Duplin County, North Carolina

Duplin County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,715. Its county seat is Kenansville.

History
The county was formed in 1750 from New Hanover County. It was named for Thomas Hay, Viscount Dupplin (later 9th Earl of Kinnoull), as he was known when he served on the Board of Trade and Plantations in England in the 1740s.

In 1784, the western part of Duplin County became Sampson County.

John Miller, a merchant in Duplin, was appointed as postmaster. In the 19th century, he migrated to Leon County in the panhandle of Florida, with other North Carolinians during the period of Indian Removal in the 1830s–1840s. There, he developed a successful cotton plantation. He called it Miccosukee Plantation, after one of the Seminole bands. (They are now a federally recognized tribe.)

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 820.22 sqmi, of which 814.72 sqmi is land and 5.50 sqmi (0.67%) is water.

State and local protected area

 * Angola Bay Game Land (part)
 * Cabin Lake County Park

Major water bodies

 * Doctors Creek
 * Goshen Swamp
 * Groove Creek
 * Island Creek
 * Limestone Creek
 * Little Limestone Creek
 * Maxwell Creek
 * Millers Creek
 * Northeast Cape Fear River
 * Stewards Creek

Adjacent counties

 * Wayne County – north
 * Lenoir County – northeast
 * Jones County – east
 * Onslow County – east
 * Pender County – south
 * Sampson County – west

Major infrastructure

 * Duplin County Airport
 * Eagles Nest Airport
 * Henderson Field Airport

2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 48,715 people, 21,466 households, and 14,504 families residing in the county.

2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 49,063 people, 18,267 households, and 13,060 families residing in the county. The population density was 60 /mi2. There were 20,520 housing units at an average density of 25 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 58.67% White, 28.94% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 10.87% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 15.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 18,267 households, out of which 33.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.20% were married couples living together, 14.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.10% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 22.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,890, and the median income for a family was $34,760. Males had a median income of $26,212 versus $20,063 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,499. About 15.30% of families and 19.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.50% of those under age 18 and 22.70% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics
Duplin County is a member of the regional Eastern Carolina Council of Governments.

Duplin County is represented by Senator William Brent Jackson, a Republican member of the North Carolina Senate in the 10th district.

Duplin County is represented by Jimmy Dixon, a Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives in the 4th district.

Economy
Duplin County is important in raising animals for food. It has more hogs than any other county in the United States—2.2 million in 1998, which is greater than the hog population of most states. The county is also the home to a major chicken and turkey industry.

Duplin County is also home to Duplin Winery, the oldest winery in North Carolina and the largest winery in the Southeast.

Education
Duplin County is home to James Sprunt Community College.

Towns

 * Beulaville
 * Calypso
 * Faison (part)
 * Greenevers
 * Harrells (part)
 * Kenansville (county seat)
 * Magnolia
 * Mount Olive (part)
 * Rose Hill
 * Teachey
 * Wallace (largest community; parts within Pender County)
 * Warsaw

Townships

 * Albertson
 * Cypress Creek
 * Faison
 * Glisson
 * Island Creek
 * Kenansville
 * Limestone
 * Magnolia
 * Rockfish
 * Rose Hill
 * Smith
 * Warsaw
 * Wolfscrape

Census-designated places

 * Bowdens
 * Chinquapin
 * Potters Hill

Unincorporated communities

 * Fountaintown
 * Hallsville
 * Kornegay
 * Murphey
 * Sarecta

Notable people

 * Caleb Bradham (1867–1934), American pharmacist, best known as the inventor of the soft drink Pepsi. Bradham was born in Chinquapin.
 * Benjamin F. Grady (1831–1914), U.S. congressman, author, teacher, farmer. Born near Sarecta on October 10, 1831. Taught mathematics and natural sciences at Austin College in Texas when the Civil War began. Superintendent of public instruction for Duplin County from 1881 to 1890. In 1891, he was elected for two terms as U.S. representative for North Carolina's 3rd congressional district.
 * James Kenan (1740–1810), Colonial and state official, Revolutionary officer, founder of Kenansville, and sheriff of Duplin County. Kenan was born in Turkey, North Carolina, at his father's plantation, The Lilacs.
 * Peter Weddick Moore (1859–1934), North Carolina educator and the first president of Elizabeth City State University. Moore was born near Faison, to Weddick and Alecy Thompson Moore, who were both enslaved African Americans.
 * Charles S. Murphy (1909–1983), American attorney who served as the White House Counsel to U.S. President Harry S. Truman from 1950 to 1953, and during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations as Under Secretary of Agriculture, from 1960 to 1965; and chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board from 1965 to 1968. Murphy was born on a farm in Wallace.
 * Parker David Robbins (1834–1917), American soldier, legislator, inventor, and postmaster. Robbins was of African and Native American descent and considered a "free black." In 1877, he moved to Duplin County and established a cotton gin, sawmill, and built a steamboat. Robbins was born in Bertie County.
 * Ruth Faison Shaw (1889–1969), American artist and educator who is credited with introducing finger painting into the United States education system. Shaw was born in Kenansville.