Tyrrell County, North Carolina | |
|---|---|
 Tyrrell County Courthouse and Confederate Monument in Columbia | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofNorth Carolina | |
| Coordinates:35°52′N76°10′W / 35.87°N 76.17°W /35.87; -76.17 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  North Carolina |
| Founded | 1729 |
| Named after | Sir John Tyrrell[1] |
| Seat | Columbia |
| Largest community | Columbia |
| Area | |
• Total | 597.18 sq mi (1,546.7 km2) |
| • Land | 390.78 sq mi (1,012.1 km2) |
| • Water | 206.40 sq mi (534.6 km2) 34.56% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 3,245 |
• Estimate (2024) | 3,517 |
| • Density | 8.3/sq mi (3.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | tyrrellcounty.org |
Tyrrell County (/ˈtɛərɪl/TAIR-il)[2][3] is acounty located in the U.S. state ofNorth Carolina. As of the2020 census, the population was 3,245,[4] making it theleast populous county in North Carolina. Itscounty seat isColumbia.[5]
The county was formed in 1729 as Tyrrell Precinct ofAlbemarle County, from parts ofBertie Precinct,Chowan Precinct,Currituck Precinct, andPasquotank Precinct. It was named forSir John Tyrrell, one of theLords Proprietors of Carolina.
With the abolition of Albemarle County in 1739, all of its constituent precincts became counties. In 1774, the western part of Tyrrell County was combined with part ofHalifax County to formMartin County. In 1799, the western third of what remained of Tyrrell County becameWashington County. In 1870, the half of Tyrrell County east of theAlligator River was combined with parts of Currituck County andHyde County to formDare County.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 597.18 square miles (1,546.7 km2), of which 390.78 square miles (1,012.1 km2) is land and 206.40 square miles (534.6 km2) (34.56%) is water.[6] Tyrrell County, due to its proximity to theOuter Banks, has been designated as part of theInner Banks.[7]
Wildlife in the county includes bears,red wolves, andpitcher plants.[8]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 4,826 | — | |
| 1800 | 3,395 | −29.7% | |
| 1810 | 3,364 | −0.9% | |
| 1820 | 4,319 | 28.4% | |
| 1830 | 4,732 | 9.6% | |
| 1840 | 4,657 | −1.6% | |
| 1850 | 5,133 | 10.2% | |
| 1860 | 4,944 | −3.7% | |
| 1870 | 4,173 | −15.6% | |
| 1880 | 4,545 | 8.9% | |
| 1890 | 4,225 | −7.0% | |
| 1900 | 4,980 | 17.9% | |
| 1910 | 5,219 | 4.8% | |
| 1920 | 4,849 | −7.1% | |
| 1930 | 5,164 | 6.5% | |
| 1940 | 5,556 | 7.6% | |
| 1950 | 5,048 | −9.1% | |
| 1960 | 4,520 | −10.5% | |
| 1970 | 3,806 | −15.8% | |
| 1980 | 3,975 | 4.4% | |
| 1990 | 3,856 | −3.0% | |
| 2000 | 4,149 | 7.6% | |
| 2010 | 4,407 | 6.2% | |
| 2020 | 3,245 | −26.4% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 3,517 | [12] | 8.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[13] 1790–1960[14] 1900–1990[15] 1990–2000[16] 2010[17] 2020[4] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[18] | Pop 2010[19] | Pop 2020[20] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 2,303 | 2,350 | 1,879 | 55.51% | 53.32% | 57.90% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1,633 | 1,677 | 934 | 39.36% | 38.05% | 28.78% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 8 | 7 | 5 | 0.19% | 0.16% | 0.15% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 31 | 80 | 43 | 0.75% | 1.82% | 1.33% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.40% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 24 | 51 | 99 | 0.58% | 1.16% | 3.05% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 150 | 240 | 272 | 3.62% | 5.45% | 8.38% |
| Total | 4,149 | 4,407 | 3,245 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2020 census, Tyrrell County had 3,245 residents, making it North Carolina's least-populous county.[21][22]
The median age was 47.2 years, 20.7% of residents were younger than 18, and 22.0% were 65 or older; for every 100 females there were 94.0 males and 90.8 males age 18 and over.[21]
The racial makeup of the county was 58.6%White, 28.9%Black or African American, 0.2%American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 4.7% from some other race, and 6.2% fromtwo or more races;Hispanic or Latino residents of any race made up 8.4% of the population.[23]
Less than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[24]
There were 1,444 households, of which 26.7% had children under 18; 40.5% were married-couple households, 22.2% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 31.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 34.2% of all households consisted of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.[21]
There were 1,999 housing units, with 27.8% vacant. Among occupied units, 71.2% were owner-occupied and 28.8% were renter-occupied; the homeowner vacancy rate stood at 2.9% and the rental vacancy rate at 8.9%.[21]
Tyrrell County's population peaked in 1940 with 5,556 residents. The population subsequently declined to about 4,000 residents, where it remained for several decades before shrinking further due to outmigration fueled by diminished job opportunities.[8] Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Tyrrell's population dropped by 26 percent, the largest population drop by percentage in the state.[22]
Tyrrell County is governed by a five-member Board of County Commissioners. The elections for County Commissioners are partisan and at large.[25] To save money, some of Tyrrell's government services are consolidated with other neighboring rural counties such as Hyde and Washington.[8]
Tyrrell County is a member of theAlbemarle Commission, a regional economic development organization which serves several counties in eastern North Carolina.[26]
In 2022, Tyrrell County is represented byEd Goodwin in the1st district in theNorth Carolina House of Representatives andBobby Hanig in the1st district in theNorth Carolina Senate.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 224 | 35.84% | 297 | 47.52% | 104 | 16.64% |
| 1916 | 392 | 48.51% | 416 | 51.49% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1920 | 532 | 42.56% | 718 | 57.44% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 442 | 40.89% | 638 | 59.02% | 1 | 0.09% |
| 1928 | 505 | 51.53% | 475 | 48.47% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 258 | 22.69% | 873 | 76.78% | 6 | 0.53% |
| 1936 | 304 | 22.47% | 1,049 | 77.53% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 415 | 26.69% | 1,140 | 73.31% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 281 | 31.50% | 611 | 68.50% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 336 | 30.19% | 732 | 65.77% | 45 | 4.04% |
| 1952 | 385 | 29.59% | 916 | 70.41% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 420 | 40.58% | 615 | 59.42% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 349 | 27.37% | 926 | 72.63% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 374 | 27.30% | 996 | 72.70% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 291 | 22.61% | 581 | 45.14% | 415 | 32.25% |
| 1972 | 676 | 59.30% | 459 | 40.26% | 5 | 0.44% |
| 1976 | 403 | 30.88% | 900 | 68.97% | 2 | 0.15% |
| 1980 | 466 | 34.01% | 887 | 64.74% | 17 | 1.24% |
| 1984 | 774 | 48.89% | 807 | 50.98% | 2 | 0.13% |
| 1988 | 637 | 44.70% | 785 | 55.09% | 3 | 0.21% |
| 1992 | 553 | 33.03% | 928 | 55.44% | 193 | 11.53% |
| 1996 | 488 | 32.25% | 908 | 60.01% | 117 | 7.73% |
| 2000 | 706 | 45.08% | 849 | 54.21% | 11 | 0.70% |
| 2004 | 855 | 53.77% | 731 | 45.97% | 4 | 0.25% |
| 2008 | 960 | 50.26% | 933 | 48.85% | 17 | 0.89% |
| 2012 | 930 | 52.16% | 837 | 46.94% | 16 | 0.90% |
| 2016 | 975 | 56.07% | 720 | 41.40% | 44 | 2.53% |
| 2020 | 1,044 | 57.46% | 758 | 41.72% | 15 | 0.83% |
| 2024 | 1,057 | 60.16% | 680 | 38.70% | 20 | 1.14% |
In the 2020 elections in Tyrrell County, Republicans took more votes than Democrats in federal and statewide contests.[28]
Tyrrell County's economy is heavily reliant on agriculture—with its largest crop being potatoes[8] — as well as forestry and fishing.[29] The county also hosts a small tourism industry centered around hunting, fishing, and bird watching.[8][29] It suffers from high poverty andfood insecurity rates.[29]
Geographic data related toTyrrell County, North Carolina atOpenStreetMapPlaces adjacent to Tyrrell County, North Carolina | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofTyrrell County, North Carolina,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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