Lee County, North Carolina

Lee County
Lee County
County
	Lee County Courthouse
	Flag Seal
	Motto: "Committed Today for a Better Tomorrow"
	Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
	North Carolina's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 35°29′N 79°10′W / 35.48°N 79.17°W
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Founded	March 6, 1907
Named for	Robert E. Lee
Seat	Sanford
Largest community	Sanford
Area
• Total	259.20 sq mi (671.3 km2)
• Land	255.06 sq mi (660.6 km2)
• Water	4.14 sq mi (10.7 km2) 1.60%
Population (2020)
• Total	63,285
• Estimate (2023)	67,059
• Density	281.2/sq mi (108.6/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	9th
Website	www.leecountync.gov

Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 63,285.^[1] The county seat is Sanford.^[2]

Lee County comprises the Sanford, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is a part of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC Combined Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 2,368,947 in 2023.^[3]^[4]

History

Lee County was established on March 6, 1907, from parts of Chatham and Moore counties, and named for General Robert E. Lee, who served as the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate States in 1865.^[5]

Geography

Interactive map of Lee County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 259.20 square miles (671.3 km²), of which 255.06 square miles (660.6 km²) is land and 4.14 square miles (10.7 km²) (1.60%) is water.^[6]

State and local protected areas

Lee Game Land (part)^[7]
White Pines Nature Preserve (part)

Major water bodies

Adjacent counties

Chatham County – north
Harnett County – southeast
Moore County – southwest

Major highways

Major infrastructure

Raleigh Executive Jetport

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	11,376		—
1920	13,400		17.8%
1930	16,996		26.8%
1940	18,743		10.3%
1950	23,522		25.5%
1960	26,561		12.9%
1970	30,467		14.7%
1980	36,718		20.5%
1990	41,374		12.7%
2000	49,040		18.5%
2010	57,866		18.0%
2020	63,285		9.4%
2023 (est.)	67,059	^[1]	6.0%
U.S. Decennial Census^[8] 1790–1960^[9] 1900–1990^[10] 1990–2000^[11] 2010^[12] 2020^[1]

2020 census

Lee County racial composition^[13]
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	36,055	56.97%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	10,701	16.91%
Native American	231	0.37%
Asian	643	1.02%
Pacific Islander	43	0.07%
Other/Mixed	2,490	3.93%
Hispanic or Latino	13,122	20.73%

As of the 2020 census, there were 63,285 people, 21,894 households, and 15,223 families residing in the county.

2000 census

At the 2000 census,^[14] there were 49,040 people, 18,466 households, and 13,369 families residing in the county. The population density was 191 people per square mile (74 people/km²). There were 19,909 housing units at an average density of 77 units per square mile (30 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 70.03% White, 20.46% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 7.33% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 11.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. By 2005 14.2% of the County population was Latino. 20.2% of the population was African-American. 64.2% of the population was non-Hispanic whites.

In 2000 there were 18,466 households, out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% were married couples living together, 13.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.05. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.70% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 29.70% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $38,900, and the median income for a family was $45,373. Males had a median income of $32,780 versus $23,660 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,147. About 9.80% of families and 12.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.50% of those under age 18 and 12.20% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Lee is a typical "Solid South" county in terms of voting patterns. From its first election in 1908 it voted Democratic by large margins until 1968, except in the 1928 election when anti-Prohibition Catholic Al Smith held the county by single digits. In 1968, Lee's Democratic streak was broken when its electorate chose the American Independent candidate George Wallace. After 1972, Lee has voted Republican in every election except for Jimmy Carter's two elections in 1976 and 1980.

United States presidential election results for Lee County, North Carolina^[15]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	16,469	56.77%	12,143	41.86%	396	1.37%
2016	13,712	54.66%	10,469	41.74%	903	3.60%
2012	13,158	54.28%	10,801	44.56%	280	1.16%
2008	12,775	53.70%	10,784	45.33%	229	0.96%
2004	11,834	60.55%	7,657	39.18%	52	0.27%
2000	9,406	57.77%	6,785	41.67%	92	0.57%
1996	7,321	50.04%	6,290	42.99%	1,019	6.97%
1992	6,658	45.42%	5,852	39.92%	2,149	14.66%
1988	7,104	62.47%	4,231	37.21%	36	0.32%
1984	8,198	67.47%	3,925	32.30%	28	0.23%
1980	4,847	45.84%	5,426	51.31%	301	2.85%
1976	3,691	41.80%	5,104	57.80%	36	0.41%
1972	5,836	72.71%	2,024	25.22%	166	2.07%
1968	2,586	29.32%	2,524	28.61%	3,711	42.07%
1964	2,753	36.79%	4,730	63.21%	0	0.00%
1960	2,563	35.42%	4,673	64.58%	0	0.00%
1956	1,948	31.88%	4,163	68.12%	0	0.00%
1952	2,105	30.99%	4,688	69.01%	0	0.00%
1948	871	20.03%	3,234	74.38%	243	5.59%
1944	808	18.98%	3,448	81.02%	0	0.00%
1940	527	12.52%	3,682	87.48%	0	0.00%
1936	670	15.25%	3,723	84.75%	0	0.00%
1932	681	18.15%	3,058	81.50%	13	0.35%
1928	1,416	45.23%	1,715	54.77%	0	0.00%
1924	710	27.80%	1,834	71.81%	10	0.39%
1920	1,143	32.94%	2,327	67.06%	0	0.00%
1916	573	35.22%	1,054	64.78%	0	0.00%
1912	451	32.85%	862	62.78%	60	4.37%

Lee County is a member of the regional Triangle J Council of Governments. The county is governed by a seven-member board of County Commissioners, elected at large to serve four-year terms. Terms are staggered so that, every two years, three or four Commissioners are up for election. The Commissioners enact policies such as establishment of the property tax rate, regulation of land use and zoning outside municipal jurisdictions, and adoption of the annual budget. Commissioners usually meet on the first and third Mondays of each month.

Communities

Map of Lee County with municipal and township labels

City

Sanford (county seat and largest community)

Town

Broadway

Unincorporated communities

Blacknel
Colon
Cumnock
Lemon Springs
Murchisontown
Osgood
Pocket
Swann Station
Tramway
White Hill

Townships

The county is divided into seven townships, which are both numbered and named:

1 (Greenwood)
2 (Jonesboro)
3 (Cape Fear)
4 (Deep River)
5 (East Sanford)
6 (West Sanford)
7 (Pocket)

Trivia

The area has historically been one of the leading brick manufacturing areas in the United States.
Cotton and tobacco are leading crops in the county.
The county is divided between the Piedmont in the northern part of the county and the Sandhills in the south.
Lee County sits in the middle of the Triassic Basin and has the state's most concentrated reserves of oil and natural gas.
Lee County is also home to the longest covered bridge in North Carolina found along NC 42 near Ole Gilliam Mill Park.^[16]