Northampton County, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Northampton County
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Northampton County Courthouse in Jackson
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Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
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North Carolina's location within the U.S. |
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Country | United States | |
State | North Carolina | |
Founded | 1741 | |
Named for | James Compton, 5th Earl of Northampton | |
Seat | Jackson | |
Largest town | Gaston | |
Area | ||
• Total | 551 sq mi (1,430 km2) | |
• Land | 537 sq mi (1,390 km2) | |
• Water | 14 sq mi (40 km2) 2.5%% | |
Population | ||
• Estimate
(2021)
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17,129 | |
• Density | 31.9/sq mi (12.3/km2) | |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | |
Congressional district | 1st |
Northampton County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,471. Its county seat is Jackson.
Northampton County is part of the Roanoke Rapids, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Rocky Mount-Wilson-Roanoke Rapids, NC Combined Statistical Area.
Contents
History
The county was formed in 1741 from Bertie County. It was named for James Compton, 5th Earl of Northampton. In 1759 parts of Northampton County, Bertie County, and Chowan County were combined to form Hertford County.
In 1959, the county went to the U.S. Supreme Court to defend the use of a literacy test as a requirement to vote. In Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections, the court held that, provided the tests were applied equally to all races and were not "merely a device to make racial discrimination easy," they were allowable. Congress subsequently prohibited use of such tests under the National Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 551 square miles (1,430 km2), of which 537 square miles (1,390 km2) is land and 14 square miles (36 km2) (2.5%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Greensville County, Virginia - north
- Southampton County, Virginia - northeast
- Hertford County - east
- Bertie County - southeast
- Halifax County - southwest
- Warren County - northwest
- Brunswick County, Virginia - north-northwest
Major highways
- I-95
- US 158
- US 258
- US 301
- NC 35
- NC 46
- NC 48
- NC 186
- NC 305
- NC 308
- NC 561
Demographics
Historical population | |||
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Census | Pop. | %± | |
1790 | 9,992 | — | |
1800 | 12,353 | 23.6% | |
1810 | 13,082 | 5.9% | |
1820 | 13,242 | 1.2% | |
1830 | 13,391 | 1.1% | |
1840 | 13,369 | −0.2% | |
1850 | 13,335 | −0.3% | |
1860 | 13,372 | 0.3% | |
1870 | 14,749 | 10.3% | |
1880 | 20,032 | 35.8% | |
1890 | 21,242 | 6.0% | |
1900 | 21,150 | −0.4% | |
1910 | 22,323 | 5.5% | |
1920 | 23,184 | 3.9% | |
1930 | 27,161 | 17.2% | |
1940 | 28,299 | 4.2% | |
1950 | 28,432 | 0.5% | |
1960 | 26,811 | −5.7% | |
1970 | 24,009 | −10.5% | |
1980 | 22,584 | −5.9% | |
1990 | 20,798 | −7.9% | |
2000 | 22,086 | 6.2% | |
2010 | 22,099 | 0.1% | |
2020 | 17,471 | −20.9% | |
2021 (est.) | 17,129 | −22.5% | |
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 |
2020 census
Race | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic) | 6,835 | 39.12% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 9,649 | 55.23% |
Native American | 43 | 0.25% |
Asian | 27 | 0.15% |
Pacific Islander | 4 | 0.02% |
Other/Mixed | 560 | 3.21% |
Hispanic or Latino | 353 | 2.02% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 17,471 people, 8,547 households, and 5,610 families residing in the county.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 22,099 people living in the county; 58.4% were Black or African American, 39.2% White, 0.5% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.8% of some other race and 1.0% of two or more races. 1.4% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).
Communities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
Townships
- Gaston
- Jackson
- Kirby
- Occoneechee
- Pleasant Hill
- Rich Square
- Roanoke
- Seaboard
- Wiccanee
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Northampton (Carolina del Norte) para niños