Wayne County, North Carolina

Wayne County
County
Official seal of Wayne County Seal
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°22′N 78°00′W
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Founded	1779
Seat	Goldsboro
Population  (2000)
• Total	113,329
Website	www.waynegov.com

Wayne County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 113,329. It is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county seat is Goldsboro⁶.

History

County was formed in 1779 from the western part of Dobbs County. It was named for "Mad Anthony" Wayne, a general in the American Revolutionary War.

In 1855 parts of Wayne County, Edgecombe County, Johnston County, and Nash County were combined to form Wilson County.

Law and government

Wayne County is a member of the regional Eastern Carolina Council of Governments.

Resegregation Controversy

As of May 2007, Wayne County is currently under investigation for the alleged purposeful and deliberate resegregation of their high schools.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,442 km² (557 mi²). 1,431 km² (553 mi²) of it is land and 11 km² (4 mi²) of it (0.74%) is water.

Townships

County is divided into twelve townships: Brogden, Buck Swamp, Fork, Goldsboro, Grantham, Hood Swamp, Indian Springs, Nahunta, New Hope, Pikeville, Saulston, and Stoney Creek.

Adjacent Counties

• Wilson County, North Carolina - north
• Greene County, North Carolina - east-northeast
• Lenoir County, North Carolina - east-southeast
• Duplin County, North Carolina - south
• Sampson County, North Carolina - southwest
• Johnston County, North Carolina - west

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 113,329 people, 42,612 households, and 30,254 families residing in the county. The population density was 79/km² (205/mi²). There were 47,313 housing units at an average density of 33/km² (86/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 61.28% White, 33.02% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.07% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. 4.94% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 42,612 households out of which 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.60% were married couples living together, 15.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.20% under the age of 18, 9.90% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,942, and the median income for a family was $40,492. Males had a median income of $28,396 versus $21,854 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,010. About 10.20% of families and 13.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.60% of those under age 18 and 15.20% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Brogden
• Dudley
• Elroy
• Eureka
• Fremont
• Goldsboro
• Mar-Mac
• Mount Olive
• Pikeville
• Seven Springs
• Walnut Creek

Newspapers serving Wayne County

• Mount Olive Tribune
• The News Argus
• Wayne-Wilson News Leader

External links

• Wayne County government official website
• Goldsboro, NC - County Seat and Largest City in Wayne County, NC
• Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base

See also: List of North Carolina counties or List of North Carolina county seats