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Pender County Snapshot
Pender County is rapidly growing and quickly changing. You can find information below on many of our essential functions and services that we provide to citizens.
Pender County currently employs 485 full-time, 12 part-time permanent, and 342 temporary employees. The largest department is the Sheriff's Office with 155 active employees. The County is served by 5 County Commissioners.
Pender County is the 5th largest county geographically in North Carolina and the 5th fastest-growing county in North Carolina over the past ten years. The Wilmington Metropolitan Area includes Pender County and is in the Top 10 fastest-growing areas in the Nation.
Highest Educational Attainment
| High School Diploma | 27.0% |
|---|---|
| Bachelors Degree | 22.0% |
| Graduate Degree | 12.2% |
Pender County Elections
| 2020 | 2022 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voter Turnout | 34,262 | 23,547 | 38,558 |
| Percent Voter Turnout | 76.00% | 49.16% | 73.98% |
| In-person Votes on Election Day | 4,688 | 9,608 | 6,342 |
| One-stop Early Voting | 25,042 | 13,099 | 30,676 |
| Votes by mail | 4,424 | 746 | 1,404 |
| Provisional ballots | 108 | 94 | 136 |
Pender County Economics
| Median Household Income | $71,487 |
|---|---|
| Per Capita Income | $49,887 (#38 in NC) |
| Gross Domestic Product | $1,777,000,000 (#54 in NC) |
Pender County Housing Data
| Homeownership Rate | 83.4% |
|---|---|
| Median Home Listing Price | $555,000 |
| Median Home Sale Price | $422,000 |
Pender County Planning issues zoning and special use permits, approves site plans for developments, and other similar items. Pender County Permitting conducts inspections and issues permits for residential and commercial buildings.
Planning
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Residential Zoning Permits | 1,258 | 1,208 | 1,371 | 1,243 |
| Subdivision Applications | 75 | 69 | 85 | 83 |
| Site Plan Applications | 82 | 91 | 69 | 90 |
| Special Use Permit Applications | 5 | 17 | 4 | 5 |
| Rezoning Applications | 9 | 13 | 20 | 21 |
Permitting
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Inspections Conducted | 19,809 | 24,389 | 23,808 | 23,007 |
| Residential Permits Issued | 3,397 | 3,245 | 3,153 | 2,921 |
| Commercial Permits Issued | 219 | 238 | 323 | 308 |
Permits Issued for Dwelling Units
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Residential Single Family | 742 | 533 | 515 | 620 |
| Modular Homes | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 |
| Manufactured Homes | 151 | 166 | 133 | 164 |
| Apartment Units | 240 | 0 | 432 | 0 |
| Duplex | 12 | 81 | 94 | 18 |
| Townhouse | 40 | 1 | 272 | 52 |
| Totals | 1,212 | 808 | 1,472 | 879 |
Pender County Budget
| FY 2022-2023 | FY 2023-2024 | FY 2024-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total County Revenue | $84,724,884 | $100,365,047 | $106,355,051 |
| Total County Spending | $84,724,884 | $100,365,047 | $106,355,051 |
| General Fund Debt Service | $758,661 | $754,362 | $754,362 |
| Percent dedicated to Education | 39.02% | 44.20% | 40.60% |
| Funding for Education in Dollars | $27,034,879 | $28,629,879 | $32,475,170 |
| School expense funding per pupil | $1,544 | $1,997 | $2,337 |
| Contributions to Outside Agencies | $1,598,613 | $2,449,577 | $2,579,158 |
| Countywide Tax Rate | 0.645 | 0.7375 | 0.7375 |
| Total Tax Base Value | $8,993,760,013 | $9,839,032,294 | $9,911,194,542 |
Pender County does not have a single department that encompasses all emergency services. Instead, services are provided by a mix of county departments, municipal departments, and non-profit organizations.
Law Enforcement
- Pender County Sheriff's Office
- Town of Burgaw Police Department
- Town of Surf City Police Department
- Town of Topsail Beach Police Department
Emergency Management
- Pender County Emergency Management
- Town of Surf City Emergency Management
Fire
- Burgaw Fire Department (municipal)
- Atkinson Fire Department (municipal)
- Surf City Fire Department (municipal)
- Topsail Beach Fire Department (municipal)
- Wallace Fire Department (municipal)
- Rocky Point Fire Department (non-profit)
- Penderlea Fire Department (non-profit)
- Maple Hill Fire Department (non-profit)
- Pender EMS & Fire (non-profit)
- Pender County Fire Marshal's Office (County)
EMS
- Pender EMS & Fire (non-profit)
- Union Rescue (non-profit)
Pender County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement protection countywide. In addition to patrol and investigations, the Sheriff's Office includes a civil division, animal control, 911 dispatch, a detention center, and provides for school resource officers at each school. The Pender County Sheriff's Office currently has 118 sworn positions. A new law enforcement complex is under construction and set to open in late 2026. This new facility will accommodate the growth of the county with administrative offices, a larger detention center, and an expanded 911 Center.
Law Enforcement Calls
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
| Calls for Law Enforcement | 27,241 | 25,717 | 27,727 |
911/Dispatch Calls
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
| Total Calls | 114,294 | 93,771 | 110,801 |
| Calls answered within 10 seconds | - | - | 108,168 |
Animal Control
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
| Calls for Service | 2,316 | 2,270 | 2,511 |
| Animal Intakes | 1,280 | 1,411 | 1,244 |
| Returned to Owner | 211 | 234 | 242 |
For more information visit: https://www.pendersheriff.com/
Pender County Emergency Management coordinates planning, preparation, response, recovery, and mitigation for disasters. Emergency Management coordinates resources with partnering agencies for a wide range of emergencies. This department manages the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during large events such as hurricanes, winter storms, or wildfires. They also respond to calls regarding hazardous materials and coordinate clean-up and reporting with state agencies.
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| EOC Activations | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| HazMat Calls | 25 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 29 |
| Search & Rescue | 11 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 16 |
| Aircraft Incidents | - | - | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Suspicious Device | - | - | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Weather | - | - | 6 | 12 | 24 |
| Out-of-County Deployment | 5 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 11 |
* Columns with a dash (-) mean data was not collected for this incident type in that year
**Weather events include any event where Emergency Management staff tour the county for damage assessments afterward
For more information visit: Pender County Emergency Management
Pender County is served by many agencies, both municipal and non-profit. The Pender County Fire Marshal's Office performs fire inspections, investigations, and building plan reviews. Fire protection services are provided by the county's municipal departments: Burgaw Fire, Atkinson Fire, Surf City Fire, Topsail Beach Fire, and Wallace Fire; as well as other non-profit departments: Pender EMS & Fire, Penderlea Fire, Maple Hill Fire, and Rocky Point Fire.
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
| Fire Inspections | 1,008 | 529 | 913 |
| Fire Investigations | |||
| Plan Reviews | 104 | 193 | 253 |
| Total Fire Calls (All Dept) | 5,597 | 6,680 | 7,028 |
| Structure Fires (All Dept) | 113 | 126 | 157 |
Pender EMS & Fire, a non-profit, provides EMS services for Pender County, with Union Rescue also providing services as a subcontractor.
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Total EMS Calls | 11,236* | 9,825 | 9,832 | 10,059 |
| Top Call Types | Falls Sick Person* Breathing Problem Traffic Accident Chest Pain | Falls Breathing Problem Traffic Accident Chest Pain Sick Person | Falls Chest Pain Abdominal Pain Breathing Problems Traffic Accident | Traffic Accidents Falls Breathing Problems Chest Pain Abdominal Pain |
*2021 calls and generic 'sick person' distinction higher due to COVID
For more information visit: https://www.penderemsandfire.com/
Pender County Libraries has two locations: one in Burgaw and one in Hampstead. A new Hampstead branch is under construction next to the current Hampstead Annex. It is expected to open by early 2027. The current Hampstead branch building will be repurposed.
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Loans- all locations | 241,680 | 271,954 | 296,152 | 318,810 |
| Physical loans- Burgaw | 77,872 | 82,522 | 84,276 | 101,083 |
| Physical loans- Hampstead | 112,957 | 133,664 | 146,264 | 155,997 |
| Digital loans | 50,851 | 55,768 | 65,612 | 61,730 |
| Library visits- all locations | 71,159 | 95,703 | 108,162 | 111,028 |
| Library visits- Burgaw | 32,893 | 44,112 | 49,461 | 50,760 |
| Library visits- Hampstead | 38,266 | 51,591 | 58,701 | 60,268 |
| Programs offered | 222 | 561 | 576 | 639 |
| Program attendance | 2,472 | 9,586 | 11,079 | 12,355 |