# Anson County, North Carolina

Anson County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,055. Its county seat is Wadesboro.

## History

The area eventually comprising Anson County was originally occupied by Native Americans of the Catawba and Waxhaw tribes.
The county was formed in 1750 from Bladen County. It was named for George Anson, Baron Anson, a British admiral who circumnavigated the world. Anson purchased land in the state. The county seat was designated at New Town in 1783. Four years later it was renamed Wadesboro.
Reductions to its extent began in 1753, when the northern part of it became Rowan County. In 1762 the western part of Anson County became Mecklenburg County. In 1779 the northern part of what remained of Anson County became Montgomery County, and the part east of the Pee Dee River became Richmond County. Finally, in 1842 the western part of Anson County was combined with the southeastern part of Mecklenburg County to become Union County.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 537.10 square miles (1,391.1 km$^2$), of which 531.46 square miles (1,376.5 km$^2$) is land and 5.64 square miles (14.6 km$^2$) (1.05%) is water. It is bordered by the North Carolina counties of Stanly, Montgomery, Richmond, and Union, and the South Carolina county of Chesterfield.

### National protected area

* Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge (part)

### State and local protected areas/sites

* Arrowhead Lake
* Gaddy Covered Bridge
* Pee Dee River Game Land (part)
* Wadesboro Downtown Historic District

### Major water bodies

* Blewett Falls Lake
* Brown Creek
* Goulds Fork
* Great Pee Dee River
* Lanes Creek
* Rocky River
* Thoroughfare Creek

### Major highways

* US 52
* US 74
* US 74 Byp. (future bypass of Wadesboro)
* NC 109
* NC 145
* NC 218
* NC 742

### Major infrastructure

* Anson County Airport

## Demographics
### 2020 census

Anson County racial composition :
| Race | Number | Percentage |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 10,593 | 48.03% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 9,838 | 44.61% |
| Native American | 89 | 0.4% |
| Asian | 221 | 1.0% |
| Pacific Islander | 4 | 0.02% |
| Other/Mixed | 645 | 2.92% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 665 | 3.02% |
As of the 2020 census, there were 22,055 people, 9,521 households, and 5,809 families residing in the county.
Anson is a majority minority county. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Anson's population declined by 18.2 percent.

### 2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 26,948 people. The racial makeup of the county was 48.58% African American, 47.15% White American, 1.07% Asian, 0.61% Native American, 1.25% multiracial and 1.32% of other race. People of Hispanic and Latino origin account for 3.02% of the population.

### 2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 25,275 people, 9,204 households, and 6,663 families residing in the county. The population density was 48 people per square mile (19 people/km$^2$). There were 10,221 housing units at an average density of 19 units per square mile (7.3 units/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the county was 51.64% Black or African American, 48.53% White, 0.45% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. 0.83% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 9,204 households, out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.80% were married couples living together, 19.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.20% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,849, and the median income for a family was $35,870. Males had a median income of $27,297 versus $20,537 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,853. About 15.50% of families and 17.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.90% of those under age 18 and 16.70% of those age 65 or over.

## Government and politics

Anson County is governed by a board of commissioners, which constitutes seven members elected by district. The board of commissioners appoint a county manager who oversees county administration and implements the policies of the board.
Anson County is a member of the regional Centralina Council of Governments.
United States presidential election results for Anson County, North Carolina :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 5,525 | 50.80% | 5,253 | 48.30% | 97 | 0.89% |
| 2020 | 5,321 | 47.53% | 5,789 | 51.72% | 84 | 0.75% |
| 2016 | 4,506 | 42.73% | 5,859 | 55.56% | 180 | 1.71% |
| 2012 | 4,166 | 37.01% | 7,019 | 62.36% | 71 | 0.63% |
| 2008 | 4,207 | 39.20% | 6,456 | 60.15% | 70 | 0.65% |
| 2004 | 3,796 | 41.15% | 5,413 | 58.68% | 16 | 0.17% |
| 2000 | 3,161 | 39.59% | 4,792 | 60.01% | 32 | 0.40% |
| 1996 | 2,193 | 28.81% | 4,890 | 64.23% | 530 | 6.96% |
| 1992 | 2,334 | 27.33% | 5,269 | 61.71% | 936 | 10.96% |
| 1988 | 2,782 | 36.45% | 4,831 | 63.29% | 20 | 0.26% |
| 1984 | 3,719 | 42.45% | 5,015 | 57.25% | 26 | 0.30% |
| 1980 | 1,968 | 27.77% | 4,973 | 70.17% | 146 | 2.06% |
| 1976 | 1,608 | 25.04% | 4,796 | 74.68% | 18 | 0.28% |
| 1972 | 3,551 | 60.88% | 2,188 | 37.51% | 94 | 1.61% |
| 1968 | 1,474 | 18.39% | 2,969 | 37.05% | 3,571 | 44.56% |
| 1964 | 1,721 | 29.34% | 4,144 | 70.66% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,597 | 27.93% | 4,120 | 72.07% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 1,640 | 31.31% | 3,598 | 68.69% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 1,843 | 30.79% | 4,143 | 69.21% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 447 | 12.05% | 2,692 | 72.54% | 572 | 15.41% |
| 1944 | 510 | 12.46% | 3,582 | 87.54% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 371 | 7.54% | 4,552 | 92.46% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 381 | 7.60% | 4,629 | 92.40% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 223 | 4.98% | 4,252 | 94.91% | 5 | 0.11% |
| 1928 | 726 | 19.77% | 2,947 | 80.23% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 225 | 8.58% | 2,372 | 90.47% | 25 | 0.95% |
| 1920 | 433 | 12.00% | 3,175 | 88.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 301 | 12.82% | 2,046 | 87.18% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1912 | 125 | 7.23% | 1,487 | 85.95% | 118 | 6.82% |
Anson County, like several neighboring rural counties, has historically favored Democratic candidates in most elections. After 2012, Republicans enjoyed more electoral success in the region, though Anson County voted more Democratic than its neighbors. In 2016, the Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, won the county by a margin of 13 percent, though in 2020 the Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, won by only four percent. The county favored a Republican candidate for a federal office in 2022 and Donald Trump flipped the county in 2024, the first Republican presidential candidate to do so since Richard Nixon in 1972.

## Economy

Anson's economy was historically rooted in agriculture. It remains weaker than the economies of other counties in the region.

## Education

There are 11 schools in the Anson County Schools system that serve the students of the county.
The county is served by South Piedmont Community College, which has a campus near Polkton.

## Communities
### Towns

* Ansonville
* Lilesville
* McFarlan
* Morven
* Peachland
* Polkton
* Wadesboro (county seat and largest community)

### Unincorporated communities

* Burnsville
* Pee Dee

### Townships

* Ansonville
* Burnsville
* Gulledge
* Lanesboro
* Lilesville
* Morven
* Wadesboro
* White Store

### Ghost town

* Sneedsboro

### Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Anson County.
† = county seat
| Rank | Name | Type | Population (2020 census) |
| 1 | † Wadesboro | Town | 5,008 |
| 2 | Polkton | Town | 2,250 |
| 3 | Ansonville | Town | 440 |
| 4 | Lilesville | Town | 395 |
| 5 | Peachland | Town | 390 |
| 6 | Morven | Town | 329 |
| 7 | McFarlan | Town | 94 |

## Notable people

* Stephone Anthony (born 1992), linebacker with the New Orleans Saints of the NFL
* Hugh Hammond Bennett (1881–1960), soil conservation specialist
* John Culpepper (1761–1841), United States Congressman from North Carolina, and long-tenured Baptist minister
* Blind Boy Fuller (1907–1941), American blues guitarist and vocalist
* James Holland (1754–1823), United States Congressman from North Carolina
* Juanita Moody (1924–2015), cryptographer whose intelligence gathering contributed greatly during the Cuban Missile Crisis
* Leonidas Lafayette Polk (1837–1892), first North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture
* Sylvester Ritter (1952–1998), professional wrestler also known as "The Junkyard Dog" or "JYD"
* David Lutz (born 1959), tackle with the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions of the NFL