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2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Cities and towns 5 External links |
History
The county was formed in 1734 as Onslow Precinct of Bath County, from northeastern New Hanover Precinct. It was named for Arthur Onslow, Speaker of the British House of Commons from 1728 to 1761. With the abolition of Bath County in 1739, all of its constituent precincts became counties.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,353 km² (909 mi²). 1,986 km² (767 mi²) of it is land and 367 km² (142 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 15.60% water.
Townships
The county is divided into five townships: Jacksonville, Richlands, Stump Sound, Swansboro, and White Oak.
Adjacent Counties
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 150,355 people, 48,122 households, and 36,572 families residing in the county. The population density is 76/km² (196/mi²). There are 55,726 housing units at an average density of 28/km² (73/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 72.06% White, 18.48% Black or African American, 0.74% Native American, 1.68% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 3.62% from other races, and 3.22% from two or more races. 7.25% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 48,122 households out of which 42.60% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.00% are married couples living together, 11.60% have a female householder with no husband present, and 24.00% are non-families. 18.60% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.20% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.72 and the average family size is 3.09.
In the county the population is spread out with 26.20% under the age of 18, 23.80% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 14.40% from 45 to 64, and 6.30% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 25 years. For every 100 females there are 123.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 131.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $33,756, and the median income for a family is $36,692. Males have a median income of $22,061 versus $20,094 for females. The per capita income for the county is $14,853. 12.90% of the population and 10.80% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 16.70% are under the age of 18 and 14.70% are 65 or older.
Cities and towns
External links
See also: List of North Carolina counties