{{Short description|County in North Carolina, United States}} {{Use American English|date=June 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}} {{Infobox U.S. county | county = New Hanover County | state = North Carolina | seal = Seal of New Hanover County, NC.png | founded = 1729 | named for = House of Hanover | seat wl = Wilmington | largest city wl = Wilmington | city type = community | area_total_sq_mi = 328.86 | area_land_sq_mi = 192.26 | area_water_sq_mi = 136.60 | area percentage = 41.54 | population_as_of = 2020 | population_total = 225702 | pop_est_as_of = 2025 | population_est = 245959 {{gain}} | population_density_sq_mi = 1173.94 | coordinates = {{coord|34.18|-77.86|type:adm2nd_region:US-NC_source:USCensusBureau2020gazetteerfiles|display=inline,title}} | ex image = {{multiple image | border = infobox | perrow = 1/2/3/2 | total_width = 300 | caption_align = center | image1 = Wilmington, North Carolina along the Cape Fear River - panoramio.jpg | caption1 = Wilmington skyline | image2 = New Hanover County Courthouse (March 2023) 17.jpg | caption2 = New Hanover County Courthouse | image3 = University of North Carolina Wilmington Main Campus (26 July 2023) 06.jpg | caption3 = University of North Carolina Wilmington | image4 = St. James Episcopal Church - Wilmington, North Carolina 02.jpg | caption4 = St. James Episcopal Church | image5 = Ferry at Battery Buchanan.jpg | caption5 = Fort Fisher State Historic Site | image6 = GHSP 2023-05-22 Click it of Ticket-417.jpg | caption6 = USS ''North Carolina'' | image7 = Carolina Beach Boardwalk (4 November 2023) 36.jpg | caption7 = Carolina Beach Boardwalk | image8 = Crystal Pier in Wrightsville Beach (January 2023) 11 (cropped).jpg | caption8 = Wrightsville Beach's Crystal Pier }} | web = www.nhcgov.com | district = 7th | time zone = Eastern | motto = "The model of good governance" | flag = New Hanover County Flag.jpg }}
'''New Hanover County''' is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 225,702.<ref name="2020CensusQuickFacts"/> The county seat is Wilmington.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web |title=Find a County |url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> Though the second-smallest county in North Carolina by land area,<ref>{{Cite web |title=North Carolina Land Area County Rank |url=http://www.usa.com/rank/north-carolina-state--land-area--county-rank.htm |access-date=September 17, 2018 |website=USA.com}}</ref> it is one of the most populous counties, as Wilmington is one of the largest communities in the state. The county was created in 1729 as New Hanover Precinct and gained county status in 1739.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/NC_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm|title=North Carolina: Individual County Chronologies|work=North Carolina Atlas of Historical County Boundaries|publisher=The Newberry Library|date=2009|access-date=January 25, 2015|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304115449/http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/NC_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> New Hanover County is included in the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which also includes neighboring Pender and Brunswick counties.
==History== ===Early history=== Prior to European settlement, New Hanover county was populated by two Native American tribes, namely the Cape Fear Indians and the Waccamaw Siouan Indians. Proof of settlement dates back to roughly 8000 BC, and Natives resided intermittently in the area throughout the first millennium.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilhelm |first=Molly |title=As Wilmington adopts Indigenous Peoples' Day in 2024, what to know about local tribes |url=https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/news/local/2024/10/11/what-to-know-about-indian-tribes-based-in-wilmington-nc/75481982007/ |access-date=2025-10-22 |website=Wilmington Star-News |language=en-US}}</ref> The first European to visit the area was the Italian-born French explorer Giovanni da Verrazano in 1524, who reported his findings back to France, which took no further action. In 1526, Spaniard Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón led an expedition to the area, wrecking a ship in the process but also moving on from the area. In 1662, a New England expedition led by captain William Hilton traveled to the area, seeking to find a more temperate climate to establish a Puritan colony. After reporting favorable findings, a group of settlers arrived in the area, naming it "Cape Fear," but they too departed shortly for unknown reasons. Repeated failures to establish a settlement led to the area being left uninhabited for another century, and even the Cape Fear Indians, decimated by war and tribal infighting, were eventually forced to leave.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Lee |first=Lawrence |title=New Hanover County: a brief history |publisher=North Carolina Historical Commission |year=1977 |edition=2nd |location=Raleigh, North Carolina}}</ref>
Finally being permanently settled in 1726, the county was formed in 1729 as New Hanover Precinct of Bath County, from Craven Precinct. It was named for the House of Hanover, a German royal family then ruling Great Britain.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fccsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ixMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4950%2C433192 | title=Local history offers tasty tidbits | work=Star-News | date=April 17, 1983 | access-date=November 1, 2015 | author=Proffitt, Martie | pages=8C}}</ref> In 1734, parts of New Hanover Precinct became Bladen Precinct and Onslow Precinct. With the abolition of Bath County in 1739, all of its constituent precincts became counties. In 1750, the northern part of New Hanover County became Duplin County. In 1764, another part of New Hanover County was combined with part of Bladen County to form Brunswick County. Finally, in 1875, the separation of northern New Hanover County to form Pender County reduced it to its present dimensions. Originally designated as one of North Carolina's five ports, the Port of Brunswick (then the county seat) quickly developed into the state's most important port. During this time, the city of Wilmington (then called Newton) was formed, quickly surpassing Brunswick as the dominant city in the county and becoming the county seat. During this time, the county developed plantations, largely for the cultivation of tobacco and other commodity crops by enslaved African Americans.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Lennon |first1=Donald R. |author2=SLNC Government and Heritage Library |year=2006 |editor-last=Powell |editor-first=William S. |title=Cape Fear River Settlements |url=https://www.ncpedia.org/cape-fear-river-settlements |access-date=October 29, 2023 |website=NCpedia |publisher=University of North Carolina Press}}</ref> Despite this, the maritime nature of the county and relatively poor agricultural conditions meant that the plantation economy never managed to eclipse the trade economy.<ref name=":0" />
===Revolutionary War and Antebellum period=== Following the French and Indian War, the English government instituted the Stamp Act in order to pay for additional security measures. Enraged, locals marched to Brunswick and placed governor William Tryon under virtual house arrest, marking one of the first major protests against the crown. In 1776, Continental Army colonel James Moore crushed Loyalist forces at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, and the United States Declaration of Independence followed five months later. The British only managed to recapture Wilmington five years later, only to be bloodlessly recaptured by Americans following the surrender of General Charles Cornwallis.<ref name=":0" />
During the Antebellum Period, New Hanover County steadily grew in importance as the growth of interior North Carolina and the opening of trade with the Caribbean led to a surge in trade, mainly conducted from the Port of Wilmington, which had been renamed after Brunswick was depopulated. Improvements were done to the Cape Fear River in order to allow easier navigability, and the arrival of the steamboat in 1817 and the railroad in 1840 led to the explosive growth of Wilmington. By 1860, Wilmington had 4 of the 36 banks in the state.<ref name=":0" />
===Civil War and Reconstruction=== By 1860, the county seat and county were majority-black in population, with most of those people enslaved. Wilmington was of crucial importance to the Confederacy as a blockade-running center, as its port allowed supplies to be sent directly via the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad to resupply Confederate troops in the north.<ref name=":0" /> Confederates established Fort Fisher, which was seen by both sides as second in importance only to Richmond. Some of the closing battles of the American Civil War took place in this county, including the Second Battle of Fort Fisher (the last major coastal stronghold of the Confederacy) and the Battle of Wilmington, and the fall of Wilmington marked the last days of the Confederacy.
Following the end of the war, Wilmington was placed under military rule. A new constitution granting the vote to freedmen was established in 1868, and White Democrats were resentful when freedmen were given the vote. Democrats quickly regained control of state government, and Wilmington was gerrymandered to ensure Democratic mayoralties. Following the Reconstruction era, white Democrats regained control of the state legislature. Violence by whites against blacks increased in the late 19th century, with 22 lynching deaths of African Americans recorded before the mid-20th century.<ref name="eji">[https://eji.org/sites/default/files/lynching-in-america-third-edition-summary.pdf "Lynching in America/Supplement: Lynching by County, 3rd edition"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023063004/https://eji.org/sites/default/files/lynching-in-america-third-edition-summary.pdf|date=October 23, 2017}}, 2017, Montgomery, Alabama: Equal Justice Initiative, p. 7</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Allen |title=Allen Johnson: Lynching memorial a stark reminder of terrorism in America |url=https://greensboro.com/blogs/thinking_out_loud/allen-johnson-lynching-memorial-a-stark-reminder-of-terrorism-in-america/article_f1f8d7dc-2498-5a09-954c-9d1e7475a99b.html |access-date=March 12, 2023 |website=Greensboro News and Record |language=en}}</ref>
Racial terrorism on a larger scale took place in the Wilmington Insurrection of 1898, when a group of white Democrats rejected a duly elected, biracial city government. After overthrowing the Fusionist government, the mayor and city council, they led mobs that rioted and attacked the city's black neighborhoods and residents. A total of 60 to 300 blacks are believed to have been killed in the rioting, leaders were driven out of the city, and the presses of a black-owned newspaper were destroyed, along with many houses and businesses.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1898 Wilmington Coup |url=https://www.dncr.nc.gov/1898-wilmington-coup |access-date=October 29, 2023 |website=www.dncr.nc.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Zucchino |first=David |date=July 1, 2020 |title=The 1898 Wilmington Massacre Is an Essential Lesson in How State Violence Has Targeted Black Americans |url=https://time.com/5861644/1898-wilmington-massacre-essential-lesson-state-violence/ |access-date=October 29, 2023 |website=Time |language=en}}</ref> Soon after, the state passed a new constitution raising barriers to voter registration: this effectively disenfranchised most blacks and imposed Jim Crow laws, destroying the political relevance of both the Black population and the Republican Party.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Medlin |first=Eric |year=2022 |title=Jim Crow |url=https://www.ncpedia.org/anchor/jim-crow |access-date=October 29, 2023 |website=NCpedia}}</ref>
===Modern times=== Wilmington's economy was decimated during Reconstruction due to the declining importance of the cotton trade, for which Wilmington had been a major port. During World War I, Wilmington got some brief respite due to the shipbuilding industry, although this was short-lived.<ref name=":0" /> Wilmington's economy continued to stutter through the Great Depression, and World War II saw a rebound for the city's economy. The North Carolina Shipbuilding Company was established in 1941, and Wilmington became one of the nation's most crucial shipyards during the war, with its economy continuing to grow after the war had ended.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-08-04 |title=North Carolina Shipbuilding Company - North Carolina History |url=https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/north-carolina-shipbuilding-company/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250519182319/https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/north-carolina-shipbuilding-company/ |archive-date=2025-05-19 |access-date=2025-10-22 |work=North Carolina History - |language=en-US}}</ref>
The growth of America's interstate freeways and the onset of the trucking industry continued to benefit New Hanover County, and during the post-war period the large number of returning soldiers joined the newfound labor force in suburbanizing and growing the county. By the 1960s, New Hanover County had a diversified economy,<ref name=":0" /> and historic preservation movements led to the revitalization of the county. The USS ''North Carolina'' was berthed in Wilmington as a museum ship in 1961, which led to a downtown revitalization effort and supercharged the city's tourist economy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Battleship's Arrival was a Boom to Wilmington's Economy |url=https://www.wilmingtonbiz.com/wilmingtonbiz_magazine/2021/06/30/battleships_arrival_was_a_boom_to_wilmingtons_economy/22003 |access-date=2025-10-22 |website=WilmingtonBiz}}</ref> The University of North Carolina Wilmington was granted university status in 1969, and is estimated to contribute billions yearly to the county's economy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Report: UNCW has $3.2 billion economic impact statewide |url=https://www.wilmingtonbiz.com/education/2024/09/30/report_uncw_has_32_billion_economic_impact%C2%A0statewide/25993 |access-date=2025-10-22 |website=WilmingtonBiz}}</ref>
Beginning in the 1980s, the city saw an explosion in population due to the rapidly growing film industry. The establishment of De Laurentiis Entertainment Group led to a major studio presence in the county,<ref>{{Cite web |last=kim |date=2024-07-11 |title=North Carolina's History in Film |url=https://islandlifenc.com/north-carolinas-history-in-film/ |access-date=2025-10-22 |website=Island Life NC |language=en-US}}</ref> and the area is now known as "Hollywood East."<ref>{{Cite news |date=2014-04-22 |title=EUE/Screen Gems Studios Tours Begin April 26, 2014 |url=https://wilmywoodnc.com/2014/04/22/euescreen-gems-studios-tours-begin-april-26-2014/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527225430/https://wilmywoodnc.com/2014/04/22/euescreen-gems-studios-tours-begin-april-26-2014/ |archive-date=2022-05-27 |access-date=2025-10-22 |work=The Wilmywood Daily |language=en-US}}</ref> This growth was compounded by the construction of Interstate 40, which connected the city and its port to the rest of the country via interstate for the first time. This growth has continued into the 21st century, and was even further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, after which the county saw an influx of remote workers and retirees, while UNC Wilmington is the fastest growing campus in the UNC system.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sartwell |first=Jane Winik |date=2025-05-14 |title=Population boom or bust? Wilmington's growth spurt sparks larger debate on 'overdevelopment.' |url=https://carolinapublicpress.org/70826/wilmington-population-boom-concerns/ |access-date=2025-10-22 |website=Carolina Public Press |language=en-US}}</ref> New Hanover County is now nearly completely developed, and continues to rank in the top 10 North Carolinian counties for GDP growth.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Whitaker |first=Cheryl M. |title=A study ranked New Hanover among top NC counties with the most GDP growth |url=https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/news/local/2025/03/06/smartasset-new-hanover-among-top-nc-counties-with-most-growth/79441150007/ |access-date=2025-10-22 |website=Wilmington Star-News |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Geography== {{maplink|frame=yes|zoom=8|id=Q508209|type=shape-inverse|text=Interactive map of New Hanover County}} thumb|Intersection of South College Road, South 17th Street, and Waltmoor Road from the air [[File:Carolina Beach in New Hanover County, NC IMG 4435.JPG|thumb|The surf at Carolina Beach]] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of {{convert|328.86|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|192.26|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|136.60|sqmi}} (41.54%) is water.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 23, 2022 |title=2020 County Gazetteer Files – North Carolina |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_counties_37.txt |access-date=September 9, 2023 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> It is the second-smallest county in North Carolina by land area (ahead of only Chowan County).
===State and local protected areas/sites=== * Airlie Gardens * Battleship North Carolina * Bluethenthal Wildflower Preserve * Cape Fear Museum of History and Science * Cape Fear River Wetlands Game Land (part)<ref name="NCWRC Game Lands">{{Cite web |title=NCWRC Game Lands |url=https://www.ncpaws.org/ncwrcmaps/gamelands |access-date=March 30, 2023 |website=www.ncpaws.org}}</ref> * Carolina Beach State Park * Federal Point * Fort Fisher State Historic Site * Fort Fisher State Recreation Area * Freeman Park<ref>{{Cite web |title=Freeman Park |url=https://www.carolinabeach.org/visitors/freeman-park |access-date=June 14, 2023 |website=www.carolinabeach.org |language=en}}</ref> * Masonboro Island Estuarine Reserve Dedicated Nature Preserve * Masonboro Island Reserve * Masonboro Sound Area Outstanding Resource Water * New Hanover County Arboretum * North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher * Pages Creek Park Preserve<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pages Creek Park Preserve |url=https://www.nhcgov.com/2397/Pages-Creek-Park-Preserve |access-date=September 12, 2023 |website=www.nhcgov.com}}</ref> * The Rocks at Fort Fisher * South of Onslow County Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area (part) * Sutton Lake Game Land<ref name="NCWRC Game Lands"/> * Topsail Sound and Middle Sound Area Outstanding Resource Water * Wilmington Historic District * Zekes Island Estuarine Reserve Dedicated Nature Preserve (part) * Zeke's Island Reserve (part)
===Major water bodies=== * Atlantic Ocean (North Atlantic Ocean) * Banks Channel * Bradley Creek * Brunswick River * Cape Fear River * Frying Pan Shoals * Futch Creek * Greenfield Lake * Hewletts Creek * Howe Creek * Intracoastal Waterway * Island Creek<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Wood |first1=Andy |last2=Shew |first2=Roger |date=March 30, 2023 |title=Island Creek Basin Ecosystems: An Imperiled Biodiversity Hotspot |url=https://newhanoversheriff.com/DocumentCenter/View/4179/An-Introduction-to-Island-Creek-Basin-Ecosystem-An-Imperiled-Biodiveristy-Hotspot |access-date=May 3, 2023 |website=newhanoversheriff.com}}</ref> * Lake Sutton * Leutze Lake * Northeast Cape Fear River * Onslow Bay * Prince George Creek<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 23, 2023 |title=Prince George Creek Near Wrightsboro, NC (USGS-02108622) |url=https://www.waterqualitydata.us/provider/NWIS/USGS-NC/USGS-02108622/ |access-date=April 23, 2023 |website=www.waterqualitydata.us}}</ref> * Smith Creek * Snow's Cut * Whiskey Creek
===Major islands=== * Eagles Island<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nunn |first=Scott |date=January 4, 2022 |title=Eagles Island is mostly undeveloped. That wasn't always the case |url=https://www.whqr.org/2022-01-04/eagles-island-history |access-date=April 15, 2024 |website=WHQR |language=en}}</ref> * Pleasure Island * Figure Eight Island * Masonboro Island * Wrightsville Beach * Zeke’s Island
===Adjacent counties=== * Pender County – north * Brunswick County – west
===Major highways=== * {{Jct|state=NC|I|40}} * {{Jct|state=NC|I|140|NC|140|nolink2=yes}} * {{Jct|state=NC|US|17}} * {{Jct|state=NC|US-Bus|17|dab1=Wilmington}} * {{Jct|state=NC|US-Byp|17|dab1=Hampstead}} (future Hampstead Bypass) * {{Jct|state=NC|US|74}} * {{Jct|state=NC|US|76}} * {{Jct|state=NC|US|117}} * {{Jct|state=NC|US|421}} * {{Jct|state=NC|US-Truck|421|dab1=Wilmington}} * {{Jct|state=NC|NC|132}} * {{Jct|state=NC|NC|133}} * {{Jct|state=NC|NC|211}} * {{Jct|state=NC|NC|417}} (temporary highway designation for US 17 Byp.)
===Major infrastructure=== * Amtrak Thruway (Forden Station) * Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority * Pilots Ridge, small private airport near Myrtle Grove * Port of Wilmington * Southport–Fort Fisher Ferry (to Brunswick County) * Wilmington International Airport
==Demographics== {{US Census population |1790= 6837 |1800= 7060 |1810= 11465 |1820= 10866 |1830= 10959 |1840= 13312 |1850= 17668 |1860= 21715 |1870= 27978 |1880= 21376 |1890= 24026 |1900= 25785 |1910= 32037 |1920= 40620 |1930= 43010 |1940= 47935 |1950= 63272 |1960= 71742 |1970= 82996 |1980= 103471 |1990= 120284 |2000= 160307 |2010= 202667 |2020= 225702 |estyear=2025 |estimate=245959 |estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2025">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html|title=County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2025|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 31, 2026}}</ref> {{increase}} |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 18, 2015}}</ref><br />1790–1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=January 18, 2015}}</ref> 1900–1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/nc190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|editor-last=Forstall|editor-first=Richard L.|date=March 27, 1995|access-date=January 18, 2015}}</ref><br />1990–2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|date=April 2, 2001|access-date=January 18, 2015}}</ref> 2010<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36129.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=October 27, 2013|archive-date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029201421/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36129.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> 2020<ref name="2020CensusQuickFacts">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/newhanovercountynorthcarolina|title=QuickFacts: New Hanover County, North Carolina|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 21, 2024}}</ref> | align = right }} thumb|2020 population density of New Hanover County NC by census block<ref>{{Cite web |title=2025 TIGER/Line® Shapefiles |url=https://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/geo/shapefiles/index.php?year=2025&layergroup=Blocks+(2020) |access-date=2026-04-14 |website=www.census.gov}}</ref>
===2020 census=== {| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;" |+'''New Hanover County, North Carolina – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small> !Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small> !Pop 1980<ref name=1980Census>{{Cite web|title=1980 Census of Population - General Social and Economic Characteristics - North Carolina - Table 15 - Persons by Race: 1980 and Table 16 - Persons by Spanish Origin, Race, and Sex: 1980 |url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_ncABC-02.pdf|website=United States Census Bureau|page=14-25|via= WayBack Machine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250228195108/https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_ncABC-02.pdf| archive-date=February 28, 2025}}</ref> !Pop 1990<ref>{{Cite web |title=1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - North Carolina: Table 3 - Race and Hispanic Origin |website=United States Census Bureau|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cp-1/cp-1-35.pdf|access-date=|page=15-64|via= WayBack Machine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250320045449/https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cp-1/cp-1-35.pdf| archive-date=March 20, 2025}}</ref> !Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – New Hanover County, North Carolina|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=050XX00US37129&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|website=United States Census Bureau |access-date= }}</ref> !Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – New Hanover County, North Carolina|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=050XX00US37129&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=United States Census Bureau |access-date= }}</ref> !style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – New Hanover County, North Carolina|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=050XX00US37129&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=United States Census Bureau |access-date= }}</ref> !% 1980 !% 1990 !% 2000 !% 2010 !style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020 |- |White alone (NH) |79,862 |94,288 |126,453 |155,631 |style='background: #ffffe6; |167,150 |77.18% |78.39% |78.88% |76.79% |style='background: #ffffe6; |74.06% |- |Black or African American alone (NH) |22,192 |23,983 |27,001 |29,469 |style='background: #ffffe6; |26,974 |21.45% |19.94% |16.84% |14.54% |style='background: #ffffe6; |11.95% |- |Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) |260 |426 |581 |798 |style='background: #ffffe6; |678 |0.25% |0.35% |0.36% |0.39% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.30% |- |Asian alone (NH) |311 |612 |1,325 |2,380 |style='background: #ffffe6; |3,468 |0.30% |0.51% |0.83% |1.17% |style='background: #ffffe6; |1.54% |- |Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) |x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census</ref> |x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census</ref> |88 |108 |style='background: #ffffe6; |148 |x |x |0.05% |0.05% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.07% |- |Other race alone (NH) |67 |51 |187 |353 |style='background: #ffffe6; |992 |0.06% |0.04% |0.12% |0.17% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.44% |- |Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) |x <ref>not an option in the 1980 Census</ref> |x <ref>not an option in the 1990 Census</ref> |1,396 |3,212 |style='background: #ffffe6; |8,992 |x |x |0.87% |1.58% |style='background: #ffffe6; |3.98% |- |Hispanic or Latino (any race) |779 |924 |3,276 |10,716 |style='background: #ffffe6; |17,300 |0.75% |0.77% |2.04% |5.29% |style='background: #ffffe6; |7.66% |- |'''Total''' |'''103,471''' |'''120,284''' |'''160,307''' |'''202,667''' |style='background: #ffffe6; |'''225,702 ''' |'''100.00%''' |'''100.00%''' |'''100.00%''' |'''100.00%''' |style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%''' |}
As of the 2020 census, there were 225,702 people, 98,109 households, and 56,160 families residing in the county.<ref name="Census2020DP">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dp?get=NAME,DP1_0021P,DP1_0024P,DP1_0025C,DP1_0049C,DP1_0045C,DP1_0069C,DP1_0073C,DP1_0125P,DP1_0126P,DP1_0129P,DP1_0133P,DP1_0137P,DP1_0138P,DP1_0139P,DP1_0141P,DP1_0142P,DP1_0143P,DP1_0145P,DP1_0146P,DP1_0147C,DP1_0148C,DP1_0149C,DP1_0156C,DP1_0157C,DP1_0158C,DP1_0159P,DP1_0160P&for=county%3A129&in=state%3A37|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=December 26, 2025|df=mdy}}</ref>
The median age was 40.6 years. 18.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.5 males age 18 and over.<ref name="Census2020DP"/>
The racial makeup of the county was 75.7% White, 12.1% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.6% from some other race, and 6.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.7% of the population.<ref name="Census2020PL">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=NAME,P1_001N,P1_003N,P1_004N,P1_005N,P1_006N,P1_007N,P1_008N,P1_009N,P2_001N,P2_002N,H1_001N,H1_002N&for=county%3A129&in=state%3A37|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=December 26, 2025|df=mdy}}</ref>
98.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.7% lived in rural areas.<ref name="Census2020DHC">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dhc?get=NAME,P2_002N,P2_003N&for=county%3A129&in=state%3A37|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2023|access-date=December 26, 2025|df=mdy}}</ref>
There were 98,109 households in the county, of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.9% were married-couple households, 19.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.<ref name="Census2020DP"/>
There were 113,368 housing units, of which 13.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 60.1% were owner-occupied and 39.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.1%.<ref name="Census2020DP"/>
===2000 census=== At the 2000 census,<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> there were 160,307 people, 68,183 households, and 41,591 families residing in the county. The population density was {{convert|806|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people |people}}. There were 79,616 housing units at an average density of {{convert|400|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units |units|}}. The racial makeup of the county was 79.91% White, 16.97% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. 2.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 14.3% were of English, 13.0% United States or American, 10.6% German and 10.2% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 68,183 households, out of which 26.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.50% were married couples living together, 11.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.00% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size were 2.29 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.00% under the age of 18, 12.00% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,172, and the median income for a family was $50,861. Males had a median income of $35,801 versus $25,305 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,123. About 8.30% of families and 13.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.70% of those under age 18 and 9.00% of those age 65 or over. ==Government and politics== thumb|180px|W. Allen Cobb Judicial Annex in Wilmington thumb|New Hanover County Jail and Sheriff's Office in unincorporated Castle Hayne New Hanover County is governed by a county commission. The commission comprises five members elected at-large in four-year staggered terms. The body elects its own chairman and vice-chairman. It sets policy for county administration within the confines of state law, adopts local ordinances, appoints advisory committees, and enacts an annual county budget.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.nhcgov.com/1096/About-Us| title = County Commissioners & Clerk : About Us | publisher = New Hanover County| access-date = October 27, 2023}}</ref>
New Hanover County is represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Republican David Rouzer, who is the representative for North Carolina's 7th congressional district.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Directory of Representatives |url=https://www.house.gov/representatives |access-date=April 19, 2024 |website=house.gov}}</ref> From 2013 to 2017, a portion of northwestern and central New Hanover County was redistricted to North Carolina's 3rd congressional district, which was represented by Republican Walter B. Jones Jr. before his death. The county is also in the 7th and 8th districts of the North Carolina Senate, represented by Republicans Michael V. Lee and Bill Rabon, respectively; and the 18th, 19th, and 20th districts of the North Carolina House of Representatives, represented by two Republicans and one Democrat.<ref name="NCGA Representation">{{Cite web |date= |title=New Hanover County Representation |url=https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/CountyRepresentation/New%20Hanover |access-date=April 19, 2024 |website=North Carolina General Assembly}}</ref> Judicially, New Hanover County is in the 6th prosecutorial district, represented on the superior court by two Republican judges and one Democratic judge, as well as on the district court by five Democratic judges and four Republican judges.<ref name="NHCBOE">{{cite web |title=Elected Officials |url=https://www.nhcgov.com/1021/Elected-Officials |website=New Hanover County Board of Elections |access-date=22 October 2025}}</ref>
New Hanover County is a member of the regional Cape Fear Council of Governments.
New Hanover County Sheriff's Office (NHCSO) serves as the county's primary law enforcement agency. NHCSO is responsible for patrolling the county (primarily outside the Wilmington city limits), staffing the juvenile and adult correctional facilities, and proving court security for the W. Allen Cobb Judicial Annex in Wilmington.
New Hanover County is governed by a board of commissioners and has several elected office positions. The board of commissioners is elected at-large, with the top vote-getters obtaining seats.
{| class="wikitable" |- ! colspan="2" | Office<ref>{{cite web |title=County Commissioners & Clerk |url=https://www.nhcgov.com/1095/County-Commissioners-Clerk |website=New Hanover County |access-date=22 October 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lipe |first1=Madison |title=Rivenbark, Scalise and Walker secure spots on New Hanover County Board of Commissioners |url=https://eu.starnewsonline.com/story/news/local/2024/11/05/election-results-who-won-for-new-hanover-county-board-of-commissioners/75945817007/ |website=Wilmington Star News |access-date=22 October 2025}}</ref> !Name !Party |- | bgcolor="red" | | Clerk of Superior Court | Jan Kennedy |Republican |- | bgcolor="red" | | Register of Deeds | Morghan Collin |Republican |- | bgcolor="red" | | District Attorney | Jason Smith |Republican |- | bgcolor="red" | | Sheriff | Ed McMahon |Republican<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bertolotti |first1=Arianna |title=“I’m still the same Ed McMahon”: New Hanover County Sheriff switches from Democrat to Republican after 16 years |url=https://www.wect.com/2025/10/16/im-still-same-ed-mcmahon-new-hanover-county-sheriff-switches-democrat-republican-after-16-years/ |website=WECT6 |access-date=22 October 2025}}</ref> |} {| class="wikitable" |- ! colspan="2" | Office !Name !Party |- | bgcolor="red" | | Commissioner | Bill Rivenbark |Republican |- | bgcolor="red" | | Commissioner | LeAnne Pierce |Republican |- | bgcolor="red" | | Commissioner | Dane Scalise |Republican |- | bgcolor="blue" | | Commissioner | Stephanie Walker |Democrat |- | bgcolor="blue" | | Commissioner | Rob Zapple |Democrat |}
===Politics=== Since formation, New Hanover and the surrounding Cape Fear region were some of the few Republican holdouts in North Carolina, largely attributed to its larger-than-average African-American population, which voted Republican at the time. Wilmington was then home to a Fusionist coalition of African-Americans and White Republicans, which gained control of the city in 1898. Following this event, a white mob overthrew the government, banishing Republicans and African-Americans from the city in what would later be known as the Wilmington massacre.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://media2.newsobserver.com/content/media/2010/5/3/ghostsof1898.pdf|title=The Ghosts of 1898 - Wilmington's Race Riot And The Rise Of White Supremacy|last=Tyson|first=Timothy B/|date=November 17, 2006|newspaper=The News & Observer}}</ref> This began an immediate political realignment, with Democrats jumping from less than 40% of the vote to nearly 100% of the vote in one election cycle.
This continued throughout the 20th century, with Democrats maintaining a tight hold on the county for over 60 years (aside from Herbert Hoover's victory in 1928, when the heavily anti-Catholic Outer Banks region cast its votes against Catholic Al Smith<ref>Phillips; ''The Emerging Republican Majority'', pp. 212-215</ref>). In the mid-20th century, New Hanover County began shifting back towards Republicans at a faster rate than other majority-White southern counties due to its massive population increase and importance as an industrial center during World War II, and had become a swing county by the 1950s. It began to follow the shift of other southern counties, with African-Americans moving to the Democratic Party and Whites moving to the Republican Party, although its rapid growth throughout the century means it never became as solidly Republican as other rural southern counties.
Modern New Hanover County is politically competitive, and the margin of victory for either party has not gone past 5% in over 20 years.<ref name="stillcunningham"/><ref>{{cite news| last = Still| first = Johanna F.| title = With polarization seemingly reaching all-time highs, New Hanover, N.C. still purple| newspaper = Port City Daily| date = November 6, 2020| url = https://portcitydaily.com/local-news/2020/11/06/with-polarization-seemingly-reaching-all-time-highs-new-hanover-n-c-still-purple/| access-date = October 26, 2023}}</ref> The rapid growth of Wilmington due to its burgeoning film industry and college population has shifted the county to the left in recent years,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chidi |first=George |date=2024-05-04 |title=Wilmington: how a once-red district is a window on North Carolina politics |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/04/wilmington-north-carolina-democrat-republican |access-date=2025-10-22 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> though Republicans still tend to perform better in local contests.<ref name= "stillcunningham">{{cite web| url = https://www.theassemblync.com/politics/elections/suburbs-republicans-democrats-elections/| title = Battle for the ’Burbs| last1 = Still| first1 = Johanna| last2 = Cunningham| first2 = Eric| date = October 25, 2023| website = The Assembly| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231026034238/https://www.theassemblync.com/politics/elections/suburbs-republicans-democrats-elections/| archive-date= October 26, 2023}}</ref>
In 2020, Joe Biden became the first Democrat to carry the county in 44 years, also becoming the first Democrat ever to win the county but lose the state. In 2024, despite her majority being reduced to a narrow plurality, Kamala Harris became the first Democratic presidential nominee to win the county yet lose the presidential election since 1956.
{{PresHead|place=New Hanover County, North Carolina|whig=no|source1=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=March 16, 2018}}</ref>}} <!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP/Whig vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} --> {{PresRow|1880|Republican|2,200|1,438|299|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1884|Republican|2,894|1,745|0|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1888|Republican|2,856|1,870|0|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1892|Democratic|1,500|2,408|38|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1896|Republican|3,183|2,100|189|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1900|Democratic|60|2,247|0|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1904|Democratic|91|1,254|0|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1908|Democratic|511|1,857|0|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1912|Democratic|140|2,021|107|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1916|Democratic|492|2,355|0|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1920|Democratic|712|4,102|0|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1924|Democratic|1,190|4,735|405|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1928|Republican|4,248|2,760|0|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1932|Democratic|1,430|6,030|141|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1936|Democratic|1,306|7,379|0|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1940|Democratic|1,635|8,600|0|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1944|Democratic|2,829|9,467|0|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1948|Democratic|3,162|5,364|2,667|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1952|Democratic|9,330|10,330|0|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1956|Democratic|9,470|10,247|0|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1960|Democratic|9,775|13,182|0|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1964|Democratic|12,140|12,584|0|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1968|Republican|10,020|7,750|9,291|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1972|Republican|19,060|5,894|661|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1976|Democratic|13,687|14,504|286|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1980|Republican|17,243|13,670|1,331|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1984|Republican|23,771|12,591|90|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1988|Republican|23,807|15,401|105|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1992|Republican|24,338|20,291|7,525|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|1996|Republican|27,889|22,839|4,041|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|2000|Republican|36,503|29,292|524|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|2004|Republican|45,351|35,572|324|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|2008|Republican|50,544|49,145|976|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|2012|Republican|53,385|48,668|1,575|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|2016|Republican|55,344|50,979|5,582|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|2020|Democratic|63,331|66,138|2,361|North Carolina}} {{PresRow|2024|Democratic|67,949|68,814|1,971|North Carolina}} {{PresFoot}}
==Education== {{See also|Wilmington, North Carolina#Education}} The county is served by New Hanover County Schools, which are governed by an elected county board of education. There are also several private schools and a catholic school.
{| class="wikitable" |- ! colspan="2" | Office !Name !Party |- | bgcolor="red" | | Board member | Melissa Mason |Republican |- | bgcolor="red" | | Board member | Josie Barnhart |Republican |- | bgcolor="red" | | Board member | Pat Bradford |Republican |- | bgcolor="red" | | Board member | Pete Wildeboer |Republican |- | bgcolor="red" | | Board member | David Perry |Republican |- | bgcolor="blue" | | Board member | Judy Justice |Democrat |- | bgcolor="blue" | | Board member | Tim Merrick |Democrat |}
There is additionally a branch of the University of North Carolina at University of North Carolina Wilmington, as well as several small technical colleges and Cape Fear Community College.
==Healthcare== New Hanover Regional Medical Center is a hospital in Wilmington. It was established in 1967 as a public hospital, and it was the first hospital in the city to admit patients of all races.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Rau|first1=Jordan|url=https://fortune.com/2021/01/28/public-hospital-privatization-health-care-systems-new-hanover-north-carolina/|title=In the midst of the pandemic, a public hospital is gobbled up|newspaper=Fortune Magazine|date=January 28, 2021|accessdate=November 19, 2021}}</ref> It was operated by New Hanover County.<ref>{{cite web |title=Annual Financial Report New Hanover Regional Medical Center Wilmington, North Carolina (A Component Unit of New Hanover County, North Carolina) Years Ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 With Report of Independent Auditor |url=https://www.nhrmc.org/-/media/files/financial-statements/nhrmc-2019-financial-report.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130213239/https://www.nhrmc.org/-/media/files/financial-statements/nhrmc-2019-financial-report.pdf |archive-date=January 30, 2021 |accessdate=November 19, 2021 |publisher=New Hanover Regional Medical Center}}</ref> In February 2021 Novant Health, a nonprofit private organization, acquired the hospital.<ref>{{cite web |last=Paavola |first=Alia |date=February 1, 2021 |title=Novant buys North Carolina health system |url=https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-transactions-and-valuation/novant-buys-north-carolina-system.html |accessdate=November 19, 2021 |publisher=Beckers Hospital Review}}</ref>
==Communities== thumb|225px|Map of New Hanover County with municipal and township labels
===City=== * Wilmington (county seat and largest community)
===Towns=== * Carolina Beach * Kure Beach * Wrightsville Beach
===Townships=== * Cape Fear * Federal Point * Harnett * Masonboro * Wilmington
===Census-designated places=== {{div col|colwidth=18em}} * Bayshore * Blue Clay Farms * Castle Hayne * Hightsville * Kings Grant * Murraysville * Myrtle Grove * Northchase * Ogden * Porters Neck * Sea Breeze * Silver Lake * Skippers Corner * Wrightsboro
{{div col end}}
===Unincorporated communities=== * Monkey Junction
===Former communities=== * Kirkland * Masonboro * Seagate * Wilmington Beach
==Notable people== {{See also|Wilmington, North Carolina#Notable people}} * Michael Jordan, NBA player * Meadowlark Lemon, NBA player for the Harlem Globetrotters
==See also== * List of counties in North Carolina * National Register of Historic Places listings in New Hanover County, North Carolina * Films and television shows produced in Wilmington, North Carolina * Federal Point Light, deactivated lighthouse that used to be located at Fort Fisher * Frying Pan Shoals Light, old lighthouse south of Fort Fisher * GenX, chemical compound found in the Cape Fear River, south of Fayetteville
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== * {{citation |title=Branson's North Carolina Business Directory...1867-68 |publisher=Branson & Jones |location=Raleigh, NC |chapter-url= https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101065143529&seq=132&view=2up |page= 79 |chapter= New Hanover County |via= hathitrust.org }} * {{citation |title=Branson's North Carolina Business Directory, 1896 |publisher=Levi Branson |location=Raleigh, NC |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/bransonsnorthcar1896bran/page/448/mode/2up |page= 448 |chapter= New Hanover County |via= archive.org }} * {{citation |chapter-url= https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nc01.ark:/13960/t2r49km5g&seq=396&view=2up |chapter= New Hanover County |title=North Carolina Year Book and Business Directory, 1916 |publisher=News and Observer Publishing Company |location= Raleigh, N.C. |via= hathitrust.org }}
==External links== {{Commons category}} * {{osmrelation|2528727}} * {{Official website|https://www.nhcgov.com}} * [http://www.ncgenweb.us/newhanover/ NCGenWeb New Hanover County], genealogy resources for the county
{{Geographic Location |Centre = New Hanover County, North Carolina |North = Pender County |Northeast = |East = Atlantic Ocean |Southeast = |South = Atlantic Ocean |Southwest = |West = Brunswick County |Northwest = }} {{New Hanover County, North Carolina}} {{NHCS-HS}} {{North Carolina}} {{Authority control}}
Category:New Hanover County, North Carolina Category:Cape Fear (region) Category:1739 establishments in North Carolina Category:Populated places established in 1739