Northampton County, NC
| Northampton County, North Carolina | ||
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 Location in the U.S. state of North Carolina |
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 North Carolina's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1741 | |
| Named for | James Compton, 5th Earl of Northampton | |
| Seat | Jackson | |
| Largest town | Garysburg | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 551 sq mi (1,427 km2) | |
| • Land | 537 sq mi (1,391 km2) | |
| • Water | 14 sq mi (36 km2), 2.5% | |
| Population | ||
| • (2010) | 22,099 | |
| • Density | 41/sq mi (16/km²) | |
| Congressional district | 1st | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www |
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Northampton County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,099. Its county seat is Jackson.
Northampton County is part of the Roanoke Rapids, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Rocky Mount-Wilson-Roanoke Rapids, NC Combined Statistical Area.
The county was formed in 1741 from Bertie County. It was named for James Compton, 5th Earl of Northampton. In 1759 parts of Northampton County, Bertie County, and Chowan County were combined to form Hertford County.
In 1959, the county went to the U.S. Supreme Court to defend the use of a literacy test as a requirement to vote. In Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections, the court held that, provided the tests were applied equally to all races and were not "merely a device to make racial discrimination easy," they were allowable. Congress subsequently prohibited use of such tests under the National Voting Rights Act of 1965.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 551 square miles (1,430 km2), of which 537 square miles (1,390 km2) is land and 14 square miles (36 km2) (2.5%) is water.
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