Catawba County, North Carolina

Catawba County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 141,685. Its county seat is Newton and its largest city is Hickory.

Catawba County is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county was formed in 1842 from Lincoln County. It was named for the Catawba tribe of Native Americans, who once inhabited the area.

Law and government

Catawba County is a member of the regional Western Piedmont Council of Governments.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 414 square miles (1,071 km²), of which, 400 square miles (1,036 km²) of it is land and 14 square miles (35 km²) of it (3.27%) is water.

Townships

The county is divided into eleven townships: Maiden, Bandy's, Caldwell, Catawba, Clines, Hickory, Jacobs Fork, Mountain View, Newton, Claremont, and Longview.

Adjacent counties

Alexander County, North Carolina - north
Iredell County, North Carolina - east
Lincoln County, North Carolina - south
Burke County, North Carolina - west
Caldwell County, North Carolina - northwest

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 141,685 people, 55,533 households, and 39,095 families residing in the county. The population density was 354 people per square mile (137/km²). There were 59,919 housing units at an average density of 150 per square mile (58/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.99% White, 8.37% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 2.93% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.26% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. 5.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 55,533 households out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.10% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.30% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 31.10% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,536, and the median income for a family was $47,474. Males had a median income of $30,822 versus $23,352 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,358. About 6.50% of families and 9.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.50% of those under age 18 and 9.70% of those age 65 or over.