Holly Ridge, NC

Town in Onslow County, NC, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

4,904

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

38.1

years ∙ half population younger than 38.1, half older

Diversity Index

23.6%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

0.7%

foreign-born population

99.3%Native

0.7% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Holly Ridge is a town within Onslow County, North Carolina, United States.

Location

Town in Onslow County, NC, US

Co-ordinates

DEC34.493482° N, 77.563150° W

DMS34° 29′ 36.54″ N, 77° 33′ 47.34″ W

Population Density & area

1,159/sq mi (447.9/km²)

Total Area

4.23 sq mi (10.96 km²)

Land Area

4.23 sq mi (10.95 km²) · 99.92%

Water Area

0 sq mi (0.01 km²) · 0.08%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

51.6% male

Male 51.6%

Female 48.4%

males per 100 females

Holly Ridge 106.7

Onslow County 122.5

North Carolina 95.6

Nativity

0.7%

foreign-born population

99.3%Native

0.7% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Holly Ridge 0.7%

Onslow County 4.2%

North Carolina 9.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

38.1

years ∙ half population younger than 38.1, half older

Holly Ridge

38.1

Onslow County

27.7

North Carolina

39.1

Dependency ratio

48.7

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Holly Ridge 48.7

Onslow County 53.8

North Carolina 63.8

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Holly Ridge	Onslow County	North Carolina
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	20.7%	24.8%	21.8%
Working age (18-64)	67.2%	65%	61%
Senior (65+)	12.1%	10.2%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	48.7	53.8	63.8
Child dependency ratio	30.8	38.1	35.6
Old-age dependency ratio	18	15.7	28.2

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

87.1%

Black

1.9%

Asian

1.5%

Hispanic

4.8%

Other

4.7%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

23.6%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Holly Ridge 23.6%

Onslow County 55.2%

North Carolina 58.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Holly Ridge population

	Holly Ridge	Onslow County	North Carolina
Hispanic or Latino	4.8%	14%	11.3%
Mexican	3.6%	5.9%	5.6%
Puerto Rican	0%	3.4%	1.3%
Cuban	0%	0.4%	0.3%
Other Hispanic / Latino	1.1%	4.3%	4.1%
Not Hispanic or Latino	95.2%	86%	88.7%
One race	90.4%	78.6%	84.6%
White	87.1%	64%	60%
Black or African American	1.9%	11.5%	20%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0%	0.5%	0.8%
Asian	1.5%	1.8%	3.3%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0.2%	0.1%
Some Other Race	0%	0.6%	0.5%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	4.8%	7.4%	4.1%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

71.7% family

Family 71.7%

Non family 28.3%

% family households

Holly Ridge 71.7%

Onslow County 70.4%

North Carolina 64.3%

Average household size

2.56

persons per household

Holly Ridge

2.56

Onslow County

2.48

North Carolina

2.44

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Holly Ridge population

	Holly Ridge	Onslow County	North Carolina
Total households	1,913	75,265	4,282,345
Average houshold size	2.56	2.48	2.44
Family households	1,372	53,022	2,753,022
Average family size	2.84	2.95	3.03
Married couple family	1,193	41,256	2,021,951
Other families	179	11,766	731,071
Male householder	5	3,118	195,051
Female householder	174	8,648	536,020
Non-family households	541	22,243	1,529,323
One-person households	234	17,991	1,258,822
Male householder	91	8,327	544,050
Senior (65+) living alone	46	2,222	160,332
Female householder	143	9,664	714,772
Senior (65+) living alone	67	3,572	342,051
Other living arrangements	307	4,252	270,501

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

2,361

housing units

Holly Ridge 2,361

Onslow County 87,354

North Carolina 4,895,668

Occupancy status

81% occupied

Occupied 81%

Vacant 19%

vacancy rate

Holly Ridge 19%

Onslow County 13.8%

North Carolina 12.5%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

90.6%

Single family houses

90.6%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

3.6%

Mobile homes

5.8%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

2015

Half of houses were built before 2015, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

7.6%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

9.9%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

82.4%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Holly Ridge	Onslow County	North Carolina
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	6	5.6	5.6
1–3 rooms	3.1%	7.1%	11.4%
4–6 rooms	61%	60.3%	54.9%
7+ rooms	36%	32.6%	33.6%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	0%	1.1%	1.9%
1 bedroom	3.1%	4.3%	7.1%
2 bedrooms	11%	19.2%	23.8%
3 bedrooms	57.1%	53.2%	46.2%
4+ bedrooms	28.8%	22.2%	21%
At a glance
Median year built	2015	2000	1992
Total housing units	2,361	87,354	4,895,668

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

88.6% owners

Renter-occupied 11.4%

Owner-occupied 88.6%

homeownership rate

Holly Ridge 88.6%

Onslow County 63.7%

North Carolina 66.6%

Average household size

2.68

Owner-occupied

1.66

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Holly Ridge 2.68

Onslow County 2.53

North Carolina 2.54

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Holly Ridge	Onslow County	North Carolina
Total occupied units	1,913	75,265	4,282,345
Year moved in
2020 or later	52.6%	41.9%	26.2%
2010 to 2019	34.2%	36%	39.2%
2000 to 2009	8%	10.9%	16.2%
1999 or earlier	5.2%	11.3%	18.5%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	99.5%	97.7%	97.8%
1.01 to 1.50	0.5%	1.7%	1.5%
1.51 or more	0%	0.6%	0.7%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	4.2%	4.3%	5.3%
1 vehicle	23.2%	28.6%	31.4%
2 vehicles	42.8%	45.1%	38%
3 or more vehicles	29.8%	22%	25.2%
House heating fuel used
Gas	1.7%	6.4%	30.5%
Electricity	98.3%	91.9%	65.5%
Solar	0%	0.1%	0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0%	0.4%	2%
All other fuels	0%	0.2%	1.3%
No fuel used	0%	1%	0.7%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0%	0.3%	0.3%
Lacking complete kitchen	0%	0.5%	0.6%
No telephone service available	1.4%	0.4%	0.8%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$360,300

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Holly Ridge

$360,300

Onslow County

$236,400

North Carolina

$288,900

Housing Cost Burden

5.9%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

5.9%

Owners without a mortgage

Renters

21.1%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Holly Ridge	Onslow County	North Carolina
Property value
Median Value	$360,300	$236,400	$288,900
Under $100,000	0.3%	9%	12.7%
$100,000 - $200,000	9%	25.4%	18.9%
$200,000 - $300,000	27.3%	36.2%	20.5%
$300,000 - $500,000	36%	23.5%	28.3%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	24.7%	4.9%	16.3%
$1,000,000 and more	2.8%	1%	3.3%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	70.7%	70.8%	61.3%
Without a mortgage	29.3%	29.2%	38.7%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$2,048	$1,531	$1,631
Without a mortgage	$697	$495	$490
Gross rent
Median rent	$1,315	$1,265	$1,228

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

51.4%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Holly Ridge 51.4%

Onslow County 26%

North Carolina 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

6.4%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Holly Ridge 6.4%

Onslow County 6.8%

North Carolina 9.9%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

1,077

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

2.9%

K–12

65.4%

College / Undergraduate

19.1%

Graduate / Professional

12.6%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Holly Ridge

Onslow County

14.9%

North Carolina

39.3%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Holly Ridge	Onslow County	North Carolina
Total enrolled (age 3+)	1,077	49,473	2,530,102
Nursery / preschool	2.9%	5.9%	5.3%
K–12	65.4%	65.3%	67.4%
Kindergarten	4.4%	5.9%	4.9%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	37.7%	20%	20%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	14.7%	22.6%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	8.6%	16.9%	21.5%
College or graduate school	31.8%	28.8%	27.3%
College, undergraduate	19.1%	23.4%	21.7%
Graduate, professional school	12.6%	5.4%	5.6%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	0%	14.9%	39.3%
School type
Public school	76.9%	81.8%	82.3%
Private school	23.1%	18.2%	17.7%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

3,878

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

0.6%

9th-12th, no diploma

5.8%

HS graduate

12.9%

Some college no degree

21.8%

Associates degree

7.5%

Bachelors degree

32.2%

Graduate or professional degree

19.2%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

0% · 100%

9th-12th, no diploma

37.1% · 62.9%

HS graduate

34.2% · 65.8%

Some college no degree

55.8% · 44.2%

Associates degree

16.6% · 83.4%

Bachelors degree

63.2% · 36.8%

Graduate or professional degree

46.4% · 53.6%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Holly Ridge	Onslow County	North Carolina
Population (25+)	3,878	114,320	7,380,330
Less than 9th grade	0.6%	2.2%	3.9%
9th–12th, no diploma	5.8%	4.6%	6%
High school diploma or GED	12.9%	29.3%	24.8%
Some college, no degree	21.8%	25.9%	19.6%
Associate's degree	7.5%	12.2%	10.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher	51.4%	26%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	32.2%	16.9%	22.2%
Graduate or professional	19.2%	9.1%	13.5%
High School or higher	93.7%	93.3%	90.1%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$60,926

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$—

HS graduate

$58,241

Some college or associates

$45,625

Bachelors degree

$78,732

Graduate or professional degree

$87,500

Poverty Rate

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

1.6%

HS graduate

Some college or associates

2.2%

Bachelors degree or higher

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Holly Ridge	Onslow County	North Carolina
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$60,926	$47,145	$49,275
Less than high school graduate	$—	$35,209	$31,234
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$58,241	$40,641	$37,346
Some college or associate's degree	$45,625	$41,937	$43,525
Bachelor's degree	$78,732	$60,313	$64,395
Graduate or professional degree	$87,500	$77,637	$80,986
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	1.6%	21%	26.6%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	0%	13.3%	15.2%
Some college or associate's degree	2.2%	8.8%	10%
Bachelor's degree or higher	0%	5%	4.2%

Insights for Holly Ridge, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

Cite this page

Citation style

Url to be used as reference

This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal or tax advice. We recommend that you consult with a qualified professional such as a lawyer or accountant before making a decision. Many of the products and services featured here are from our affiliate partners. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. Read advertiser disclosure.