Northampton County, North Carolina

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Northampton County (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,471.<ref name="2020CensusQuickFacts"/> Its county seat is Jackson.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.

History

The area was first organized under English colonial authority as the Albemarle Precinct. In 1729 part of Albemarle was split off to form Bertie Precinct. In 1739 all former precincts became counties. Northampton County was formed from part of Bertie County in 1741.Template:Sfn

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.<ref>Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections, 360 U.S. 45 (1959). Findlaw.com; retrieved December 7, 2010.</ref> Congress subsequently prohibited use of such tests under the National Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Geography

Template:Maplink According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (2.52%) is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

State and local protected areas

Lake Gaston Public Recreation Area (part)
Roanoke Rapids Lake Day Use Area (part)
Upper Roanoke River Wetlands Game Land (part)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Major water bodies

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

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Demographics

Template:US Census population

2020 census

Northampton County racial composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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 census, there were 17,471 people, 8,547 households, and 5,610 families residing in the county.

2010 census

At the 2010 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).

2000 census

At the 2000 census,<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> there were 22,086 people, 8,691 households, and 5,953 families living in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 10,455 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 59.43% Black or African American, 39.09% White, 0.32% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino 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% were married 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. The per capita income for the county was $15,413. About 17.00% of families and 21.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.80% of those under age 18 and 21.50% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Northampton County is a member of the regional Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments. Northampton is a traditionally Democratic county, being one of only two counties in the state won by George McGovern during his 1972 landslide loss.<ref>David Leip’s Presidential Atlas (Maps for North Carolina by election)</ref> Apart from two counties in South Texas;Template:Ref label Northampton County is the only county in the United States to vote Democratic in every presidential election over the past century;<ref>Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine, June 29, 2016</ref> the last Democratic candidate to lose the county was William Jennings Bryan in 1896.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Apart from Hubert 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 the longest ongoing Democratic voting streak in the United States after Starr County, Texas flipped Republican in 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Northampton County is part of North Carolina's 1st congressional district, which has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+1 and has been represented by a Democratic Congressman since 1899. It is currently represented by Don Davis. In the North Carolina House of Representatives, Northampton County lies within the 27th district, which also covers Halifax County and is represented by Democrat Michael H. Wray. In the North Carolina Senate, Northampton County lies within the 3rd district, represented by Republican Bobby Hanig.

Education

The North 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The department's appraisal of the schools was as follows: