Northampton County, North Carolina | |
|---|---|
 Northampton County Courthouse in Jackson | |
 Flag  Seal  Logo | |
| Motto(s): "Living is Easy" "Rich Tradition" | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofNorth Carolina | |
| Coordinates:36°25′N77°24′W / 36.42°N 77.40°W /36.42; -77.40 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  North Carolina |
| Founded | 1741 |
| Named after | James Compton, 5th Earl of Northampton |
| Seat | Jackson |
| Largest community | Gaston |
| Area | |
• Total | 550.56 sq mi (1,425.9 km2) |
| • Land | 536.70 sq mi (1,390.0 km2) |
| • Water | 13.86 sq mi (35.9 km2) 2.52% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 17,471 |
• Estimate (2024) | 16,580 |
| • Density | 32.553/sq mi (12.569/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | www |
Northampton County (/nɔːrˈθæmptən/ ⓘnor-THAMP-tən) is acounty located in theU.S. state ofNorth Carolina. As of the2020 census, the population was 17,471.[1] Itscounty seat isJackson.[2] Northampton County is part of theRoanoke Rapids, NCMicropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in theRocky Mount-Wilson-Roanoke Rapids, NCCombined Statistical Area.
The area was first organized under English colonial authority as theAlbemarle Precinct. In 1729 part of Albemarle was split off to formBertie Precinct. In 1739 all former precincts became counties. Northampton County was formed from part of Bertie County in 1741.[3]
It was named forJames Compton, 5th Earl of Northampton. In 1759 parts of Northampton County, Bertie County, andChowan County were combined to formHertford County.
In 1959, the county went to the U.S. Supreme Court to defend the use of aliteracy test as a requirement to vote. InLassiter 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.[4] Congress subsequently prohibited use of such tests under theNational Voting Rights Act of 1965.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 550.56 square miles (1,425.9 km2), of which 536.70 square miles (1,390.0 km2) is land and 13.86 square miles (35.9 km2) (2.52%) is water.[5]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 16,580 | [7] | −5.1% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990–2000[11] 2010[12] 2020[1] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[13] | Pop 2010[14] | Pop 2020[15] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 8,603 | 8,596 | 6,835 | 38.95% | 38.90% | 39.12% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 13,096 | 12,847 | 9,649 | 59.30% | 58.13% | 55.23% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 65 | 90 | 43 | 0.29% | 0.41% | 0.25% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 20 | 38 | 27 | 0.09% | 0.17% | 0.15% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 12 | 1 | 4 | 0.05% | 0.00% | 0.02% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 6 | 30 | 76 | 0.03% | 0.14% | 0.44% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 123 | 192 | 484 | 0.56% | 0.87% | 2.77% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 161 | 305 | 353 | 0.73% | 1.38% | 2.02% |
| Total | 22,086 | 22,099 | 17,471 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 17,471. The median age was 52.1 years, with 17.7% of residents under the age of 18 and 27.6% of residents 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.3 males age 18 and over.[16]
The racial makeup of the county was 39.6%White, 55.5%Black or African American, 0.3%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 1.2% from some other race, and 3.3% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.0% of the population.[17]
11.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 88.4% lived in rural areas.[18]
There were 7,801 households in the county, of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 38.2% were married-couple households, 20.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older; 5,610 of the households were families.[16][1]
There were 10,570 housing units, of which 26.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.7% were owner-occupied and 28.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.0%.[16]
At the2010 census, there were 22,099 people living in the county; 58.4% wereBlack 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% wereHispanic or Latino (of any race).
At the2000 census,[19] there were 22,086 people, 8,691 households, and 5,953 families living in the county. Thepopulation density was 41 people per square mile (16 people/km2). There were 10,455 housing units at an average density of 20 units per square mile (7.7 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 59.43%Black orAfrican American, 39.09%White, 0.32%Native American, 0.09%Asian, 0.05%Pacific Islander, 0.39% fromother races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 8,691 households, out of which 27.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.50% weremarried couples living together, 18.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.50% were non-families. 28.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.30% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 17.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,652, and the median income for a family was $34,648. Males had a median income of $27,970 versus $21,183 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $15,413. About 17.00% of families and 21.30% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 29.80% of those under age 18 and 21.50% of those age 65 or over.
Northampton County is a member of the regionalUpper Coastal Plain Council of Governments. Northampton is a traditionally Democratic county, being one of only two counties in the state won byGeorge McGovern duringhis 1972 landslide loss.[20] Apart from two counties inSouth Texas,[a] Northampton County is the only county in the United States to vote Democratic in every presidential election over the past century;[21] the last Democratic candidate to lose the county wasWilliam Jennings Bryan in1896.[22] Apart fromHubert Humphrey and McGovern who received just over 51 percent, every Democratic nominee in the past century has received at least 55 percent of the county's vote. Northampton County has thelongest ongoing Democratic voting streak in the United States afterStarr County, Texas flipped Republican in2024.[23][24]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 57 | 3.29% | 1,625 | 93.66% | 53 | 3.05% |
| 1916 | 45 | 2.88% | 1,518 | 97.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1920 | 165 | 6.68% | 2,305 | 93.32% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 144 | 7.90% | 1,662 | 91.17% | 17 | 0.93% |
| 1928 | 456 | 20.93% | 1,723 | 79.07% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 147 | 4.33% | 3,243 | 95.47% | 7 | 0.21% |
| 1936 | 109 | 2.80% | 3,785 | 97.20% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 105 | 2.67% | 3,826 | 97.33% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 172 | 4.72% | 3,470 | 95.28% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 179 | 4.59% | 3,591 | 92.17% | 126 | 3.23% |
| 1952 | 583 | 11.86% | 4,334 | 88.14% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 747 | 14.97% | 4,242 | 85.03% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 678 | 12.48% | 4,756 | 87.52% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,187 | 19.04% | 5,046 | 80.96% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 860 | 10.86% | 4,072 | 51.43% | 2,986 | 37.71% |
| 1972 | 2,997 | 47.71% | 3,233 | 51.46% | 52 | 0.83% |
| 1976 | 1,238 | 19.41% | 5,118 | 80.23% | 23 | 0.36% |
| 1980 | 1,847 | 26.92% | 4,933 | 71.90% | 81 | 1.18% |
| 1984 | 3,198 | 38.39% | 5,094 | 61.15% | 38 | 0.46% |
| 1988 | 2,415 | 34.34% | 4,599 | 65.39% | 19 | 0.27% |
| 1992 | 1,845 | 23.16% | 5,195 | 65.21% | 927 | 11.64% |
| 1996 | 1,881 | 25.08% | 5,207 | 69.44% | 411 | 5.48% |
| 2000 | 2,667 | 32.52% | 5,513 | 67.23% | 20 | 0.24% |
| 2004 | 3,176 | 36.21% | 5,584 | 63.67% | 10 | 0.11% |
| 2008 | 3,671 | 34.57% | 6,903 | 65.01% | 44 | 0.41% |
| 2012 | 3,483 | 32.38% | 7,232 | 67.24% | 41 | 0.38% |
| 2016 | 3,582 | 36.37% | 6,144 | 62.39% | 122 | 1.24% |
| 2020 | 3,989 | 39.46% | 6,069 | 60.03% | 52 | 0.51% |
| 2024 | 3,905 | 42.38% | 5,239 | 56.85% | 71 | 0.77% |
Northampton County is part ofNorth Carolina's 1st congressional district, which has aCook Partisan Voting Index of R+1 and has been represented by a Democratic Congressman since 1899. It is currently represented byDon Davis. In theNorth Carolina House of Representatives, Northampton County lies within the27th district, which also coversHalifax County and is represented by DemocratMichael H. Wray. In theNorth Carolina Senate, Northampton County lies within the3rd district, represented by RepublicanBobby Hanig.
TheNorth Carolina Department of Public Instruction rated the county school system as "low-performing" for the 2021–2022 school year. A school system is considered low-performing if a majority of its schools are. A school is considered low-performing if it receives a D or F, unless it has exceeded expectations. Each of the schools had "met expectations" except where specified otherwise.[26]
The department's appraisal of the schools was as follows:
Geographic data related toNorthampton County, North Carolina atOpenStreetMapPlaces adjacent to Northampton County, North Carolina | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofNorthampton County, North Carolina,United States | ||
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