Jacksonville, NC Metro Area
The Jacksonville, NC metro area is one county in North Carolina: Onslow County. About 217,175 people lived there on July 1, 2025 (Census estimate), 6.2% more than in April 2020.
- Population, July 2025
- 217,175 6.2% more than in April 2020
- Type
- Metropolitan statistical area
- County
- Onslow County
- Land area
- 762 sq mi (1,974 km²)
- Time zone
- Eastern TimeUTC-05:00 in January; UTC-04:00 in July
- State
- North Carolina
- CBSA code
- 27340
The county in the Jacksonville, NC metro area
| County | Role | Population, July 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Onslow County | Central | 217,175 |
A central county holds the area’s core, an urban area of at least 50,000 people. This area has no outlying counties: no neighboring county sends enough commuters to join it. A county belongs to one metro or micro area at most, and it counts whole, countryside included.
Principal city
- Jacksonville71,279 people
OMB names the area after its largest principal cities. A principal city is the area’s largest city, plus any other city that is very large or a big job center, and smaller ones with at least as many jobs as working residents (2020 Census and commuting figures). People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Bordering metro and micro areas, nearest first
Areas with a county on this area’s edge. Distances are straight lines between the areas’ largest cities.
- New Bern, NC Micro Area31 mi northeast
- Morehead City, NC Micro Area37 mi east
- Wilmington, NC Metro Area46 mi southwest
Before using this answer on a form
A metro or micro area is a statistical area that OMB draws for federal statistics. It is not a city, a local government or a mailing address, and it is not a measure of urban and rural: whole counties count, rural parts included. Programs that use metro areas, such as housing income limits or wage rates, can use their own version of these lists; check the program’s own list for an address.
Find the metro area where you are now, find your county, or see every metro and micro area by population.