Pitt County, North Carolina

Pitt County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In 2020, 170,243 people lived there. Its county seat is Greenville.

Pitt County includes the Greenville Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is one of the fastest growing centers in the state. Since 1990, the population has grown a lot.

History
The county was made in 1760 from part of Beaufort County. It was named for William Pitt the Elder. Pitt was an English statesman and orator, born in London, England. He studied at Oxford University. In 1731, he joined the army. Pitt led the young "Patriot" Whigs. In 1756, he became secretary of state. There he was a pro-freedom speaker in British Colonial government.

Geography

The total area of Pitt County is . Of that,  (0.49%) is water.

Bordering counties
Martin County – northeast
Beaufort County – east
Craven County – south-southeast
Lenoir County – south-southwest
Greene County – southwest
Wilson County – west
Edgecombe County – northwest

Demographics

At the census of 2020, there were 170,243 people, 70,016 households, and 42,015 families living in the county. The population density was 261 people per square mile (101/km²). There were 80,515 housing units, at an average density of 123 per square mile (48/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 52.2% White, 35.5% Black or African American, 1.8% Asian, 0.4% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.6% from other races, and 5.5% from two or more races. The population was 7.6% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 70,016 households, out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, and 38.3% had a married couple living together. 31.7% of all households had one person living alone, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.36.

Of the total population, 22.3% were under 18 years old, 13.7% were 18 to 24, 26.3% were 25 to 44, 23.2% were 45 to 64, and 14.5% were 65 or over. The median age was 35 years. The population was 47.0% male and 53.0% female.

As of 2022, the median (middle) yearly income for a household was about $54,915, compared to $66,186 in North Carolina and $75,149 in the United States. The median income for a family was about $73,970, compared to $82,890 in North Carolina and $92,646 in the United States. The per capita income was about $32,224. About 11.9% of families and 20.0% of all people in Pitt County lived below the poverty line. This includes 22.8% of children under 18 years old and 11.3% of people over 65 years old.

About 36.4% of people over 25 years old living in Pitt County had a bachelor's degree. This compares to 35.9% in North Carolina and 35.7% in the United States. About 6.5% of people in Pitt County were born in another country, compared to 8.6% in North Carolina and 13.9% in the United States. About 90.6% of people in Pitt County spoke only English at home, and 9.4% spoke another language.

 Racial breakdown by year 
+Race or ethnicity20202010200019901980White52.2%  58.9%  62.2%  65.5%  65.1%Black/African-American35.5%  34.1%  33.7%  33.3%  34.4%Native American0.4%  0.3%  0.4%  0.2%  0.1%Asian1.8%  1.6%  0.9%  0.6%  0.3%Pacific Islander0.1%  0.1%  0.1%  0.0% Other races4.6%  3.1%  1.5%  0.4%  0.1%Two or more races5.5%  2.0%  1.1%  -  -Hispanic or Latino7.6%  5.5%  3.1%  0.9%  0.9%

Communities

Cities
Greenville (county seat)

Towns
Ayden
Bethel
Falkland
Farmville
Fountain
Grifton
Grimesland
Simpson
Winterville

Census-designated places
Bell Arthur
Belvoir
Stokes

Unincorporated communities
Bell's Fork
Black Jack
Chicod
House
Pactolus

Townships

Arthur
Ayden
Belvoir
Bethel
Black Jack
Carolina (Stokes)
Chicod
Falkland
Farmville
Fountain
Greenville
Grifton
Grimesland
Pactolus
Simpson
Swift Creek
Winterville

Politics, law and government
In the early twentieth century Pitt was a typical Democratic "Solid South" county, where many blacks were blocked from voting. The small number of white voters voted overwhelming majorities for the Democratic Party. Pitt County voted for the Democratic Party in every election from at least 1876 until American Independent candidate George Wallace gained a plurality in 1968. Apart from Richard Nixon's overwhelming victory over George McGovern in 1972, Pitt has since been a closely contested swing county, with no major party candidate falling under 40% after 1972.

Pitt County is a member of the Mid-East Commission regional council of governments.

Pitt County is represented by Gloristine Brown and Timothy Reeder in the North Carolina House of Representatives and Kandie Smith in the North Carolina Senate.

Education

 Private 
Private schools in Pitt County include:

Brookhaven SDA School
Calvary Christian Academy
Children's Montessori School
Christ Covenant School
Community Christian Academy
Faith Christian Academy
Greenville Christian Academy
Greenville Montessori School
John Paul II Catholic HS
The Oakwood School
Roseleaf Academy
Saint Peter Catholic School
Trinity Christian School

 Public 
Public schools in Pitt County are managed by Pitt County Schools.

 Elementary schools 
Ayden Elementary School
Belvoir Elementary School
Creekside Elementary School
Eastern Elementary School
Elmhurst Elementary School
Falkland Elementary School
H. B. Sugg School (K–2)
Lake Forest Elementary School
Northwest Elementary School
Ridgewood Elementary School
Sam D. Bundy School (3–5)
South Greenville Elementary School
W. H. Robinson Elementary School
Wahl-Coates Elementary School
Wintergreen Intermediate School (3–5)
Wintergreen Primary School (K–2)

 K–8 schools 
Bethel School
Chicod School
G. R. Whitfield School
Grifton School
Pactolus School
Stokes School

 Middle schools 
A. G. Cox Middle School
Ayden Middle School
C. M. Eppes Middle School
E. B. Aycock Middle School
Farmville Middle School
Hope Middle School
Wellcome Middle School

 High schools 
Ayden-Grifton High School
D. H. Conley High School
Farmville Central High School
J. H. Rose High School
North Pitt High School
South Central High School

 Alternative schools 
Pitt County Schools Early College High School

 Post-secondary schools 
East Carolina University
Pitt Community College
Miller-Motte Technical College

Transportation

Airport
American Airlines (Piedmont Airlines) serves the Pitt-Greenville Airport daily with connecting flights to Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

 References 

Further reading
 Kahrl, Andrew W., "The 'Negro Park' Question: Land, Labor, and Leisure in Pitt County, North Carolina, 1920–1930," Journal of Southern History (Feb. 2013) 79#1 pp 113–42.

Other websites

Pitt County Development Commission Website 
NCGenWeb Pitt County - free genealogy resources for the county

Category:1760s establishments in North Carolina
Category:1760