Photo: NCDOTcommunications · CC BY 2.0Living in Wilmington, NC: what to set up and who to call
The closest public drop-off to Wilmington is Dumpster Rental Company, 4 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it. The nearest emergency room is in town: Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Wilmington, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Wilmington.
Power comes from Duke Energy
Duke Energy (Duke Energy Progress, LLC), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Wilmington. Its homes paid an average of 15.2¢ per kWh in 2025, about $159 a month (its average across North Carolina).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Cfpua-Wilmington water system
The Cfpua-Wilmington water system supplies almost all of Wilmington. It draws surface water and serves 212,227 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 86% of the 332 systems serving 100,001–250,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2026–Dec 2028, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. NC0465010.
6 home internet providers serve Wilmington
98% of 39,292 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 57% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 97% | 1,000/35 |
| AT&T | Fiber, Fixed wireless, DSL | 85% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Metronet | Fiber | 13% | 5,120/5,120 |
| Lumos | Fiber | 8% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 77% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 66% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Wilmington depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Wilmington, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayLook up your day on wilmingtonnc.gov
- RecyclingEvery other week, same day as trashCheck which week on wilmingtonnc.gov →
Single-stream recycling
All your recyclables go in one bin, no sorting.
- Aluminum cans
- Glass bottles and jars
- Paper cups or cartons
- Tin and steel cans
- Newspaper, including all inserts
- Plastic bottles, tubs, jugs, and jars
- Rigid plastic (ex: laundry baskets and plastic tubs)
- Mixed paper, including magazines and junk mail
- Catalogs (under 2 inches thick)
- Cardboard boxes (flatten first)
- Spiral wound containers (e.g. Pringles cans)
- Cereal and food boxes
- File folders and computer paper
- K-cups / coffee pods
From wilmingtonnc.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 23, 2026. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Wilmington is in New Hanover County Schools.
BSchool gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Aug 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Wilmington spans 5 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Wilmington residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Wilmington | ZIP’s residents in Wilmington |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28403 | Wilmington, NC | 33% | 100% |
| 28401 | Wilmington, NC | 17% | 89% |
| 28412 | Wilmington, NC | 17% | 46% |
| 28409 | Wilmington, NC | 17% | 56% |
| 28405 | Wilmington, NC | 16% | 57% |
A few homes fall in 28411. 28402, 28404, 28406, 28407, 28408, 28410 are P.O. box or single-organization ZIPs with no homes.
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Wilmington
Who supplies Wilmington’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Cfpua-Wilmington water system (EPA ID NC0465010). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 86% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2026–Dec 2028), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Wilmington?
Duke Energy (Duke Energy Progress, LLC), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 15.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Wilmington?
Spectrum, AT&T, Metronet, Lumos, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Wilmington?
28403 (33%), 28401 (17%), 28412 (17%), 28409 (17%), 28405 (16%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Wilmington in?
New Hanover County Schools.
How do I register to vote in Wilmington?
In North Carolina you can register online until 25 days before Election Day, in person with same-day registration during the early voting period, or by mail (postmarked 25 days before). Elections here are run by the New Hanover County Board of Elections. Check your registration at vt.ncsbe.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: Wilmington’s own website (wilmingtonnc.gov), read Oct 23, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.