Sell Your Commercial Property In Jacksonville, NC

Who rents in Jacksonville

The 2020–2024 American Community Survey counts 71,279 residents in Jacksonville and 13,912 renter households out of 22,688 occupied homes, a 61.3% renter share. That is far above Onslow County's 36.3% and the state's 33.4%. Median household income in the city is $57,697, compared with $68,148 for the county and $72,388 statewide. The city's own budget message cites 73,494 residents, a little above the Census five-year average.

The military is the reason. The Defense Department's MilitaryINSTALLATIONS guide counts about 137,526 people in Camp Lejeune's supported population, including 38,778 active-duty personnel, 38,769 family members, 3,349 civilian employees and 18,719 retirees and their family members. Marine Corps Air Station New River, inside the city's orbit, adds aviation units. Onslow Memorial Hospital and Coastal Carolina Community College are civilian anchors. Military tenants move on orders, so leases, turnover and vacancy follow transfer and deployment cycles rather than the local job market.

Rents and affordability

Jacksonville's median gross rent is $1,321 a month, including utilities, $56 above Onslow County and $93 above the state median, even though the city's median household income is $14,691 below the state's. Military housing allowances are a likely part of the gap between rents and reported incomes. Still, the ACS shows 52.5% of renter households paying 30% or more of income on rent and utilities and 21.6% paying half or more; countywide, 47.2% are at or above 30%. In numbers, 3,010 households pay half or more of income and 4,297 pay between 30% and 49.9%.

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rents for the Jacksonville area are:

Unusually, the FMRs sit below the city's median gross rent: the two-bedroom figure is $148 lower and the one-bedroom $386 lower. Voucher payment standards based on these numbers will rarely compete with what military households pay, so the private market, not housing vouchers, sets most rents here.

The apartment stock

Per the ACS, 5,322 of Jacksonville's 25,417 housing units, or 20.9%, are in buildings with five or more units, against 9.2% in Onslow County and 14.2% statewide. The distribution is even: 1,602 units are in 5–9 unit buildings, 1,356 in 10–19, 1,591 in 20–49 and 773 in buildings of 50 or more. Attached single-family homes such as townhouses and duplex-style units are unusually common, at 5,262 units or 20.7% of all housing, and detached houses make up just 48.6%. Two- to four-unit buildings add 1,863 units.

The median structure was built in 1992, a year newer than the state median. Piney Green and Hubert are unincorporated parts of Onslow County, while Richlands and Swansboro are separate towns with their own tax rates. Across the county, mobile homes account for 11.5% of housing, compared with 2.4% in the city.

Property taxes in Onslow County

North Carolina assesses property at full value under G.S. 105-284. The N.C. Department of Revenue lists Onslow County's FY2026-27 rate at 65.5 cents per $100, with a latest reappraisal of 2022 and a next scheduled reappraisal of 2027. Local reporting says Jacksonville and other Onslow municipalities will keep using values from the county's 2022 revaluation for the coming fiscal year.

The City of Jacksonville's adopted FY2026-27 budget of $129.9 million, approved June 29, 2026, sets the city rate at 63 cents per $100, up from 60 cents, while total spending fell 9% from the prior year. The combined county and city rate of $1.285 per $100 comes to about $25,700 a year on a building assessed at $2 million. A sale does not reset the assessed value, and the deed excise tax under G.S. 105-228.30 is $4,000 on a $2 million sale. G.S. 105-286 requires reappraisal at least every eight years.

Landlord rules

G.S. 42-14.1 prohibits local rent control and local voucher-acceptance mandates. G.S. 42-51 caps deposits at 1.5 months' rent for month-to-month tenancies and two months' rent for longer terms, G.S. 42-52 requires an itemized accounting within 30 days after a tenancy ends, and G.S. 42-3 allows lease forfeiture when rent is unpaid 10 days after demand. G.S. 160D-1207 bars blanket rental registration. It allows registration only for properties with repeated verified violations or high crime and disorder activity, with fees capped at $500 a year.

What this means if you own a building here

Jacksonville offers deep, steady demand from the base, rents above the state median and a 2027 reappraisal ahead. Buyers will want occupancy and turnover history across several rotation cycles, the share of tenants who are service members, how quickly units re-lease after move-outs, and the current county and city tax bill. Skyline Capital Investments buys 5+ unit buildings in Jacksonville, Piney Green, Hubert, Richlands and Swansboro. Estimate value with our apartment building value calculator, or see how we make offers on the sell your apartment building page.