Covington County, Alabama

Covington County
County
The Covington County Courthouse in Andalusia
Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
Alabama's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 31°14′31″N86°27′09″W / 31.2419°N 86.4525°W / 31.2419; -86.4525
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Founded	December 17, 1821
Named for	Leonard Covington
Seat	Andalusia
Largest city	Andalusia
Area
• Total	1,044 sq mi (2,700 km2)
• Land	1,030 sq mi (2,700 km2)
• Water	13 sq mi (30 km2)  1.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	37,570
• Estimate  (2023)	37,952
• Density	36/sq mi (14/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.covcounty.com
County Number 23 on Alabama Licence Plates

Covington County (briefly Jones County) is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the population was 37,570. ^[1] Its county seat is Andalusia. ^[2] Its name is in honor of Brigadier General Leonard Covington of Maryland ^[3] and Mississippi, who died in the War of 1812.

History

Covington County was established on December 17, 1821. The Alabama state legislature changed the name to Jones County on August 6, 1868. Two months later on October 10, 1868, the original name was restored. ^[4]

The county was declared a disaster area in September 1979 due to damage from Hurricane Frederic and again in October 1995 due to Hurricane Opal.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,044 square miles (2,700 km²), of which 1,030 square miles (2,700 km²) is land and 13 square miles (34 km²) (1.3%) is water. ^[5] The county is located in the Gulf Coastal Plain region of the state. It is drained by the Conecuh and Yellow rivers. ^[6]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 29
• U.S. Highway 84
• U.S. Highway 331
• State Route 52
• State Route 54
• State Route 55
• State Route 100
• State Route 134
• State Route 137

Transit

• Covington Area Transit System (CATS) provides demand-response service.

Adjacent counties

• Butler County (north)
• Crenshaw County (north)
• Coffee County (east)
• Geneva County (east)
• Walton County, Florida (southeast)
• Okaloosa County, Florida (southwest)
• Escambia County (west)
• Conecuh County (west)

National protected area

• Conecuh National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1830	1,522		—
1840	2,435		60.0%
1850	3,645		49.7%
1860	6,469		77.5%
1870	4,868		−24.7%
1880	5,639		15.8%
1890	7,536		33.6%
1900	15,346		103.6%
1910	32,124		109.3%
1920	38,103		18.6%
1930	41,356		8.5%
1940	42,417		2.6%
1950	40,373		−4.8%
1960	35,631		−11.7%
1970	34,079		−4.4%
1980	36,850		8.1%
1990	36,478		−1.0%
2000	37,631		3.2%
2010	37,765		0.4%
2020	37,570		−0.5%
2023 (est.)	37,952	[7]	1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [8] 1790–1960 [9] 1900–1990 [10] 1990–2000 [11] 2010–2020 [1]

2020 census

Covington County, Alabama –– Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000 [12]	Pop 2010 [13]	Pop 2020 [14]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	32,247	31,751	30,657	85.69%	84.08%	81.60%
Black or African American alone (NH)	4,618	4,685	4,563	12.27%	12.41%	12.15%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	180	196	140	0.48%	0.52%	0.37%
Asian alone (NH)	64	148	240	0.17%	0.39%	0.64%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	3	1	0	0.01%	0.00%	0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	11	13	71	0.03%	0.03%	0.19%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	216	488	1,245	0.57%	1.29%	3.31%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	292	483	654	0.78%	1.28%	1.74%
Total	37,631	37,765	37,570	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the census of 2020, there were 37,570 people, 14,852 households, and 9,924 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the census ^[15] of 2010, there were 37,765 people, 15,531 households, and 10,791 families living in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile (14 people/km²). There were 18,829 housing units at an average density of 18 units per square mile (6.9 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.8% White, 12.5% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. 1.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,531 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.4 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,852, and the median income for a family was $43,468. Males had a median income of $32,463 versus $26,241 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,822. About 15.7% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.3% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2012 ^[update] the largest self-reported European ancestry group in Covington County is English with 41.2% of people in Covington County citing that they were of English descent. They were followed by people who wrote that they were of "American" ancestry, who made up 16.0% of Covington county. Irish was the third largest self-reported European ancestry with 14.5% of people in the county writing that they were of Irish descent.

2000 census

As of the census ^[16] of 2000, there were 37,631 people, 15,640 households, and 10,791 families living in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile (14 people/km²). There were 18,578 housing units at an average density of 18 units per square mile (6.9 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.2% White, 12.4% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.2% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. 0.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,640 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,336, and the median income for a family was $33,201. Males had a median income of $27,453 versus $19,640 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,365. About 14.1% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 19.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Covington County is reliably Republican at the presidential level. The last Democrat to win the county in a presidential election is Jimmy Carter, who won it by a majority in 1976.

United States presidential election results for Covington County, Alabama ^[17]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	14,586	83.68%	2,721	15.61%	123	0.71%
2016	13,267	83.23%	2,387	14.97%	286	1.79%
2012	12,153	78.72%	3,158	20.45%	128	0.83%
2008	12,444	78.82%	3,240	20.52%	103	0.65%
2004	11,119	76.02%	3,423	23.40%	85	0.58%
2000	8,961	65.83%	4,440	32.62%	212	1.56%
1996	6,035	50.66%	4,543	38.13%	1,335	11.21%
1992	6,840	48.99%	5,004	35.84%	2,118	15.17%
1988	8,130	67.34%	3,845	31.85%	98	0.81%
1984	9,944	71.63%	3,812	27.46%	127	0.91%
1980	7,014	51.54%	6,305	46.33%	289	2.12%
1976	4,977	40.71%	7,081	57.93%	166	1.36%
1972	9,278	85.27%	1,547	14.22%	56	0.51%
1968	831	6.33%	791	6.03%	11,506	87.64%
1964	7,554	82.33%	0	0.00%	1,621	17.67%
1960	2,047	26.16%	5,744	73.42%	33	0.42%
1956	2,257	30.13%	4,887	65.25%	346	4.62%
1952	1,581	24.11%	4,956	75.57%	21	0.32%
1948	154	5.25%	0	0.00%	2,782	94.75%
1944	256	7.92%	2,972	91.98%	3	0.09%
1940	186	3.86%	4,635	96.08%	3	0.06%
1936	167	3.76%	4,265	95.91%	15	0.34%
1932	99	2.49%	3,855	97.15%	14	0.35%
1928	1,681	45.60%	2,000	54.26%	5	0.14%
1924	156	7.54%	1,776	85.88%	136	6.58%
1920	548	20.65%	2,039	76.83%	67	2.52%
1916	305	14.03%	1,738	79.94%	131	6.03%
1912	110	6.47%	1,251	73.54%	340	19.99%
1908	315	21.18%	1,054	70.88%	118	7.94%
1904	310	23.24%	907	67.99%	117	8.77%

Communities

Cities

• Andalusia (county seat)
• Opp

Towns

• Babbie
• Carolina
• Florala
• Gantt
• Heath
• Horn Hill
• Libertyville
• Lockhart
• Onycha
• Red Level
• River Falls
• Sanford

Unincorporated communities

• Antioch
• Beck
• Beda
• Brooks
• Chapel Hill
• Estothel
• Fairfield
• Falco
• Green Bay
• Huckaville
• Loango
• McRae
• Opine
• Rome
• Rose Hill
• South
• Straughn
• Wiggins
• Wing

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Covington County, Alabama
• Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in Covington County, Alabama
• Covington County Website

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  94.
4. Owen, Thomas McAdory (1921). History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography. Vol. I. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. p. 429.
5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
6. Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). "Covington. I. A S. county of Alabama"  . The American Cyclopædia .
7. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
10. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
12. "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Covington County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau .
13. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Covington County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau .
14. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Covington County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau .
15. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved July 19, 2015.
16. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
17. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections" . Retrieved November 16, 2016.

31°14′31″N86°27′09″W / 31.24194°N 86.45250°W / 31.24194; -86.45250