Bracebridge Hall · Photo: Marie Sharpe Ham, Debra A. Blake, C. Edward Morris · Public domainCrime recorded in Half Moon, and why it isn’t graded
Half Moon has no police department of its own: it’s an unincorporated community (a census-designated place) in Onslow County. The Onslow County Sheriff’s Office reports to the FBI for the parts of the county without police of their own, so there are no figures for Half Moon alone, and no Safety Grade. Richlands itself is graded A−, and no other graded town is as close.
What stands out about safety in Half Moon
Policed by the county
Half Moon is a census-designated place, with no town government. Crimes there are reported to the FBI inside the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office’s totals for the county. County police ↓
Counts, not rates
The FBI doesn’t publish how many people the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office covers, so its totals can’t be turned into a per-resident rate or a grade for Half Moon. County police ↓
The nearest graded towns
The closest North Carolina towns with their own police figures are Richlands (A−, 7 mi), Jacksonville (C, 8 mi), Beulaville (D, 19 mi). Nearby towns can differ a lot from Half Moon. Nearest ↓
Written from the FBI data on this page. Figures are crimes reported to police, not convictions.
What the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office reports
Reports to the FBI for the parts of Onslow County without police of their own, which include Half Moon.
Property crimes
Violent crimes
2025 offenses reported by the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office
Counts, not rates: the FBI doesn’t publish how many people each agency covers. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Tables 10–11.
Crimes reported to the FBI for the whole area the department covers, by year.
The nearest North Carolina towns with a Safety Grade
| Town | Grade | Distance | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richlands | A− | 7 mi | 0.3 | 8.3 |
| Jacksonville | C | 8 mi | 2.5 | 18.6 |
| Beulaville | D | 19 mi | 5.5 | 43.2 |
| Swansboro | C+ | 20 mi | 0.7 | 21.1 |
| North Topsail Beach | C+ | 24 mi | 0.3 | 21.9 |
| Holly Ridge | A− | 24 mi | 0.6 | 6.5 |
Straight-line distance from the center of Half Moon. Nearby towns can differ a lot from Half Moon.
Each town’s own police figures, per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Three people died in crashes on Half Moon’s roads in 2019–2023
Half Moon had 3 fatal crashes in five years, in which three people died; 1 was a pedestrian.
That is about what is typical for North Carolina towns of 5,000–25,000 people: at their median rate (7.4 deaths per 100,000 residents a year), a town of Half Moon’s size would see about 3 in five years. With numbers this small, a death or two either way changes the picture, so Half Moon’s own rate (8.1) is context, not a ranking.
Deaths are counted where the crash happened, not where the people lived: a highway through town adds through-traffic deaths, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Town rates sit below state and U.S. rates because a third of fatal crashes happen outside any town. Road safety is described here and is not part of the Safety Grade. Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023.
Half Moon and its neighbors
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville | C | 2.5 | 18.6 |
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
How reported crime compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its safety page.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- It’s reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many crimes are never reported to police.
- A county agency covers a wide area. Its totals mix many communities, so they say little about any one of them.
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn’t report a full year, not that nothing happened.
How the grade is calculated, for every town: How TownRatings grades safety →
Questions about safety in Half Moon
Is Half Moon, NC safe?
There is no Safety Grade for Half Moon. The nearest North Carolina towns with a grade are Richlands (A−, 7 mi), Jacksonville (C, 8 mi), Beulaville (D, 19 mi).
Who polices Half Moon?
The Onslow County Sheriff’s Office. Half Moon is an unincorporated community, and the department reports to the FBI for the parts of Onslow County without police of their own.
Heads-up board
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Please don’t name or describe individuals. In an emergency, call 911.
Neighbors looking out for each other in Half Moon.
Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. The Safety Grade is our own summary of that data, not an official rating. Road deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023. This isn’t an official statement of public safety. In an emergency, call 911.