Person County is a county in North Carolina, United States, in the north-central Piedmont near the Virginia border, about 30 miles north of Durham. It had a population of 39,097 at the 2020 census, an estimated 40,636 by 2025, and covers 404 square miles (1,047 km2) centred near 36°23′N 78°58′W.
Roxboro is the county seat and its only incorporated city; its postal code is 27573. The county holds 1 incorporated city, 1 census-designated place and 31 unincorporated communities across 9 townships, and it runs on Eastern Time.
Towns & Villages in Person County
Person County has 33 named places on record: one incorporated city, one census-designated place that also reaches into Durham County, and 31 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with no formal boundary.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roxboro | City · seat | Roxboro | 8,134 | 27573 |
| Rougemont | CDP | — | 1,001 | — |
| Ai | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Allens Level | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Allensville | Unincorp. | Allensville | — | — |
| Bethel Hill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Brooksdale | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bushy Fork | Unincorp. | Bushy Fork | — | — |
| Ca-Vel | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ceffo | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Concord | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cunningham | Unincorp. | Cunningham | — | — |
| Denny Store | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Five Forks | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Gentry Store | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Gordonton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hesters Store | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hurdle Mills | Unincorp. | — | — | 27541 |
| Longhurst | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Longs Store | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Moriah | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mount Tirzah | Unincorp. | Mount Tirzah | — | — |
| Olive Hill | Unincorp. | Olive Hill | — | — |
| Paynes Tavern | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Peeds Store | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Roseville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Semora | Unincorp. | — | — | 27343 |
| Somerset | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Surl | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Timberlake | Unincorp. | — | — | 27583 |
| Triple Springs | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Whitt Town | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Woodsdale | Unincorp. | Woodsdale | — | — |
Rougemont is mostly a Durham County place — its CDP boundary reaches north only as far as the Flat River, taking in a slice of southern Person County, so its 1,001 residents are overwhelmingly Durham County residents, not Person County ones. Semora sits the same way in reverse: the community is mostly in Caswell County, with only its eastern edge in Person, which is why it carries a Caswell-area ZIP code rather than a Roxboro one.
Townships
Person County is divided into nine civil townships, a holdover unit still used for some record-keeping. Population figures below are from the 2010 census, the most recent year townships were tabulated separately; the county has not been re-divided since.
| Township | Pop. (2010) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Flat River | 7,137 | — |
| Allensville | 3,136 | Allensville |
| Bushy Fork | 2,516 | Bushy Fork |
| Cunningham | 1,770 | Cunningham |
| Holloway | — | — |
| Mount Tirzah | — | Mount Tirzah |
| Olive Hill | — | Olive Hill |
| Roxboro | — | Roxboro |
| Woodsdale | — | Woodsdale |
ZIP Codes
- 27573 — Roxboro (west side)
- 27574 — Roxboro (east side)
- 27583 — Timberlake
- 27541 — Hurdle Mills
- 27343 — Semora (a Caswell County ZIP that also covers Person’s edge of the community)
Every other community on the list above has no ZIP code of its own; mail there is delivered under one of Roxboro’s two codes.
Geography
Person County sits in North Carolina’s north-central Piedmont, a belt of rolling hills and hardwood forest running along the Virginia line. Of its 404 square miles, about 392 are land and 12 are water, roughly 3 percent — the county’s largest reservoir, Mayo Lake, and the smaller Hyco Lake both sit on former Roanoke River tributaries dammed for Duke Energy’s power stations. The Flat River, a tributary of the Neuse basin, drains the county’s southeastern corner near Rougemont and Timberlake.
Halifax County, Virginia, lies directly north across the state line. Granville County borders to the east, Durham County and Orange County lie to the south, and Caswell County borders to the west.
Demographics
Person County had a population of 39,097 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the county near 40,636 residents. Roxboro is by far the largest community, holding about a fifth of the county’s population inside its 7-square-mile city limits; every other named place on the list is unincorporated. Median household income runs $63,300 (2024 ACS via Data USA), below North Carolina’s statewide figure of $70,804 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 100 people per square mile of land, low even by rural Piedmont standards.
Economy & Local Life
Health care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 3,162 people, followed by manufacturing at 2,612 and retail trade at 1,865. Person Memorial Hospital, part of LifePoint Health, is the county’s largest health care employer and sits in Roxboro. Duke Energy runs power operations tied to Mayo Lake and Hyco Lake; Eaton Corporation, Georgia-Pacific, Polywood and Spuntech round out the county’s manufacturing base, alongside Person County Schools as a major public employer. Tobacco processing and textile manufacturing were the county’s historic industries before this shift toward health care and diversified manufacturing. The county’s biggest annual event is the Personality Festival in downtown Roxboro each October, a street fair drawing vendors and visitors from across the region.
History
North Carolina’s General Assembly formed Person County in 1792, carving it out of Caswell County. It was named for Thomas Person, a Revolutionary War brigadier general and patriot who had earlier represented the area in the colonial and state legislatures. Roxboro was incorporated as the county seat on 9 January 1855, taking its name from Roxburgh, Scotland.
In 1941, a mob of roughly 500 people gathered at the Person County courthouse in an attempt to lynch Cy Winstead, a 22-year-old Black man held there. Local authorities stopped the lynching, and ten men were later indicted for inciting a riot in connection with the incident.
Getting There
No interstate crosses Person County directly; Interstate 85 is the nearest, about 29 miles south in Durham. US 501 and US 158 run through the county, along with NC 49, NC 57 and NC 157.
- Durham — about 30 miles south
- Chapel Hill — about 32 miles south
- Danville, Virginia — about 27 miles northwest
Raleigh-Durham International Airport, about 42 miles south of Roxboro, is the nearest major commercial airport; Piedmont Triad International Airport, 82 miles southwest, is a second option. A general-aviation airport sits six miles south of Roxboro on US 501. Person County has no Amtrak station; the nearest stop is in Durham.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Person County located?
It sits in North Carolina’s north-central Piedmont on the Virginia border, about 30 miles north of Durham, bordered by Halifax County (Virginia), Granville, Durham, Orange and Caswell counties.
What is the population of Person County?
39,097 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 40,636.
How big is Person County?
404 square miles (1,047 km2), of which about 392 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Person County?
Roxboro, incorporated in 1855, is the county seat and the only incorporated city.
How many towns and villages are in Person County?
One incorporated city, Roxboro; one census-designated place, Rougemont, shared with Durham County; and 31 unincorporated communities, including Timberlake, Hurdle Mills, Semora and Bushy Fork.
What ZIP codes does Person County use?
27573 and 27574 for Roxboro, 27583 for Timberlake, 27541 for Hurdle Mills, and 27343 for Semora.
What is Person County known for?
Mayo Lake and Hyco Lake, Duke Energy’s power operations, and the Personality Festival held in Roxboro every October.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in North Carolina.