Wilson County, North Carolina

Wilson County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 78,784. The county comprises the Wilson, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included within the Rocky Mount-Wilson-Roanoke Rapids, NC Combined Statistical Area.

History

On February 13, 1855, the North Carolina General Assembly established Wilson County from parts of Edgecombe, Johnston, Nash, and Wayne counties. The county was named for Colonel Louis D. Wilson, a U.S. Volunteers soldier, who died of yellow fever while on leave from the state senate during the Mexican–American War.

Wilson Speedway held 12 NASCAR Cup Series races at the county fairgrounds in Wilson between 1951 and 1960. The half mile dirt track operated between 1934 and 1989.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.48%) is water.

State and local protected site

Tobacco Farm Life Museum

Major water bodies

Black Creek
Buckhorn Reservoir
Contentnea Creek
Lake Wilson
Silver Lake
Wiggins Mill Reservoir

Adjacent counties

Nash County – north
Edgecombe County – northeast
Pitt County – east
Greene County – southeast
Wayne County – south
Johnston County – southwest

Major highways

(small section undesignated)

Major infrastructure

Amtrak Thruway (Wilson Station)
Wilson Industrial Air Center
Wilson Station

Demographics

thumb|2020 population density of Wilson County NC by census block

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Wilson County, North Carolina – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 1980

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|39,775

|40,461

|39,498

|40,157

|style='background: #ffffe6; |36,106

|63.00%

|61.25%

|53.51%

|49.43%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |45.83%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|22,611

|24,817

|28,886

|31,462

|style='background: #ffffe6; |29,842

|35.82%

|37.57%

|39.13%

|38.73%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |37.88%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|37

|63

|144

|190

|style='background: #ffffe6; |239

|0.06%

|0.10%

|0.20%

|0.23%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.30%

|Asian alone (NH)

|98

|163

|286

|664

|style='background: #ffffe6; |900

|0.16%

|0.25%

|0.39%

|0.82%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.14%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|14

|22

|style='background: #ffffe6; |10

|0.02%

|0.03%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01%

|Other race alone (NH)

|27

|20

|50

|108

|style='background: #ffffe6; |257

|0.04%

|0.03%

|0.07%

|0.13%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.33%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|479

|907

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,406

|0.65%

|1.12%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.05%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|584

|537

|4,457

|7,724

|style='background: #ffffe6; |9,024

|0.93%

|0.81%

|6.04%

|9.51%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |11.45%

|Total

|63,132

|66,061

|73,814

|81,234

|style='background: #ffffe6; |78,784

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 78,784 people, 32,222 households, and 19,760 families residing in the county. The population density was .

62.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 37.9% lived in rural areas.

There were 32,222 households in the county, of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.0% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Communities

thumb|300px|Map of Wilson County with municipal and township labels

City

Wilson (county seat and largest community)

Towns

Black Creek
Elm City
Kenly (part)
Lucama
Saratoga
Sims
Stantonsburg
Sharpsburg (part)

Townships

Black Creek
Cross Roads
Gardners
Old Fields
Saratoga
Springhill
Stantonsburg
Taylors
Toisnot
Wilson