On September 3, 1991, a grease fire broke out at the Imperial Foods chicken processing plant in the city, killing 25 people.
Geography
Hamlet is located at 34°53'17" North, 79°42'22" West (34.887936, -79.706201)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.3 km² (5.1 mi²). 13.1 km² (5.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.75% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 6,018 people, 2,453 households, and 1,682 families residing in the city. The population density is 460.1/km² (1,192.4/mi²). There are 2,738 housing units at an average density of 209.3/km² (542.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 61.85% White, 34.51% African American, 1.61% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. 1.26% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,453 households out of which 30.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% are married couples living together, 20.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% are non-families. 28.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.44 and the average family size is 2.98.
In the city the population is spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 80.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $29,013, and the median income for a family is $36,234. Males have a median income of $28,958 versus $23,397 for females. The per capita income for the city is $14,764. 22.2% of the population and 18.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 33.9% are under the age of 18 and 18.2% are 65 or older.