Census-designated place · North Carolina

Sneads Ferry, North Carolina

Sneads Ferry, census-designated place, in Onslow County, North Carolina. Sneads Ferry had 2,548 residents in the 2020 Census, a full count; the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 2,728 (±556). GEOID 3762680.

Residents, 2020 Census

2,548

Census count or controlled total
ACS 2020-2024 estimate: 2,728 ±556

Median household income

$79,594

±$27,097 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $72,388

Median home value

$269,300

±$71,003 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $288,900

Median gross rent

not published


North Carolina: $1,228

Where is Sneads Ferry and what county is it in?

Sneads Ferry is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for counting, with no city government of its own, in Onslow County, North Carolina. It covers 3.8 square miles of land, 671 residents per square mile in 2020.

Sneads Ferry is in the Jacksonville, NC metropolitan statistical area (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).

Sneads Ferry (marked with a dot) in Onslow County, North Carolina. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files

How many people live in Sneads Ferry, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 2,548 residents in Sneads Ferry, a full count rather than a sample. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a sample, estimates 2,728 (±556).

The Census Bureau publishes yearly population estimates for incorporated places only; Sneads Ferry is a census-designated place, so its figures come from the ACS and the 2020 Census.

ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (counts) with the change from 2015-2019
Measure Sneads FerryOnslow CountyNorth Carolina Change since 2015-2019
Total population 2,728 ±556 207,906 10,730,404 no clear change
Households 1,397 ±299 75,265 4,282,345 no clear change
Average household size 1.95 ±0.24 2.48 2.44 −0.61
Housing units 2,028 ±362 87,354 4,895,668 no clear change

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Sneads Ferry?

The median resident of Sneads Ferry is 37.9 years old; 19.7% are under 18 and 19.7% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 74.8%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 12.5%.

Age, origin, education and moves, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure Sneads FerryOnslow CountyNorth Carolina Change since 2015-2019
Median age 37.9 ±8.2 27.7 39.1 no clear change
Under 18 years 19.7% ±5.4 pts 24.8% 21.8% –
65 years and over 19.7% ±8.0 pts 10.2% 17.2% –
Male 54.5% ±6.6 pts 55.1% 48.9% –
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.7% ±3.5 pts 14.0% 11.3% –
White alone, not Hispanic 74.8% ±8.8 pts 64.0% 60.0% −21.4 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic 6.4% ±5.1 pts 11.5% 20.0% –
Asian alone, not Hispanic 2.6% ±3.6 pts 1.8% 3.3% –
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic 0.0% ±1.5 pts 0.5% 0.8% –
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic 0.0% ±1.5 pts 0.2% 0.1% –
Two or more races, not Hispanic 12.5% ±8.3 pts 7.4% 4.1% –
Some other race alone, not Hispanic 0.0% ±1.5 pts 0.6% 0.5% –
Born outside the United States 6.6% ±4.6 pts 4.2% 9.1% –
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) 8.2% ±5.2 pts 10.4% 13.5% –
Civilian veterans (age 18+) 21.4% ±8.8 pts 21.4% 7.4% –
With a disability 19.4% ±7.5 pts 17.1% 13.6% –
No health insurance coverage 11.6% ±6.2 pts 9.5% 9.9% no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+) 94.6% ±4.8 pts 93.3% 90.1% –
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) 24.7% ±6.2 pts 26.0% 35.7% no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) 8.3% ±4.5 pts 9.1% 13.5% –
Lived in the same house a year earlier 77.8% ±10.0 pts 78.7% 87.3% –
Moved from another state in the past year 12.2% ±9.8 pts 9.2% 3.0% –

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Sneads Ferry earn?

Half of Sneads Ferry's 1,397 households earn less than $79,594 a year (±$27,097), against $68,148 in Onslow County and $72,388 in North Carolina. In 2015-2019 it was $60,106 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 13.3% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; 2015-2019 dollars adjusted with the R-CPI-U-RS
Measure Sneads FerryOnslow CountyNorth Carolina Change since 2015-2019
Median household income $79,594 ±$27,097 $68,148 $72,388 no clear change
Mean household income $76,861 ±$15,151 $85,766 $101,208 –
Per capita income $38,958 ±$7,390 $33,305 $41,385 no clear change
People below the poverty line 13.3% ±7.4 pts 11.6% 13.0% no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line 9.3% ±11.3 pts 15.1% 17.7% –
Households receiving SNAP 12.4% ±9.8 pts 12.1% 12.8% –
Households with a computer 87.2% ±10.5 pts 97.2% 94.9% –
Households with a broadband subscription 87.0% ±10.4 pts 92.8% 90.1% –

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Sneads Ferry?

Owners occupy 76.2% of Sneads Ferry's occupied homes and renters 23.8%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $269,300 by its owner (±$71,003).

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Home values are owners' own estimates.
Measure Sneads FerryOnslow CountyNorth Carolina Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied) $269,300 ±$71,003 $236,400 $288,900 +$73,497
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent 22.2% ±21.1 pts 40.4% 39.6% –
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage $1,604 ±$368 $1,531 $1,631 –
Owner-occupied homes 76.2% ±11.4 pts 63.7% 66.6% no clear change
Renter-occupied homes 23.8% ±11.4 pts 36.3% 33.4% –
Housing units 2,028 ±362 87,354 4,895,668 no clear change
Homeowner vacancy rate 0.0% ±3.9 pts 1.3% 1.3% –
Rental vacancy rate 7.5% ±9.0 pts 7.9% 7.1% –
Single-family detached homes 62.4% ±12.3 pts 65.2% 65.3% –
Mobile homes 16.2% ±8.8 pts 11.5% 11.0% –
Built 2020 or later 0.5% ±1.1 pts 4.0% 3.0% –
Built 2010 to 2019 11.8% ±5.9 pts 23.0% 13.5% –
Built 1939 or earlier 0.0% ±2.1 pts 0.5% 4.9% –
Households with no vehicle 0.4% ±0.6 pts 4.3% 5.3% –

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How do people in Sneads Ferry work and get to work?

72.3% of Sneads Ferry's workers drive alone and 18.7% work from home. The average trip to work takes 33.8 minutes.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (workers 16 and over)
Measure Sneads FerryOnslow CountyNorth Carolina Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+) 62.9% ±9.1 pts 70.0% 62.8% –
Unemployment rate 1.1% ±2.0 pts 5.4% 4.7% –
Drove alone to work 72.3% ±11.4 pts 65.7% 71.5% –
Carpooled 7.4% ±6.2 pts 12.1% 8.5% –
Public transportation 0.0% ±3.1 pts 0.2% 0.7% –
Walked 0.0% ±3.1 pts 6.9% 1.6% –
Worked from home 18.7% ±10.3 pts 12.8% 16.3% –
Mean travel time to work 33.8 min ±7.0 22.4 min 25.1 min +14.3 min

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What census tracts are in Sneads Ferry?

1 census tract lies mostly in Sneads Ferry, and 1 more reaches into it (2020 census blocks).

Census tracts in Sneads Ferry, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
TractResidents, 2020-2024Median household incomeMedian home valueShare of tract in Sneads Ferry
Tract 4.05Onslow County7,999 $101,008 $337,70032%
Tract 4.04Onslow County1,315 $84,170 $298,100100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Sneads Ferry) · Census block assignment files

How does Sneads Ferry compare with other places in North Carolina?

Sneads Ferry ranks 139th of 434 places in North Carolina with 1,000 or more residents and a reliable estimate, by median household income.

Sneads Ferry's rank in North Carolina (1 = highest): by population among the state's incorporated places with a 2025 estimate; by the other measures among places of 1,000+ residents with a reliable estimate
MeasureRankOf
Population (ACS 2020-2024)277th443
Residents per square mile304th443
Median household income139th434
Per capita income145th443
Median home value189th438
Poverty rate201st341
Bachelor's degree or higher233rd421
Median age297th442
Owner-occupied share149th443
Work from home99th279
Travel time to work26th439

Sneads Ferry's figures with every place in North Carolina (CSV)

Every place in North Carolina, sortable · Compare Sneads Ferry with other places

Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How reliable are the figures for Sneads Ferry?

21 of the 56 figures for Sneads Ferry on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.

The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Sneads Ferry are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.