Martin County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,031. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Williamston.

History

Martin County was formed in 1774 from the southeastern part of Halifax County and the western part of Tyrrell County. It was named for

Josiah Martin Josiah Martin (23 April 1737 – 13 April 1786) was a British Army officer and colonial official who served as the ninth and last governor of North Carolina from 1771 to 1776, and in exile until 1783. Early life and career Martin was born i ...

, the

governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the United States, U.S. state of North Carolina. Seventy-five people have held the office since the first state governor, Richard Caswell, took office in 1777. The governor serves a ...

from 1771 to 1776. Whereas Dobbs County and Tryon County, North Carolina, named for his predecessors, were abolished after American independence, Martin County was neither abolished nor renamed. The Martin County Courthouse was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1979.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.06%) is water.

State and local protected areas/sites

* Fort Branch Civil War Site * Lower Roanoke River Wetlands Game Land (part)

Major water bodies

* Conoho Creek * Etheridge Creek * Gardiners Creek * Hardison Mill Creek * Long Creek *

Roanoke River The Roanoke River ( ) runs long through southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the ...

* Smithwick Creek * Tranters Creek * Welch Creek

Adjacent counties

Bertie County Bertie County ( )Talk Like a Tarheel
, from the North Carolina Col ...

– northeast * Washington County – east * Beaufort County – southeast * Pitt County – southwest * Edgecombe County – west * Halifax County – northwest

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Major infrastructure

* Martin County Airport

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 22,031 people, 9,378 households, and 6,195 families residing in the county.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 25,593 people, 10,020 households, and 7,194 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 10,930 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 52.54%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 45.37%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.29% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.90% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 2.06% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 10,020 households, out of which 31.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.30% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 17.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.02. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.50% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 86.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,793, and the median income for a family was $35,428. Males had a median income of $29,818 versus $19,167 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $15,102. About 16.30% of families and 20.20% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 27.50% of those under age 18 and 25.70% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government

Martin County is a member of the Mid-East Commission regional council of governments.

Politics

Martin County is a historically Democratic county; in 2004, it voted Republican for only the fourth time, the first three having been in the Republican landslides of 1872, 1972, and 1984.

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

won the county back for the Democratic Party in both 2008 and 2012, but in 2016, it narrowly backed

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. In 2020, it narrowly supported Trump again, voting for a losing Republican nominee for the first time ever. On the same day, Martin County voted to reelect Democratic

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Roy Cooper Roy Asberry Cooper III ( ; born June 13, 1957) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 75th List of governors of North Carolina, governor of North Carolina from 2017 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), De ...

in the North Carolina gubernatorial election.

Education

The primary and secondary public school functions are performed by Martin County Schools, a district covering the entire county. Martin Community College is located in Williamston.

Communities

Towns

* Bear Grass * Everetts *

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

* Hassell * Jamesville * Oak City * Parmele * Robersonville * Williamston (county seat and largest community)

Townships

* Bear Grass * Cross Roads * Goose Nest * Griffins * Hamilton * Jamesville * Poplar Point * Robersonville * Williams * Williamston

Notable people

* Annie Moore Cherry, professor, author, and playwright *

Wilber Hardee Wilber Hardee (August 15, 1918 – June 20, 2008) was an American businessman who founded the American fast-food restaurant chain Hardee's, located mostly in the Midwest and Southeast regions. Biography Hardee was born in Martin County, North C ...

, founder of

Hardee's Hardee's Restaurants LLC is an American Fast food restaurant, fast-food restaurant chain operated by CKE Restaurants, CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. ("CKE") with locations primarily in the Southern and Midwestern United States. The company has ...

* William Drew Robeson I, minister of Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church

References

External links

* *
NCGenWeb Martin County
genealogy resources for the county {{Authority control 1774 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1774