Catawba County

History

Catawba County, formed in 1842 from Lincoln County, was named after the Catawba River. The word "catawba" is rooted in the Choctaw sound kat'a pa, loosely translated as "to divide or separate, to break." However, scholars are fairly certain that this word was imposed from outside.

The Native Americans who once inhabited the region known as the Catawba people, were considered one of the most powerful Southeastern Siouan-speaking tribes in the Carolina Piedmont. They now live along the border of North Carolina, near the city of Rock Hill, South Carolina. Scots-Irish and German colonial immigrants first settled in the Catawba River valley in the mid-18th century. An official history of the Scots-Irish and German settlement was documented in 1954, by Charles J. Preslar Jr, and more recently by a series of three books by Gary Freeze, called The Catawbans.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 160,610 people, 64,471 households, and 41,861 families residing in the county. The median age was 42.7 years; 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.0% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.7 males.

Of the 64,471 households in the county, 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 47.6% were married-couple households, 18.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 70,744 housing units, of which 8.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 69.2% were owner-occupied and 30.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.5%.

64.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 35.2% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 74.1% White, 8.0% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 4.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.9% from some other race, and 7.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 10.8% of the population.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 154,358 people, 55,533 households, and 39,095 families residing in the county. The population density was 354 people per square mile (137 people/km2). There were 59,919 housing units at an average density of 150 units per square mile (58 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 87.1% White, 8.5% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.1% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, and 1.14% from two or more races, 9.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.