Bethel is a town in Pitt County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,373 at the 2020 census. The town is a part of the Greenville Metropolitan Area located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. Confusingly, there are three other towns in the state named "Bethel." One is between Edenton and Hertford in the "Finger Counties" region in the northeastern corner of the state, another is in the north-central part, in Caswell County and the third is located in the Mountain Region of North Carolina, in Haywood County.
There is also a community named Bethel located in Watauga County.
History
The area was settled before the American Civil War. The town of Bethel was incorporated in 1873, taking its name from Bethel Methodist Church.
Geography
US 64, US 13, and NC 11 serves as the main routes through town. US 64 connects the town to Raleigh and the Inner Banks region. US 13 connects the town to Greenville, Fayetteville, and the cities in eastern Virginia. NC 11 connects the town to Greenville and Kinston.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
2020 census
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Bethel racial composition
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)
| 496
| 36.13%
|-
!scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
| 752
| 54.77%
|-
!scope="row"| Native American
| 10
| 0.73%
|-
!scope="row"| Asian
| 1
| 0.07%
|-
!scope="row"| Pacific Islander
| 2
| 0.15%
|-
!scope="row"| Other/Mixed
| 38
| 2.77%
|-
!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino
| 74
| 5.39%
|}
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,373 people, 754 households, and 433 families residing in the town.
2000 census
thumb|West Railroad Street
As of the census