[2] Dare County is included in the Kill Devil Hills, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake, VA-NC Combined Statistical Area.

[5] Founded in 1870 from parts of Tyrrell, Currituck and Hyde counties, it consists of a large segment of the Outer Banks of North Carolina,[6] along with Roanoke Island and a peninsula of land attached to the mainland.

Most of the county consists of a string of resort communities along the Outer Banks.

[7] At one time, the now-abandoned town of Buffalo City was the largest community in the county.

Dare County includes the middle part of the Outer Banks and contains Roanoke Island.

No Democratic presidential nominee has carried Dare County since Jimmy Carter did so in 1976.

Dare County is a part of the Albemarle Commission regional council of governments.

[22] Dare County Library has branches in Manteo, Kill Devil Hills, and Hatteras.