Holly RidgeNC
A town of 5,908, settled in 1893.
What should you know before moving to Holly Ridge?
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Overall it grades B+, 39th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 88% of the country and the median household earns $105K. On safety, just 12 of North Carolina’s 190 towns do better. 13% of the land in Holly Ridge is conserved, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 3.4% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Among 153 North Carolina towns, just 1 have a lower violent crime rate than Holly Ridge.
What makes Holly Ridge stand out
Where Holly Ridge beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Holly Ridge | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.2% | 13.9% |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Holly Ridge has grown 366% since 2010
1,268 counted in 2010 and 4,171 in 2020; an estimated 5,908 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 41.6% since 2020, after 228.9% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Holly Ridge grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Holly Ridge is from typical.
Its grades run from A for health (better than 88% of comparable towns) to D− for hazard risk (better than 1%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Holly Ridge: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Holly Ridge, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Holly Ridge.
Holly Ridge fares better on crime within North Carolina than nationally and has less tooth loss than most of North Carolina, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of North Carolina (mostly hurricanes).
Very high risk in Holly Ridge, with hurricanes at the top
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of North Carolina towns; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1996, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Holly Ridge.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
12.7% of Holly Ridge is conserved land
2.5 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. At 0.6 miles per square mile, Holly Ridge’s trail density is against 0.2 in North Carolina’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
A smaller share of adults have diabetes in Holly Ridge than in most of North Carolina or the rest of the country
Its widest gap with North Carolina is tooth loss: 8.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 13.9% statewide.
7.2% of adults have diabetes in Holly Ridge. Among 289 North Carolina towns, just 9 have a lower share of adults who have high blood pressure than Holly Ridge. 32% of adults have obesity in Holly Ridge.
| Holly Ridge | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.2% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 13% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Holly Ridge | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.2% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 7.2% | 12% |
| More binge drinkers | 18.6% | 14.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Holly Ridge reports less crime per resident than 78% of U.S. towns
At 9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 96% of North Carolina’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 41 to 31 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Holly Ridge is 4.8 per 1,000 residents.
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Property crime per 1,000 residents
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
A smaller share of residents in Holly Ridge live below the poverty line than in the typical North Carolina or U.S. town
Jobs based here grew from 370 in 2013 to 789. 32.4% of workers work from home, against 16.3% across North Carolina.
0.8% of Holly Ridge residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Holly Ridge has added 419 jobs, to 789 in 2023. Holly Ridge’s average trip to work is 32 minutes.
| Holly Ridge | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 0.8% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $105,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.4% | 6.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Holly Ridge, expect mild winters and hot summers
Holly Ridge has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 34° and snow is almost unheard of.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
A typical Holly Ridge home is worth about $347K
The typical Holly Ridge home is worth about $347,000, up 2.5% in a year, close to the North Carolina typical home.
| Holly Ridge | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 89% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,315 a month | $1,084 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Holly Ridge
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Holly Ridge; the nearest are
About 7 of every 100 Holly Ridge residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
96% of working residents leave Holly Ridge for work
Where Holly Ridge’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Holly Ridge
Town in North Carolina, United States
Holly Ridge is a town in Onslow County, North Carolina, United States. The 2010 population was 1,268. The 2020 census population was 4,171.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 62 ft
- ZIP code
- 28445
- Area code
- 910
Questions about Holly Ridge
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Holly Ridge, NC a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Holly Ridge grades B+ overall, better than 68% of U.S. towns and #39 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades A for health, A− for safety and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Holly Ridge, NC expensive?
That is 5.1 years of the area's median household income ($68,148 across the Jacksonville, NC metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
What is Holly Ridge, NC known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Stephen Bowen and Katrina Parker.