Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site on September 23, 2026.
New Hanover County, North Carolina, has about 243,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in New Hanover County is held at the county jail, run by the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: New Hanover County public records, New Hanover County arrest records, New Hanover County warrants, New Hanover County criminal records, New Hanover County court records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in New Hanover County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in New Hanover County is held at the county jail, run by the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office at p2c.nhcgov.com/p2c/jailinmates.aspx (page title: New Hanover Sheriff's Office P2C), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster.
The New Hanover County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 490 people, down from about 590 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 672 beds, and it ran at 74 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
New Hanover County has about 243,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 20 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the New Hanover County Jail
The New Hanover County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach and Kure Beach make the arrests that end in a booking in New Hanover County.
The FBI's agency list also places two state agencies, one campus police department and one other agency in New Hanover County (the arrest records guide names each one).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Wilmington's 2,952 for 2025, the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office's 1,294 for 2025 and Kure Beach's 1,153 for 2025.
Together, the five agencies in New Hanover County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 6,206 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in New Hanover County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction lists its inmates at dac.nc.gov/dac-services/criminal-offender-searches.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in New Hanover County?
Ask the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at p2c.nhcgov.com/p2c/jailinmates.aspx.
How many people are in the New Hanover County jail?
About 490 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 672 beds.
Where do people sentenced to prison in New Hanover County go?
To a facility of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction; its inmate locator is at dac.nc.gov.
Is this the official New Hanover County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.