Lillington is a town in and the county seat of Harnett County, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 3,194 at the 2010 census, and was 4,735 in the 2020 census. Lillington is a part of the Dunn micropolitan area, which is also a part of the greater Raleigh–Durham–Cary combined statistical area as defined by the United States Census Bureau.
Geography
Lillington is located near the geographic center of Harnett County. U.S. Route 401 (Main Street) passes through the center of town, leading north to Raleigh, the state capital, and south to Fayetteville. U.S. Route 421 follows US-401 along North Main Street through the town, but turns west out of town via West Front Street, leading to Sanford. US-421 turns east from US-401 near the northern end of town and leads southeast to Dunn.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Lillington has a total area of , of which , or 0.68%, is covered by water. The town of Lillington is named for John Alexander Lillington (circa 1725–1786), aka Alexander John Lillington, who was a Patriot officer from North Carolina in the American Revolutionary War, notably fighting in the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in 1776 and serving as brigadier general in the state militia.
The Summer Villa and the McKay-Salmon House and Summerville Presbyterian Church and Cemetery are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Demographics
2020 census
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Lillington racial composition
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)
| 2,314
| 48.87%
|-
!scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
| 1,534
| 32.4%
|-
!scope="row"| Native American
| 39
| 0.82%
|-
!scope="row"| Asian
| 38
| 0.8%
|-
!scope="row"| Pacific Islander
| 8
| 0.17%
|-
!scope="row"| Other/mixed
| 225
| 4.75%
|-
!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino
| 577
| 12.19%
|}
As of the 2020 census, Lillington had a population of 4,735. The median age was 37.7 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 128.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 136.9 males age 18 and over.
57.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 42.3% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,353 households in Lillington, of which 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of family households, 37.0% were married-couple households, 17.2% had a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 38.7% had a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.