Tyrrell County, North Carolina


Tyrrell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,245, making it the least populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Columbia.

History

The county was formed in 1729 as Tyrrell Precinct of Albemarle County, from parts of Bertie Precinct, Chowan Precinct, Currituck Precinct, and Pasquotank Precinct. It was named for Sir John Tyrrell, one of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina.
With the abolition of Albemarle County in 1739, all of its constituent precincts became counties. In 1774, the western part of Tyrrell County was combined with part of Halifax County to form Martin County. In 1799, the western third of what remained of Tyrrell County became Washington County. In 1870, the half of Tyrrell County east of the Alligator River was combined with parts of Currituck County and Hyde County to form Dare County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. Tyrrell County, due to its proximity to the Outer Banks, has been designated as part of the Inner Banks.
Wildlife in the county includes bears, red wolves, and pitcher plants.

National protected area

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Tyrrell County had 3,245 residents, making it North Carolina's least-populous county.
The median age was 47.2 years, 20.7% of residents were younger than 18, and 22.0% were 65 or older; for every 100 females there were 94.0 males and 90.8 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 58.6% White, 28.9% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 4.7% from some other race, and 6.2% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race made up 8.4% of the population.
Less than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,444 households, of which 26.7% had children under 18; 40.5% were married-couple households, 22.2% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 31.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 34.2% of all households consisted of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.
There were 1,999 housing units, with 27.8% vacant. Among occupied units, 71.2% were owner-occupied and 28.8% were renter-occupied; the homeowner vacancy rate stood at 2.9% and the rental vacancy rate at 8.9%.

Demographic change

Tyrrell County's population peaked in 1940 with 5,556 residents. The population subsequently declined to about 4,000 residents, where it remained for several decades before shrinking further due to outmigration fueled by diminished job opportunities. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Tyrrell's population dropped by 26 percent, the largest population drop by percentage in the state.

Government and politics

Tyrrell County is governed by a five-member Board of County Commissioners. The elections for County Commissioners are partisan and at large. To save money, some of Tyrrell's government services are consolidated with other neighboring rural counties such as Hyde and Washington.
Tyrrell County is a member of the Albemarle Commission, a regional economic development organization which serves several counties in eastern North Carolina.
In 2022, Tyrrell County is represented by Ed Goodwin in the 1st district in the North Carolina House of Representatives and Bobby Hanig in the 1st district in the North Carolina Senate.
In the 2020 elections in Tyrrell County, Republicans took more votes than Democrats in federal and statewide contests.

Economy

Tyrrell County's economy is heavily reliant on agriculture—with its largest crop being potatoes — as well as forestry and fishing. The county also hosts a small tourism industry centered around hunting, fishing, and bird watching. It suffers from high poverty and food insecurity rates.

Communities

Town