Roper, North Carolina

Roper is a town in Washington County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 611 at the 2010 census. It was known as Lee's Mill (named for Thomas Lee) until 1890, when the John L. Roper Lumber Company was established in the town and its name changed to Roper.

Roper, North Carolina
Town
Location of Roper, North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°52′33″N 76°36′54″W
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Washington
Area [1]
• Total	0.86 sq mi (2.22 km^2)
• Land	0.86 sq mi (2.22 km^2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km^2)
Elevation	10 ft (3 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	611
• Estimate  (2019)[2]	539
• Density	629.67/sq mi (242.98/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	27970
Area code(s)	252
FIPS code	37-57740[3]
GNIS feature ID	1022387[4]

Geography

Roper is located at 35°52′33″N 76°36′54″W (35.875877, -76.614905).[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1910	819		—
1920	1,043		27.4%
1930	660		−36.7%
1940	716		8.5%
1950	793		10.8%
1960	771		−2.8%
1970	649		−15.8%
1980	795		22.5%
1990	669		−15.8%
2000	613		−8.4%
2010	611		−0.3%
2019 (est.)	539	[2]	−11.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 613 people, 238 households, and 165 families residing in the town. The population density was 706.9 people per square mile (272.0/km²). There were 268 housing units at an average density of 309.0 per square mile (118.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 20.55% White, 75.20% African American, 3.43% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.06% of the population.

There were 238 households, of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.0% were married couples living together, 28.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were not families. About 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the town, the population was distributed as 29.2% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 75.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 66.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $20,694, and the median income for a family was $25,938. Males had a median income of $19,821 versus $18,846 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,736. About 26.1% of families and 27.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.5% of those under age 18 and 29.8% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
5. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
6. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.

• Modlin, Betsy Burgess Lucas et al. "My Home is Washington County, North Carolina" ISBN 0-9663776-1-3