Ocracoke is a census-designated place and unincorporated town located at the southern end of Ocracoke Island, within Hyde County, North Carolina. The population was 948 at the 2010 census. In the 2020 census, the population had dropped to 797. No bridges connect Ocracoke Island to the mainland, though the main road across the island is part of North Carolina Highway 12, which uses a series of ferries to connect to Hatteras Island, to Cedar Island, and to the mainland at Swan Quarter.