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Onslow County, North Carolina Court Filings Intelligence

Live court-record analysis of property-related filings (foreclosure, probate, divorce, partition, guardianship). Data sourced direct from Onslow County court dockets. Updated 2026-07-20. See methodology.

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

2616 verified property-related court filings tracked across 22 months (Aug 2020 to Sep 2026).

124 typical monthly filing volume.

0% of filings involve owners whose mailing address differs from the property address (0 of 2616 filings).

$n/a median estimated property value across the 0 filings with property-enrichment data (0% coverage).

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

Filing type breakdown

Filing typeFilingsShare
Other 2462 94.1%
Divorce 97 3.7%
Pre-Foreclosure 30 1.1%
Probate 15 0.6%
Tax Sale 12 0.5%

Each row is a distinct case verified for current owner-of-record before inclusion.

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Monthly filing activity

MonthFilingsvs prior
Aug 2020 3
Sep 2020 3 0
Oct 2020 9 +6
Nov 2020 7 -2
Sep 2022 4 -3
Oct 2022 3 -1
Nov 2022 4 +1
Jul 2025 76 +72
Aug 2025 206 +130
Sep 2025 309 +103
Oct 2025 191 -118
Nov 2025 176 -15
Dec 2025 202 +26
Jan 2026 237 +35
Feb 2026 216 -21
Mar 2026 211 -5
Apr 2026 179 -32
May 2026 202 +23
Jun 2026 274 +72
Jul 2026 97 -177
Aug 2026 4 -93
Sep 2026 2 -2

Each row reflects new filings entering the dataset that month, after ownership verification. Most recent month may be partial.

Geographic concentration by ZIP

Top 5 ZIPs in Onslow County account for 0.4% of all tracked filings, showing where distressed real estate activity clusters.

ZIPCityFilingsShare
28539 Hubert 4 0.2%
28574 2 0.1%
28540 2 0.1%
28555 1 0.0%
28546 1 0.0%

Based on filings with a parseable property address (0% of Onslow County filings).

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Property value distribution

Estimated valueFilingsShare

Source: third-party property enrichment (0% coverage on Onslow County filings). Median $n/a; mean $n/a.

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Day-of-week filing pattern

DayFilingsShare
Sun 377 14.4%
Mon 603 23.1%
Tue 541 20.7%
Wed 416 15.9%
Thu 460 17.6%
Fri 217 8.3%
Sat 1 0.0%

Filings show some weekend activity, suggesting after-hours electronic filing. Computed for 2615 filings with a parseable date.

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 — 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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Filing velocity by case type

How each distress category is trending — are foreclosures accelerating while divorces cool, or vice versa? This breakdown is only possible with direct court-record data.

Case type Total Share Trend
Other 2256 86.2% -22.1%
Lien 206 7.9% +622.7%
Divorce 97 3.7% -54.5%
Pre-Foreclosure 29 1.1% --
Probate 15 0.6% +14.3%
Tax Sale 12 0.5% +40.0%

Trend = recent 2-3 month volume vs prior 2-3 months (current partial month excluded). Positive = accelerating; negative = cooling.

Seasonal filing patterns

Court filings peak in Jun and are lowest in Nov. The 4.4x peak-to-trough ratio suggests strong seasonal patterns — investors who time their outreach around Jun can reach more distressed homeowners.

Month Avg filings Relative
Jan 237
86%
Feb 216
79%
Mar 211
77%
Apr 179
65%
May 202
74%
Jun 274
100%
Jul 76
28%
Aug 71
26%
Sep 79.5
29%
Oct 67.7
25%
Nov 62.3
23%
Dec 202
74%

Average filings per calendar month across all observed years. Relative column shows each month as a percentage of the peak month (Jun), with a 4.4x peak-to-trough ratio.

ZIP code distress hotspots

Distress is geographically dispersed across 5 ZIP codes, with no single area dominating.

ZIP Area Filings Share
28539 Hubert 4 0.2%
28574 2 0.1%
28540 2 0.1%
28555 1 0.0%
28546 1 0.0%

Top 5 of 5 ZIP codes with filings.

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 Total filings Non-resident %
Other 2256 0.0%
Lien 206 0.0%
Divorce 97 0.0%
Pre-Foreclosure 30 0.0%
Probate 15 0.0%
Tax Sale 12 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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Market Absorption & Turnover Analysis

2,615 court filings tracked with 0 resolved (0.0% absorption rate). The court system is accumulating cases faster than they resolve, creating a growing backlog of 2,615 active cases.

0.0%
Absorption Rate
2,615
Active Case Backlog
Month New Filings Resolved Net Inflow Absorption
Aug 2020 3 0 +3
0.0%
Sep 2020 3 0 +3
0.0%
Oct 2020 9 0 +9
0.0%
Nov 2020 7 0 +7
0.0%
Sep 2022 4 0 +4
0.0%
Oct 2022 3 0 +3
0.0%
Nov 2022 4 0 +4
0.0%
Jul 2025 76 0 +76
0.0%
Aug 2025 206 0 +206
0.0%
Sep 2025 309 0 +309
0.0%
Oct 2025 191 0 +191
0.0%
Nov 2025 176 0 +176
0.0%
Dec 2025 202 0 +202
0.0%
Jan 2026 237 0 +237
0.0%
Feb 2026 216 0 +216
0.0%
Mar 2026 211 0 +211
0.0%
Apr 2026 179 0 +179
0.0%
May 2026 202 0 +202
0.0%
Jun 2026 274 0 +274
0.0%
Jul 2026 97 0 +97
0.0%
Aug 2026 4 0 +4
0.0%
Sep 2026 2 0 +2
0.0%

Resolution by Case Type

Case Type Filed Resolved Absorption Avg Days
Other 2256 0 0.0% n/a
Lien 206 0 0.0% n/a
Divorce 97 0 0.0% n/a
Pre-Foreclosure 29 0 0.0% n/a
Probate 15 0 0.0% n/a
Tax Sale 12 0 0.0% n/a

Absorption rate measures the percentage of filed cases that have reached a terminal resolution (judgment, dismissal, settlement, or sale). A low absorption rate indicates a growing backlog of active cases in the court system. Resolution timing based on 0 resolved cases out of 2615 total filings.

Case Aging & Stall Analysis

33 cases (1.3%) have been active for over a year without resolution. 167 filings in the last <30 days represent fresh opportunities.

33
Cases stalled 1yr+
1.3%
of all filings
2,615
Total tracked
Age Total Resolved Still active Resolution rate
<30 days 167 0 167 0.0%
30-90 days 465 0 465 0.0%
3-6 months 610 0 610 0.0%
6-12 months 1,332 0 1,332 0.0%
2+ years 33 0 33 0.0%
Resolution speed by case type
Case type Total Resolved Rate Median days
Lien 206 0 0.0%
Divorce 97 0 0.0%
Pre-Foreclosure 29 0 0.0%
Probate 15 0 0.0%
Tax Sale 12 0 0.0%

Case aging computed from filing date to present for unresolved cases. Resolution classified from court docket entries (judgments, settlements, dismissals, sheriff sales). Cases with a resolution event are removed from the stall count.

Repeat litigation patterns in Onslow County

Of 2,129 unique property owners in court filings, 95 (4.5%) appear in multiple cases, including 25 with 3 or more filings. The most active repeat filer has 10 cases spanning 1 months. Lien cases have the highest repeat rate at 8.7%.

2,129
Unique owners
95
Repeat filers (2+ cases)
4.5%
Repeat rate
25
Serial filers (3+ cases)

Repeat rate by case type

Case type Repeat owners Total owners Repeat rate
Other 84 1846 4.6%
Lien 14 161 8.7%

Analysis based on 2,129 unique owner names across court filings. Repeat filers are property owners appearing in 2 or more distinct cases.

Methodology and data sources

Related North Carolina guides

North Carolina foreclosure process How to find leads in North Carolina 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," 2026-07-20, https://keystonecourtdata.com/reports/onslow-nc-court-filings-intelligence · Download data (CSV)