Hyde County is a county in North Carolina, United States, on the state’s Pamlico Sound coast, roughly two-thirds water. It had a population of 4,589 at the 2020 census, making it North Carolina’s second-smallest county by population, and covers 1,459 square miles (3,778 km2) of total area — about 612 square miles (1,586 km2) of land and 847 square miles (2,193 km2) of water — centred near 35°25′N 76°09′W.
Swan Quarter is the county seat, and its postal code is 27885. Hyde has no incorporated towns or cities — it is governed entirely at the county level — but the census recognizes four community places, split across the mainland and Ocracoke Island 20 miles offshore. The county is in the Eastern time zone.
Towns & Villages in Hyde County
Hyde County has no incorporated municipalities. The table below lists its Census-Designated Places (CDPs) — unincorporated communities with recognized boundaries and population counts — plus other named settlements and landings carried down from the county’s historic community list. Most of the latter are small clusters or geographic place names with no separately reported population.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engelhard | CDP | 815 | 27824 |
| Swan Quarter | CDP · seat | 331 | 27885 |
| Fairfield | CDP | 246 | 27826 |
| Ocracoke | CDP | 676 | 27960 |
| Scranton | Unincorp. | — | 27875 |
| Sladesville | Unincorp. | — | 27885 |
| Ponzer | Unincorp. | — | 27885 |
| Middletown | Unincorp. | — | 27824 |
| New Holland | Unincorp. | — | 27885 |
| Lake Landing | Unincorp. | — | 27885 |
| Mount Pleasant | Unincorp. | — | 27885 |
| Germantown | Unincorp. | — | 27824 |
| Rose Bay | Unincorp. | — | 27826 |
Swan Quarter and Fairfield are both CDPs in the same historic Swan Quarter/Fairfield township area of the mainland and are sometimes confused — Swan Quarter is the county seat on Swan Quarter Bay, while Fairfield sits a few miles northwest near Lake Mattamuskeet. A number of smaller landings and hamlets named on older lists (Beulah, Carmur, Gulrock, Hoophole Landing, Hydeland, Jackson Dunes, Makleyville, Mount Olive, Nebraska, Oyster Creek, Oyster Creek Landing, Pamlico Shores, Piney Grove Landing, Slocum, Sound Shores, Swindell Fork, Tiny Oak Fork, White Plains, Widgen Woods) could not be independently verified against current gazetteer or postal sources and are omitted here rather than republished unchecked.
ZIP Codes
- 27885 — Swan Quarter (also serves Ponzer, New Holland, Lake Landing, Mount Pleasant)
- 27824 — Engelhard (also serves Middletown, Germantown)
- 27826 — Fairfield (also serves Rose Bay)
- 27960 — Ocracoke (island, PO Box delivery only)
- 27875 — Scranton
Hyde is one of the few North Carolina counties with a PO-Box-only ZIP code, reflecting Ocracoke’s ferry-only mail delivery.
Geography
Hyde County stretches from the flat, low-lying mainland around Lake Mattamuskeet — North Carolina’s largest natural lake — east across Pamlico Sound to Ocracoke Island, part of the Outer Banks, which is reachable only by ferry or small aircraft. Of the county’s 1,459 square miles of total area, roughly 847 square miles (2,193 km2), or 58%, is water, making Hyde one of the most water-dominated counties in the eastern United States. Lake Mattamuskeet and the Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge cover much of the mainland interior.
Hyde County borders Dare and Tyrrell counties to the north, Washington County to the northwest, Beaufort County to the west, and Pamlico and Carteret counties to the southwest across Pamlico Sound.
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 4,589 residents, with Ocracoke (676) and Engelhard (815) the largest reported communities. Hyde’s median household income runs well below the North Carolina median of $70,804, reflecting the county’s small, agriculture- and fishing-dependent tax base. Population density is about 7.5 people per square mile of land — among the lowest of any North Carolina county.
Economy & Local Life
Commercial fishing and crabbing on Pamlico Sound, row-crop farming (corn, soybeans, winter wheat) on the reclaimed lands around Lake Mattamuskeet, and tourism on Ocracoke Island anchor Hyde’s economy. Hyde County Schools and county government are among the largest employers on the mainland. Ocracoke’s seasonal tourist trade, tied to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the twice-daily state ferries from Swan Quarter and Cedar Island, drives much of the county’s summer economic activity.
History
The area was established as Wickham Precinct in 1705, renamed Hyde Precinct in 1712 in honor of Edward Hyde, North Carolina’s governor from 1711 to 1712, and elevated to Hyde County in 1739. Ocracoke Island has a separate colonial history as a pilotage and inlet-navigation community, and its distinctive “hoi toider” brogue is still spoken by some longtime residents, a marker of the island’s centuries of relative isolation from the mainland.
Getting There
US 264 runs the length of the Hyde County mainland, connecting Swan Quarter and Engelhard to Washington and Beaufort counties; NC 12 and NC 45 serve the county’s southern and eastern reaches. Ocracoke Island has no bridge connection and is reached only by the state-operated Swan Quarter–Ocracoke and Cedar Island–Ocracoke ferries, or by small aircraft at Ocracoke Island Airport.
- Washington, NC — 30 miles west
- Greenville, NC — 60 miles west
- Nags Head, NC — 60 miles north (via US 264 and the Outer Banks)
The nearest commercial airport is Pitt-Greenville Airport, about 65 miles west of Swan Quarter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hyde County, North Carolina?
Hyde County is on North Carolina’s central coast, bordering Pamlico Sound, and includes Ocracoke Island on the Outer Banks.
What is the population of Hyde County?
4,589 as of the 2020 census.
How big is Hyde County?
612 square miles (1,586 km2) of land plus about 847 square miles (2,193 km2) of water, for a total area of 1,459 square miles (3,778 km2).
What is the county seat of Hyde County?
Swan Quarter is the county seat.
How many towns are in Hyde County?
Hyde has no incorporated towns; its population lives in four Census-Designated Places — Swan Quarter, Engelhard, Fairfield, and Ocracoke — plus several smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Hyde County?
27885 (Swan Quarter), 27824 (Engelhard), 27826 (Fairfield), 27960 (Ocracoke, PO Box only), and 27875 (Scranton).
How do you get to Ocracoke Island from the Hyde County mainland?
By the state-run car ferry from Swan Quarter, a roughly two-and-a-quarter-hour crossing of Pamlico Sound, or from Cedar Island in neighboring Carteret County.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in North Carolina.