Person County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 39,097 as of the 2020 census. The county seat is Roxboro.
Person County is included in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC Combined Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 2,368,947 in 2023.
History The colonial government established Person County as part of Edgecombe County in 1746. County designations kept changing, and it was part of Granville County from 1746 to 1752; included in Orange County until 1778; and part of Caswell County until 1791/1792. By dividing Caswell County into two squares–each side measuring approximately twenty in length, the state formed two counties of each. The county was named after Brigadier General Thomas Person, a Revolutionary War patriot, who made significant contributions to Person County and surrounding areas.
The area was first inhabited by Native Americans more than 10,000 years ago. An ancient lithic quarry, the Two Dogs Site, is located in present-day Person County, North Carolina.Seibel, Scott K. "The Two Dogs Site (31PR92): A Middle Archaic and Woodland Period Lithic Quarry In Person County, North Carolina." North Carolina Archaeology, Vol. 58. 2009.
The Indigenous tribes encountered here by early Spanish explorers were generally Siouan language-speaking, including the Saponi, Occaneechi, and other groups.
Settlement by immigrants of Scots-Irish, English, French Huguenot, German, and free Black ancestry began in the mid-18th and continued into the 19th centuries. The majority of settlers were yeoman farmers, and few owned any slaves.
Religious affiliation in the county reflects the early settlers and is predominantly Protestant. Due to Person County's nearness to Virginia, the Carolina coast, and the Appalachian foothills, a wide variety of Southern American English dialects can be heard here, including Virginia Piedmont, Coastal Southern, South Midland, and African-American English.
Revolutionary and Civil Wars The county was named for Brigadier General Thomas Person, a Revolutionary War patriot, who made significant contributions to Person County and surrounding areas. He was a trustee of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His generous donations were recognized by the construction and naming of Person Hall.
Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Moore, Deputy Quartermaster General of the Hillsborough district, was another Revolutionary War hero, commanding the Person County militia at the disastrous Battle of Camden. He was captured and held on the prison ship Torbay. In 1775-1776 he had purchased property in the south of Person County and named his plantation Mt. Tirzah. His home, constructed in 1778, has been renovated recently. Stephen Moore was buried in the family cemetery.
During the Civil War, Person County supplied between 800 and 1000 soldiers to the Confederate Army. A granite monument at the Courthouse honors E. Fletcher Satterfield, who carried the Confederate flag at Gettysburg.
Late 19th century J.A. Long, W.W. Kitchin, A.R. Foushee, J.S. Bradsher, J.C. Pass, W.F. Reade, and R.E. Long were key leaders who helped make a transition to a more diversified economic base after the Civil War. The arrival of the newly constructed Norfolk and Western Railroad was a major influence around 1890, as it enabled the addition of tobacco processing plants and warehouses to the rural economy. Although the processing plants disappeared many years ago, a few of the warehouses still stand.
J.A. Long established Peoples Bank in 1891 and the Roxboro Cotton Mill in 1899, later known as Tultex Yarns. His home at Roxboro, the James A. and Laura Thompson Long House, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Long died in 1915 but was succeeded by his son, J.A. Long, Jr., who began attracting new business to Roxboro. Baker Company opened here in 1923, making textile manufacturing a major contributor to the local economy for decades. Baker was merged with Collins and Aikman Corporation (C&A), becoming a major industry in Person County for several decades before closing in August 2006. Textile manufacturers have moved to other locations in the US and overseas.
20th and 21st centuries Residential and commercial development have grown steadily over the past few years in part due to the county's location near Treyburn Corporate Park in northern Durham County, home to numerous companies and the Research Triangle region. The Hyco Lake area and southern portion of the county have had an influx of new home and commercial development in the late 20th and early 21st century.
GKN Driveline closed its Timberlake, NC plant in 2024 eliminating 500 jobs locally to consolidate North American machining and assembly operations into its Alamance County facility. The business opened in January 1994.
The Holloway-Walker Dollarhite House, Henry-Vernon House, Burleigh, and Waverly Plantation are listed on the National Register of Historic Places outside Roxboro.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.98%) is water.
Person County contains parts of three major river basins: the Neuse, the Roanoke and the Tar, providing essential clean drinking water to the south and east of the state. The origin of the Tar River is in southeast Person County. In the northwest section of the county is Hyco Lake, with Mayo Reservoir in the northeast section. Both lakes are used for electrical power generation and recreation. Near the western border with Caswell County is Lake Roxboro. Part of the Neuse River begins here with the Flat River, where it combines with the Little and Eno rivers to go into Falls Lake and create the Neuse.
The Uwharrie Mountains, part of North Carolina's easternmost mountain range, are the oldest mountain range in North America. They are the lowest mountain range in the state. The Uwharries begin in Montgomery County and terminate at Hager's Mountain in the hills of northern Person County.
The county is largely covered by rolling hills divided by farmlands and forest. The area's ridges are not narrow and sharp like those in some parts of the Piedmont, and the gullies and ditches are not as abrupt. The northern part of the county between the lakes is skirted by a plateau. The highest point of the county is a prominent hill in Roxboro, where the county seat has located its water reservoir tank. Person County claims three small mountains. Hager's Mountain is north of Roxboro. Red Mountain and Mt. Tirzah are in the southeastern part of the county. The geology of the county is dominated by igneous formation, overlaid by a variety of soils. Granite boulders are strewn across the county.
State and local protected areas Hagers Mountain Hyco Game Land Mayo Lake Park Mayo Game Land
Major water bodies
After Bay Reservoir Byrds Creek Castle Creek Flat River Ghent Creek Hyco Lake Mayo Lake Mill Creek Richland Creek Roxboro Lake South Hyco Creek Storys Creek Tar River
Adjacent counties Halifax County, Virginia - north Granville County – east Durham County – south Orange County – south Caswell County – west
Major highways
Interstate 85 is the closest interstate highway to the county, located 29 miles south in Durham.
Major infrastructure Norfolk Southern, freight rail service Raleigh Regional Airport at Person County, located south of Roxboro on U.S. Route 501
Raleigh-Durham International Airport, located south of Roxboro. Piedmont Triad International Airport, located southwest of Roxboro.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Person County, North Carolina – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)19,65820,65524,27726,35425,13267.41%68.44%68.15%66.78%64.28%Black or African American alone (NH)9,0539,08010,01810,5999,87931.04%30.09%28.12%26.86%25.27%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1691792152442400.58%0.59%0.60%0.62%0.61%Asian alone (NH)3214531151240.11%0.05%0.15%0.29%0.32%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census448xx0.01%0.01%0.02%Other race alone (NH)16345511210.05%0.01%0.13%0.13%0.31%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2655041,398xx0.74%1.28%3.58%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2362497461,5932,1950.81%0.83%2.09%4.04%5.61%Total29,16430,18035,62339,46439,097 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, there were 39,097 people, 15,896 households, and 10,695 families residing in the county. The median age was 45.2 years, with 20.8% of residents under the age of 18 and 20.7% of residents 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.6 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 65.4% White, 25.4% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.2% from some other race, and 5.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.6% of the population.
24.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 75.7% lived in rural areas.
There were 16,176 households in the county, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.5% were married-couple households, 18.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 18,284 housing units, of which 11.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.7% were owner-occupied and 27.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.4%.
2010 census At the 2010 census, there were 39,464 people, 15,826 households, and 10,979 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 15,504 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 68.1% White, 28.3% Black, 0.61% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.37% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.09% of the population.
There were 14,085 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,559 and the median income for a family was $54,474. Males had a median income of $30,970 versus $22,804 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,189. About 9.4% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 17.3% of those age 65 or over. Law, government, and politics