Onslow County, North Carolina
County seat: Jacksonville · Population 217,175 (2025) · 762 sq mi
Onslow County is the 13th most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 217,175 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Jacksonville. It is part of the Southeast Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 6 cities and towns and the 4 neighboring counties.
Onslow County facts
- County seat
- Jacksonville
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 217,175 +6.2% since 2020
- Land area
- 762 sq mi 12th largest of 100
- Water area
- 143 sq mi
- Population density
- 285 per sq mi
- Established
- 1734
- Named after
- Arthur Onslow Speaker of the British House of Commons
- Largest city
- Jacksonville 72,732
- Median household income
- $68,148
- Cities and towns
- 6 plus 4 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 17
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37133
Cities and towns in Onslow County
Onslow County has 6 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Onslow County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville (county seat) | City | 72,732 | |
| Holly Ridge | Town | 5,908 | |
| Swansboro | Town | 4,174 | |
| Richlands | Town | 2,485 | |
| North Topsail Beach | Town | 1,097 | |
| Surf City | Town | 430 | Pender County |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Piney Green | 14,078 | |
| Half Moon | 7,378 | |
| Sneads Ferry | 2,728 | |
| Pumpkin Center | 1,636 |
ZIP codes in Onslow County
17 ZIP codes reach into Onslow County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 28445 also Pender County
- 28454 also Pender County
- 28460
- 28518 also Duplin County
- 28521 also Duplin County
- 28539
- 28540
- 28542
- 28543
- 28544
- 28546
- 28547
- 28555 also Jones and Carteret counties
- 28572 also Duplin, Lenoir and Jones counties
- 28574 also Duplin and Jones counties
- 28582 also Carteret County
- 28584 also Carteret County
Population of Onslow County, 2020–2025
Onslow County grew by 12,700 people (+6.2%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 11,311 more births than deaths and a net gain of 1,403 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 204,984 |
| 2021 | 203,512 |
| 2022 | 206,682 |
| 2023 | 210,955 |
| 2024 | 214,672 |
| 2025 | 217,175 |
Neighboring counties
- Jones County northeast · 9,575 people
- Pender County southwest · 72,111 people
- Carteret County east · 70,469 people
- Duplin County northwest · 51,571 people
Printable Onslow County map
The PDF is a vector file with real text: it prints sharp on Letter paper and you can search it for a town. The PNG is 2400 pixels wide for slides and documents. Both are free to use with a credit to WhichCounty.
- PDF (Letter) (121 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (97 KB)
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Sources
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files (1:500,000).
- Population: Census Bureau county and city estimates, Vintage 2025. CDP populations: American Community Survey 2020–2024.
- Places and ZIP codes: Census Bureau 2026 Gazetteer and 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Area relationship files.
- County seat, founding year and name origin: Wikidata (CC0), checked against state sources.
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