About Iredell County
Iredell County was incorporated in 1788 when it was formed from adjacent Rowan County. It is named for Judge James Iredell (1751-1799), Attorney General of North Carolina during the Revolutionary War and a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1788. The name Iredell, originally Eyredale, dates back to year 1066 to the Battle of Hastings, and it means "a valley of flowing air."
The county seat of Statesville, established in 1789, is approximately 45 miles north of Charlotte, and approximately 130 miles west of Raleigh, the state capital. Lake Norman, the nation's largest manmade lake by surface area, extends into the southwest portion of the county with approximately 520 miles of shoreline.
Iredell County is in the central section of the state and is bounded by Rowan, Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, Lincoln, Catawba, Alexander, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Davie counties. The present land area is 574.13 square miles and the 2012 population was 162,708.
Topography
The county is dominated by ridges separated by creeks in the valleys. The Brushy Mountains intrude into the northwest corner and include Fox Mountain, with the county's highest elevation of 1,760 feet. The lowest point is 700 feet above sea level, where the South Yadkin River crosses the county line and flows eastward along the Davie-Rowan border. At the old courthouse (Iredell County Government Center) is the center of Statesville, where the elevation is 926 feet.
The soil is loamy, a mixture of sand and clay which varies in its proportions from one section of the county to another, depending on the indigenous mineral structure. To be agriculturally productive, the Iredell soil must be chemically supplemented. The county is, however, naturally well drained and watered by the venation of its numerous creeks.
The county seat of Statesville, established in 1789, is approximately 45 miles north of Charlotte, and approximately 130 miles west of Raleigh, the state capital. Lake Norman, the nation's largest manmade lake by surface area, extends into the southwest portion of the county with approximately 520 miles of shoreline.
Iredell County is in the central section of the state and is bounded by Rowan, Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, Lincoln, Catawba, Alexander, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Davie counties. The present land area is 574.13 square miles and the 2012 population was 162,708.
Topography
The county is dominated by ridges separated by creeks in the valleys. The Brushy Mountains intrude into the northwest corner and include Fox Mountain, with the county's highest elevation of 1,760 feet. The lowest point is 700 feet above sea level, where the South Yadkin River crosses the county line and flows eastward along the Davie-Rowan border. At the old courthouse (Iredell County Government Center) is the center of Statesville, where the elevation is 926 feet.
The soil is loamy, a mixture of sand and clay which varies in its proportions from one section of the county to another, depending on the indigenous mineral structure. To be agriculturally productive, the Iredell soil must be chemically supplemented. The county is, however, naturally well drained and watered by the venation of its numerous creeks.
Climate
- Annual average temperature: 60.1° F
- Annual average precipitation: 54.76"
- Average frost-free days: 212
- Rainfall: 47"
- Snowfall: 9.1"
- Average relative humidity: 70%
County Holidays
- New Year's Day
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Good Friday
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Veterans Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving Day and following Friday
- Christmas (2 or 3 days)
Iredell County Information Links
- U.S. Census Bureau - Iredell County Demographics - data on population, immigration, business, income, environment
- Iredell County NCGenWeb - genealogical, historical information and queries
Neighboring Areas
- Northeast: Yadkin County, Davie County
- Southeast: Rowan County, Cabarrus County
- South: Mecklenburg County
- Southwest: Lincoln County, Catawba County
- Northwest: Alexander County, Wilkes County
Iredell County North Carolina QuickFacts
People QuickFacts | Iredell County | North Carolina |
---|---|---|
Population, July 1, 2022 estimate | 195,897 | 10,698,973 |
Population, 2020 (April 1) estimates base | 186,699 | 10,439,414 |
Population,% change, April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022 | 4.9% | 2.5% |
Population, April 1, 2010 | 159,437 | 9,535,483 |
Persons under 5 years,% | 5.3% | 5.6% |
Persons under 18 years,% | 22.5% | 21.8% |
Persons 65 years and over,% | 16.2% | 17.0% |
Female persons,% | 50.5% | 51.1% |
Ethnicity | Iredell County | North Carolina |
---|---|---|
White alone, percent (a) | 81.8% | 70.1% |
Black or African American alone, percent (a) | 12.5% | 22.3% |
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent (a) | 0.6% | 1.6% |
Asian alone, percent (a) | 2.7% | 3.4% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent (a) | 0.1% | 0.1% |
Persons reporting two or more races, percent | 2.3% | 2.5% |
Persons of Hispanic or Latino Origin, percent (b) | 8.5% | 10.2% |
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent | 74.6% | 61.9% |
Households & Education | Iredell County | North Carolina |
---|---|---|
Living in same house 1 year and over, percent, 2017-2021 | 87.0% | 85.9% |
Language other than English spoken at home, percent age 5+, 2017-2021 | 9.6% | 12.1% |
High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25+, 2017-2021 | 91.1% | 89.0% |
Bachelor's degree or higher, percent of persons age 25+, 2017-2021 | 31.6% | 33.0% |
Veterans, 2017-2021 | 9,733 | 637,790 |
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2017-2021 | 25.4 | 25.0 |
Households & Income | Iredell County | North Carolina |
---|---|---|
Housing units, July 1, 2021 | 81,511 | 4,801,712 |
Home ownership rate, 2017-2021 | 71.8% | 65.9% |
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2017-2021 | $220,800 | $197,500 |
Households, 2017-2021 | 70,654 | 4,034,684 |
Persons per household, 2017-2021 | 2.59 | 2.50 |
Per capita income in the past 12 months (in 2021 dollars), 2017-2021 | $37,667 | $34,209 |
Median household income (in 2021 dollars), 2017-2021 | $66,824 | $60,516 |
Persons in poverty, percent | 9.5% | 13.4% |
Economy | Iredell County | North Carolina |
---|---|---|
In civilian labor force, total, percent of population age 16 years+, 2017-2021 | 64.9% | 61.4% |
In civilian labor force, female, percent of population age 16 years+, 2017-2021 | 58.0% | 57.6% |
Total accommodation and food services sales, 2017 ($1,000) (c) | 393,446 | 24,912,995 |
Total health care and social assistance receipts/revenue, 2017 ($1,000) (c) | 964,900 | 72,732,275 |
Total transportation & warehousing receipts/revenue, 2017 ($1,000) (c) | 226,104 | 16,823,524 |
Total retail sales, 2017 ($1,000) (c) | 2,770,125 | 141,134,258 |
Total retail sales per capita, 2012 (c) | $15,769 | $13,735 |
Geography | Iredell County | North Carolina |
---|---|---|
Land area, 2020 (square miles) | 574.41 | 48,623.02 |
Population per square mile, 2020 | 325.0 | 214.7 |
FIPS Code | 37097 | 37 |
(a) Includes persons reporting only 1 race.
(b) Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories
(c) Economic Census - Puerto Rico data are not comparable to U.S. Economic Census data.
Source U.S. Census Bureau: State and County QuickFacts. QuickFacts data are derived from: Population Estimates, American Community Survey, Census of Population and Housing, Current Population Survey, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, State and County Housing Unit Estimates, County Business Patterns, Nonemployer Statistics, Economic Census, Survey of Business Owners, Building Permits.
Browse more data sets for Iredell County, North Carolina.