Lincoln County, North Carolina

Lincoln County, North Carolina
Lincoln County Courthouse in Lincolnton
Location in the U.S. state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location in the U.S.
Founded	1779
Named for	Benjamin Lincoln
Seat	Lincolnton
Largest city	Lincolnton
Area
• Total	307 sq mi (795 km2)
• Land	298 sq mi (772 km2)
• Water	9.1 sq mi (24 km2), 3.0%
Population
• (2010)	78,265
• Density	263/sq mi (102/km²)
Congressional district	10th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.lincolncounty.org

Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 78,265. Its county seat is Lincolnton. Lincoln County is included in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The county was formed in 1779 from the eastern part of Tryon County. It was named for Benjamin Lincoln, a general in the American Revolutionary War.

In 1782 the southeastern part of Burke County was annexed to Lincoln County. In 1841 parts of Lincoln County and Rutherford County were combined to form Cleveland County. In 1842 the northern third of Lincoln County became Catawba County. In 1846 the southern half of what was left of Lincoln County became Gaston County.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 307 square miles (800 km²), of which 298 square miles (770 km²) is land and 9.1 square miles (24 km²) (3.0%) is water.

As of the census of 2010, there were 78,265 people, 30,343 households, and 22,221 families residing in the county. The population density was 261.76 people per square mile (101/km²). There were 33,641 housing units at an average density of 112.51 per square mile (43.46/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.4% White, 5.5% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.7% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. 6.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.