I. ECONOMIC STATUS AND STANDARD OF 



LIVING OF THE COASTAL REGION OF 



NORTH CAROLINA 



Since we are especially concerned in this Survey with the economic welfare 

 of the coastal region of North Carolina, certain quantitative data concerning 

 the twenty-one seaboard counties have been assembled from various sources 

 and are presented in Tables 63 to 67, Appendix. They reflect some of the 

 economic conditions and standard of living as a background for our more 

 detailed consideration of the fisheries. 



Population. North Carolina has been for many years among the States 

 having most rapid increase in population, by reason of its high birth rate and 

 low death rate. The rate of increase in the 21 coastal counties has been 

 slower in recent years than that of the State as a whole, the population being 

 12.4 per cent of that of the whole State in 1920, 10.8 per cent in 1930 and 

 10.2 per cent in 1940. From 1920 to 1940 the population of the United States 

 increased 24.5 per cent, that of North Carolina as a whole 39.6 per cent, that 

 of the 79 non-coastal counties 43.1 per cent, that of the 21 coastal counties 

 increased only 14.5 per cent, and four of the coastal counties declined in 

 population, including Hyde, which is sixth in value of fish production, while 

 four others increased less than 10 per cent including Pamlico, which stands 

 fourth in value of fish production. In the intervening decades, between 1920 

 and 1930, the population of the coastal counties increased 7.8 per cent, while 

 that of the remaining 79 counties of the State increased 26.1 per cent, and 

 between 1930 and 1940 the coastal counties increased 6.2 per cent, the rest 

 of the State 13.5 per cent. These figures of population consistently indicate a 

 general failure of the seaboard counties to hold their increment of population 

 as does the State as a whole, and suggest a general social unattractiveness of 

 the coastal region. This fact is especially true of some of the counties which 

 are actually or potentially among the best for fishing operations. The rural- 

 farm population in 1940 was 48.5 per cent of the whole population of the 

 twenty-one counties and 10.6 per cent of the rural-farm population of the 

 State. The density of population per square mile in 1940 in the twenty-one 

 counties was 36.4; in the whole State, 72.7. 



Agriculture. The main source of livelihood of the region is agriculture, in 

 which the figures of comparison are more favorable to the coastal counties 

 than are those of population. In comparison with the ratio of population of 



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