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Onslow County, North Carolina Court Filings Intelligence

Analysis of property-related court filings (foreclosure, probate, divorce, partition, guardianship) in Onslow County. See methodology.

Based on public court filings, analyzed by Keystone. As of August 2026.

Investor takeaway

About Onslow County

Onslow County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 204,576. Its county seat is Jacksonville. The county was created in 1734 as Onslow Precinct and gained county status in 1739. Onslow County comprises the Jacksonville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. The southern border of the county is the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

Source: Wikipedia

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At a glance

0% of filings involve owners whose mailing address differs from the property address.

$280,961 median estimated property value across filings with property-value data.

3.5% North Carolina unemployment rate (BLS, as of 2026-05). Filings should be read against the local-economy backdrop.

Filing type breakdown

Filing typeShare
Other 85.6%
Divorce 10.1%
Pre-Foreclosure 3.1%
Probate 0.6%
Tax Sale 0.4%

Each row is a distinct case as recorded on the county docket.

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Geographic concentration by ZIP

The ZIP codes in Onslow County with the most property-related court filings, in rank order: where distressed real estate activity clusters.

RankZIPCity
1 28539 Hubert
2 28574
3 28540
4 28555
5 28546

Based on filings with a parseable property address.

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Property value distribution

Estimated valueShare
Under $75k 1.7%
$75k - $150k 4.6%
$150k - $250k 30.6%
$250k - $400k 48.0%
$400k+ 15.2%

Source: property records. Median $280,961; mean $295,649.

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Housing stock + distress signals

Underlying housing stock and distress indicators across all 85917 Onslow County housing units, from US Census ACS 5-year data. National reference values shown for context.

Indicator Onslow County US average
Vacancy rate (incl. seasonal + for-sale)15.6%10.5%
Share of owner-occupied units carrying a mortgage71.7%60.8%
Pre-1940 housing stock0.6%12.3%
Single-family detached share of housing stock64.7%61.2%
Residents age 65 or older9.7%17.3%

Source: US Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS 2023 5-year). National reference values are ACS 2022 5-year US totals. Why these matter: vacancy rate is the strongest single proxy for distressed inventory; mortgage-carrying share defines the risk pool exposed to rate environment; pre-1940 stock signals deferred maintenance and renovation opportunity; senior population correlates with probate pipeline depth.

Rent benchmark (HUD Fair Market Rent)

HUD sets Fair Market Rents at the metro area level, so the same FMRs apply to every county within the metro. Onslow County sits within the Jacksonville, NC. Used to set Section 8 voucher amounts; investors use it as a defensible rent-estimate floor for buy-to-rent underwriting.

Unit size Fair market rent / month
Efficiency / studio$929
1-bedroom$935
2-bedroom$1,173
3-bedroom$1,631
4-bedroom$1,968

Source: US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents (None). 40th-percentile gross rent including utilities. Why this matters: Section-8-eligible tenants are a baseline demand floor for rental inventory at these price points; FMR is the official ceiling for voucher-eligible rents.

New construction (market momentum)

Annual building permits filed in Onslow County from the US Census Building Permits Survey. Trend signal on whether new housing demand is accelerating or contracting in this market.

Indicator Value
Total housing units permitted (2025)1,372
Year-over-year change (2024 → 2025)+10.1%
Single-family share of permits (2025)96.1%
Single-family units permitted1,318
Multifamily units permitted (2+ units per building)54

Source: US Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, annual cumulative data. Why this matters: permits trending up signals strong demand for new inventory; permits contracting at the same time foreclosure activity rises indicates broader market softening (deals price differently). Multifamily share shows whether the market is densifying or holding to single-family stock.

Macro context: state home prices and national delinquency

Onslow County filings should be read against the broader housing-market backdrop. North Carolina state home-price trend and the national mortgage-delinquency rate are the two macro signals most directly relevant to foreclosure exposure.

IndicatorValuePeriod
North Carolina home price index (year-over-year)+2.4%2026-01-01
North Carolina home price index (cumulative since 2020)+72.0%2026-01-01
National mortgage delinquency rate (30+ day, single-family)1.89%2026-01-01

Sources: Federal Housing Finance Agency state house price indices (FRED series NCSTHPI); Federal Reserve Board, Mortgage Delinquency 30+Day Rate on Single-Family Residential Mortgages (FRED series DRSFRMACBS). Updated quarterly. Free public data.

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ZIP code distress hotspots

Distress is geographically dispersed, with no single ZIP code dominating. The ZIP codes below are ranked by property-related court filings, most active first.

RankZIPArea
1 28539 Hubert
2 28574
3 28540
4 28555
5 28546

ZIP codes in rank order, most court filings first.

Non-resident owner analysis

Most filings (100%) involve owner-occupied properties. The relatively low absentee rate suggests distress is primarily hitting homeowners, not institutional investors.

0.0%
Non-resident owners
Case type Non-resident %
Lien 0.0%
Contract 0.0%
Divorce 0.0%
Eviction 0.0%
Pre-Foreclosure 1.1%
Other 0.0%
Probate 0.0%
Child Support 0.0%
Tax Sale 0.0%
Negligence 0.0%

Non-resident = owner's mailing address differs from the property address. Could indicate out-of-state landlords, inherited estates, second homes, or in-transition properties.

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Distress composition

Distress diversity score: 1.13 (Shannon entropy across case types; higher = more diverse distress sources). The case-type shares are in the filing type breakdown above.

Property Value Profile

The median assessed value of properties in court filings is $279,697. Eviction filings involve the highest-value properties (median $351,264), while Tax Sale filings trend lower (median $140,503). The largest segment (58.6%) falls in the $250K - $500K range.

$279,697
Median assessed value
$293,358
Average assessed value
Value range Share
Under $100K 3.3%
$100K - $250K 34.0%
$250K - $500K 58.6%
$500K - $1M 3.9%
Over $1M 0.1%
Value breakdown by case type
Case type Median value Avg value
Lien $284,546 $298,574
Contract $275,254 $286,826
Divorce $294,090 $313,919
Pre-Foreclosure $241,792 $247,429
Eviction $351,264 $338,548
Tax Sale $140,503 $213,228

Based on public property records for properties with court filings. Values are tax-assessed amounts, not market listing prices.

Municipality filing concentration in Onslow County

Jacksonville has the most property-related court filings in Onslow County, predominantly Pre-Foreclosure. Filing activity is geographically concentrated in a few municipalities.

Concentrated
Geographic spread
RankMunicipalityTop case type
1 Jacksonville Pre-Foreclosure
2 Richlands Pre-Foreclosure
3 Hubert Pre-Foreclosure
4 Sneads Ferry Pre-Foreclosure
5 Maysville Pre-Foreclosure
6 Holly Ridge Pre-Foreclosure
7 Maple Hill Pre-Foreclosure
8 Beulaville Pre-Foreclosure
9 North Topsail Beach Pre-Foreclosure
10 Raleigh Pre-Foreclosure
11 Cary Pre-Foreclosure
12 Midway Park Pre-Foreclosure

Municipalities in rank order, most court filings first, among filings with a municipality on the property record. Municipality names from public property records.

Property Value Distribution

The median property value in distressed filings is $279,474, with the largest concentration (40.1%) in the $200K–$300K range. Eviction filings have the highest median value ($338,429) while Pre-Foreclosure filings are lowest ($241,792).

$279,474
Median value
$292,664
Average value
Price range Share Distribution
Under $50K 1.5%
$50K–$100K 2.0%
$100K–$150K 3.7%
$150K–$200K 10.4%
$200K–$300K 40.1%
$300K–$500K 38.2%
$500K+ 4.0%
Value by case type
Case type Median value Average value
Lien $284,385 $297,994
Contract $275,254 $286,825
Divorce $287,896 $309,234
Pre-Foreclosure $241,792 $247,429
Eviction $338,429 $338,547

Assessed property values from public property records for filings with a valuation. Values reflect tax-assessed amounts, not market price.

Methodology and data sources

Related North Carolina guides

North Carolina foreclosure process North Carolina lead types guide Top foreclosure counties in North Carolina North Carolina statewide analysis

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Cite: Keystone Court Data, "Onslow County North Carolina Court Filings Intelligence," 2026-08-03, https://keystonecourtdata.com/reports/onslow-nc-court-filings-intelligence