According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 49,063 people, 18,267 households, and 13,060 families residing in the county. The population density was 60 people per square mile. There were 20,520 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 58.67% White, 28.94% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 10.87% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 15.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 18,267 households out of which 33.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.20% were married couples living together, 14.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.10. In the county, the population was spread out with 26.10% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 22.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,890, and the median income for a family was $34,760. Males had a median income of $26,212 versus $20,063 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,499. About 15.30% of families and 19.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.50% of those under age 18 and 22.70% of those age 65 or over.
Duplin County is important in raising animals for food. It has more hogs than any other county in the United States—2.2 million in 1998, which is greater than the hog population of most states. The county is also the home to a major chicken and turkey industry. Duplin is also home to Duplin Winery, the oldest winery in North Carolina and the largest winery in the Southeast.
Transportation
Major highways
Airports
The following public-use airports are located in the county:
The fictional North Carolina hamlet of Tim's Creek, from Randall Kenan's early short stories in "A Visitation of Spirits" and "Let the Dead Bury Their Dead," is based loosely on Chinquapin, North Carolina. Duplin County was featured in the 2017 documentary What the Health for the impact its livestock industry has on health. A scene from Iron Man 3 was filmed in Rose Hill. In the movie, Iron Man crash lands in what appears to be the middle of nowhere. The movie refers to the snowy location being in Rose Hill, Tennessee. In actuality, the scene was filmed at Register's Crossroads in Rose Hill, North Carolina. The scene was filmed in the middle of the summer, so the snow was purely movie magic.
