• county
  • FIPS 37133
  • Largest town: Jacksonville

Onslow County, North Carolina

Onslow County had 212,954 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 762.1 square miles of land. It ranks 13th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 12th by land area.

Population
212,954
#13 of 100 in North Carolina · #332 in US
Area
762.1 sq mi
#12 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,146 in US
Density
279 / sq mi
#21 of 100 in North Carolina · #459 in US
Median household income
$66,982
#25 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,209 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Onslow County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Onslow County

Onslow County population, land area and income

Onslow County had 212,954 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 762.1 square miles of land. It ranks 13th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 12th by land area. That works out to 279.4 people per square mile, 2.9 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents, so Onslow County is 4.0 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $66,982 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

212,954

3144th1st

332nd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

762 sq mi

3144th1st

1146th of 3,144 (US)

Density

279.4 / sq mi

3144th1st

459th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$66,982

3143rd1st

1209th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

212,954

100th1st

13th of 100 (NC)

Land area

762 sq mi

100th1st

12th of 100 (NC)

Density

279.4 / sq mi

100th1st

21st of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$66,982

100th1st

25th of 100 (NC)

How Onslow County's population changed since 2020

Onslow County gained 7,843 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 3.8%. That ranks 39th of 100 in North Carolina for growth. The median North Carolina county changed by +2.7%, and the state as a whole by +5.7%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Onslow County recorded 16,375 births and 6,829 deaths, a natural change of +9,546. Net international migration added +1,077 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -2,203. The largest single component was natural change, which added 9,546 people.

205.1k2020203.6k2021206.7k2022211.2k2023213.0k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
16,375
Deaths
6,829
Net international migration
+1,077
Net domestic migration
-2,203
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+1,770

Where Onslow County is

The Census internal point of Onslow County is at 34.763100, -77.499500. It sits in UTM zone 18N. The map shades North Carolina's 100 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Onslow County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Scotland County: +1.4%Rockingham County: +2.5%Franklin County: +15.6%Caswell County: -0.5%Stokes County: +2.9%Granville County: +2.3%Edgecombe County: +0.7%Randolph County: +2.8%Alexander County: +0.8%Person County: +2.4%Cherokee County: +5.2%Ashe County: +2.5%Davidson County: +5.2%Cabarrus County: +7.8%Mecklenburg County: +8.1%Burke County: +1.5%Cumberland County: +0.4%Northampton County: -4.9%Buncombe County: +3.5%Wilson County: +0.8%Bladen County: +0.5%Pitt County: +4.1%Yancey County: +2.7%Stanly County: +7.4%Harnett County: +9.3%Wilkes County: +0.5%Tyrrell County: +8.8%Pamlico County: +1.9%Hoke County: +6.0%Transylvania County: +2.5%Carteret County: +3.8%Durham County: +6.5%Anson County: +1.8%Pender County: +15.6%Alamance County: +6.7%Polk County: +4.9%Lenoir County: +0.5%Washington County: -3.0%Avery County: -0.0%Hyde County: +1.5%Gates County: -1.4%Davie County: +5.8%Jackson County: +7.4%Montgomery County: +2.5%Martin County: -2.0%Pasquotank County: +2.9%Perquimans County: +3.4%Cleveland County: +2.3%Sampson County: +2.3%Catawba County: +3.8%Alleghany County: +4.5%Robeson County: +2.3%Macon County: +4.4%Clay County: +8.0%Haywood County: +1.3%Duplin County: +3.8%Henderson County: +3.6%Craven County: +2.6%Warren County: +2.6%Graham County: +1.7%Union County: +9.9%Wayne County: +2.2%Gaston County: +5.9%Guilford County: +3.7%Yadkin County: +2.0%Watauga County: +1.0%Rowan County: +4.4%Swain County: -1.1%Chatham County: +9.4%Bertie County: -4.4%Halifax County: -2.9%Forsyth County: +4.1%Onslow County: +3.8%Dare County: +3.1%Chowan County: +1.3%Brunswick County: +20.9%Johnston County: +14.9%Orange County: +6.4%Currituck County: +13.6%New Hanover County: +7.5%Richmond County: -1.7%Vance County: -0.5%Iredell County: +9.9%Lincoln County: +12.0%Caldwell County: +0.2%McDowell County: +1.6%Rutherford County: +1.9%Mitchell County: +0.9%Moore County: +8.1%Columbus County: -0.8%Lee County: +8.1%Greene County: +1.1%Madison County: +5.0%Camden County: +7.5%Hertford County: -12.0%Beaufort County: -0.3%Jones County: +3.5%Wake County: +9.0%Nash County: +3.0%Surry County: +0.2%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +0.5%
  2. < +2.3%
  3. < +3.7%
  4. < +7.4%
  5. ≥ +7.4%
no data

Orange pin: Onslow County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
34.763100, -77.499500
DMS
34°45'47.16"N 77°29'58.20"W
UTM
18N 271235.5E 3849618.5N
Geohash
dq0vu2qtd
Plus code
8764QG72+65

Towns in Onslow County

6 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Onslow County, 84,715 people together, or 40% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Onslow County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Jacksonville with 70,840.

  1. 01Jacksonville70,840
  2. 02Holly Ridge5,766
  3. 03Swansboro4,165
  4. 04Richlands2,446
  5. 05North Topsail Beach1,081
  6. 06Surf City (part)417
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Onslow County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for Onslow County. The most populous is Carteret County, NC, with 70,259 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 95.2 miles NW of Onslow County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Wilmington, NC (population 125,284), 44.1 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Jacksonville, NC (population 70,840), 6.5 miles away.

Onslow County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Onslow County is 37133: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 133. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $66,982.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Onslow County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 212,954. That is up 7,843 people (3.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 205,111.

What is the FIPS code of Onslow County?

37133. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (133) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Onslow County?

Jacksonville, with 70,840 residents inside Onslow County in 2024.

Which counties border Onslow County?

4 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Carteret County, NC; Pender County, NC; Duplin County, NC; Jones County, NC.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.