of $0.28 per $100, down from $0.355, and gives the revenue-neutral rate as $0.2332. Our arithmetic: adding the county's $0.2632 gives $0.5432 per $100, or about $2,173 a year on a $400,000 assessed value, which is about $240 more than the Kitty Hawk illustration at the same assessed value. It leaves out the beach nourishment district and any other levy.
Revaluation effect and revenue-neutral margin	The Kitty Hawk budget says property values rose by an average of 74 percent in the January 2025 revaluation, producing a tax base of $2,485,609,090 and a revenue-neutral townwide rate of 19 cents. The adopted 22 cents is 3 cents above the revenue-neutral rate by our arithmetic. The budget says Dare County has scheduled the next revaluation in 5 years, and the state schedule lists 2030.	The Kill Devil Hills document says property values were revalued as of January 1, 2025 and that the estimated tax base rose from $3,121,333,295 to $4,963,910,709, which is about 59 percent by our arithmetic. It says the proposed rate is 4.68 cents above the revenue-neutral rate, and one penny of the town rate generates $496,391. The state table lists the same 2030 next revaluation for Dare County.
Beach nourishment district	Properties in Kitty Hawk's beach nourishment municipal service district pay an additional 6 cents, down from 10 cents. The budget says a penny of the townwide rate produces about $248,674 and a penny of the district rate about $95,006, on a district tax base of $950,061,120. The project was first completed in 2017 and renourished in 2022, with a transfer of $217,959 to the fund in FY 2026.	Properties in Kill Devil Hills' Beach Erosion Control and Flood and Hurricane Protection Works municipal service district pay an additional rate. The budget gives the district's revenue-neutral rate as $0.1638, against a prior rate of $0.24, on a real property tax base of $315,508,713 that produced a levy of $516,790. The last nourishment ran June 13 to July 22, 2022, covering about 2.58 miles, and a maintenance project is planned for 2027.
Flood profile and evacuation	Kitty Hawk's flood page says most of its 8.8 square miles is in a Special Flood Hazard Area, with only 1.29 square miles outside the floodplain. It gives Hurricane Isabel in September 2003 and Hurricane Irene in August 2011 as recent examples, and says flooding is possible in every season. The town's online flood-risk portal returns the flood zone, base flood elevation and any compliance warnings for an address, and planning and inspections can be reached at 252-261-3552.	Kill Devil Hills is in Zone B of Dare County's Know Your Zone evacuation system, where the state explains that Zone A is typically evacuated first and then Zone B. The town reports five flood zones within its limits, keeps an elevation certificate database by street, and supports FIMAN flood gages that send text alerts when water rises. Its flood page states that National Flood Insurance Program limits for residential buildings are up to $250,000 for the building and $100,000 for contents, with a 30-day waiting period on most policies.
Insurance mechanics common to both towns	The state insurance department explains that homeowners policies do not cover flood damage and that wind and hail coverage may be excluded from a primary policy and written separately, often through the North Carolina Insurance Underwriting Association, with its own deductible. A named storm deductible is a percentage of dwelling coverage, such as 2 percent of $300,000, which is $6,000. Dare is one of 21 counties with Know Your Zone evacuation zones, so look up the Kitty Hawk address at the state's tool.	Kill Devil Hills' flood page adds that all local governments in Dare and Currituck Counties participate in the Community Rating System, which produces premium discounts, and that an elevation certificate provided to an insurance agent may lower premiums. The department's flood page adds that the federal program requires participating communities to restrict building in flood-prone areas. The coastal hurricane and flood insurance guide covers how to compare wind and flood quotes for either town.
Revenue mix and town finances	Kitty Hawk's budget says property tax is its largest revenue source at 48.08 percent of general fund revenue, and the town budgets on a 99.57 percent collection rate. The mayor's message says occupancy, sales and land transfer tax revenue fell below projections for the first time in many years, and the budget reports an unrestricted available fund balance of $4,681,920 at the FY 2024 audit plus an intact $3,500,000 emergency fund.	The Kill Devil Hills budget says ad valorem taxes are $14,394,856 of a $27,873,379 general fund, which is about 52 percent by our arithmetic, and that other taxes and licenses, tied to sales, occupancy and land transfer taxes shared among Dare County municipalities, are $9,640,781. Visitor spending therefore carries a large share of what residents would otherwise pay in property tax. The town's wholesale water cost from Dare County is estimated at $2.109 per 1,000 gallons.
Health care and seasonal population	The hospital serving Kitty Hawk is The Outer Banks Hospital at 4800 S. Croatan Highway in Nags Head, which Outer Banks Health describes as having a 24-hour emergency department. Chesapeake Regional Healthcare's page says urgent care centers operate in Kitty Hawk and Nags Head and that the area's year-round population of 35,000 swells to about 250,000 in summer. Kitty Hawk's 2020 census profile shows 23.4 percent of residents were 65 or older.	Kill Devil Hills relies on the same hospital in neighboring Nags Head, which Chesapeake Regional Healthcare's page says opened in March 2002 with 18 acute care medical-surgical beds, two labor and delivery beds, one level II nursery bed and three operating rooms. Dare County keeps a Special Medical Needs Registry, and the town's emergency page points to the county's Social Services Division at 252-475-5500. Time the drive to the hospital at different hours and seasons for either address, and see the healthcare access guide.

Related guides

Sources and review date

Last reviewed 2026-09-30. Facts on this page come from the sources below; where a rule or figure can change, check the linked source before relying on it.

County Property Tax Rates and Reappraisal Schedules, 2025-2026 — North Carolina Department of Revenue (accessed 2026-09-30)
Know Your Zone — North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Emergency Management (accessed 2026-09-30)
Flood Insurance — North Carolina Department of Insurance (accessed 2026-09-30)
Emergency — Outer Banks Health (accessed 2026-09-30)
Outer Banks Hospital — Chesapeake Regional Healthcare (accessed 2026-09-30)
Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Adopted Operating Budget and Capital Improvement Plan — Town of Kitty Hawk (accessed 2026-09-30)
Flood Information — Town of Kitty Hawk (accessed 2026-09-30)
Flood Information — Town of Kill Devil Hills (accessed 2026-09-30)
Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget — Town of Kill Devil Hills (accessed 2026-09-30)

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