Bladen County was formed in 1734 as Bladen Precinct of Bath County, from New Hanover Precinct.[5] It was named for Martin Bladen, a member of the Board of Trade.[6] With the abolition of Bath County in 1739, all of its constituent precincts became counties.
Bladen's original residents included the Waccamaw people.[7][5]
Bladen County began as a vast territory, with indefinite northern and western boundaries. Reductions in its extent began in 1750, when its western part became Anson County. In 1754 the northern part of what was left of Bladen County became Cumberland County. In 1764 the southern part of what remained of Bladen County was combined with part of New Hanover County to form Brunswick County. In 1787 the western part of the now much smaller county became Robeson County. Finally, in 1808 the southern part of Bladen County was combined with part of Brunswick County to form Columbus County.
Bladen County is considered the "mother county" of North Carolina because of the 100 counties in North Carolina, 55 of them at one point belonged to Bladen County.
Geography
Interactive map of Bladen County
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 887 square miles (2,300 km2), of which 874 square miles (2,260 km2) is land and 13 square miles (34 km2) (1.4%) is water.[8] It is the fourth-largest county in North Carolina by land area.[9]
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 29,606 people, 13,636 households, and 8,691 families residing in the county.
Between 2010 and 2020, Bladen County experienced a population decline of 15.9 percent.[19]
2000 census
As of the census[20] of 2000, there were 32,278 people, 12,897 households, and 8,937 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile (14/km2). There were 15,316 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 57.22% White, 37.91% Black or African American, 2.04% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.97% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 3.71% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
By 2005 55.8% of the population of Bladen County was non-Hispanic whites. 36.8% of the population was African-American. 5.0% of the population of was Latino. 2.3% of the population was Native American.
There were 12,897 households, out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.90% were married couples living together, 15.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.70% were non-families. 27.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.60% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,877, and the median income for a family was $33,974. Males had a median income of $27,799 versus $21,973 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,735. About 16.60% of families and 21.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.70% of those under age 18 and 24.20% of those age 65 or over.
Government and politics
Government
Bladen County is a member of the Lumber River Council of Governments, a regional planning board representing five counties.[21]
It lies within the bounds of North Carolina's 15th Prosecutorial District, the 13A Superior Court District, and the 13th District Court District.[22]
Politics
Historical presidential election returns
United States presidential election results for Bladen County, North Carolina[23]
Following the 2018 United States Midterm Elections, an investigation was opened into accusations of an absentee ballot fraud scheme directed by McCrae Dowless in Bladen County, within North Carolina's 9th Congressional District. Accusations were based around the Republican Primary election, in which Mark Harris defeated incumbent Robert Pittenger, and around the general election, in which Harris initially appeared to defeat Democrat Dan McCready. As of December 2018[update], the investigation is currently ongoing.[24][25] Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman, Democrat, said it was possible over 1,000 ballots had been destroyed.[26] According to District Attorney Jon David, Republican, the county has a "troubled history of political groups exploiting the use of absentee ballots."[27] The scandal brought national media attention to Bladen.[28]
As of 2022, Bladen County is home to about 22,000 registered voters, comprising about 9,700 registered Democrats, about 5,100 Republicans, and about 7,000 unaffiliated voters.[29]
Healthcare
Bladen County is served by a single hospital, Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, based in Elizabethtown.[30] According to the 2022 County Health Rankings produced by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, Bladen County ranked 85th in health outcomes of North Carolina's 100 counties, an improvement of 10 ranks over the previous five years. Per the ranking, 26 percent of adults say they are in poor or fair health, the average life expectancy is 75 years, and 16 percent of people under the age of 65 lack health insurance. It has one primary care physician per 4,670 residents.[31]
Economy
Agriculture constitutes a major part of Bladen County's economy.[28]Smithfield Foods operates a pork processing facility north of the town of Tar Heel, the largest such plant in the world.[32] It employs 5,800 workers, making it the county's largest employer.[33] The county is the largest producer of blueberries in the state. Area farmers also grow soybeans, peanuts, corn, wheat, and cotton.[28] The county suffers from a large poverty rate and is one of the most economically-distressed counties in the state.[9] According to census figures, about 70 percent of working people in Bladen are employed outside the county.[34]
Communities
Map of Bladen County, North Carolina, with municipal and township labels
United States
North Carolina
Geographic data related to 
Bladen County, North Carolina
