Jefferson County, Georgia

Last updated

Jefferson County, Georgia
County
Jefferson County Courthouse, Louisville, GA, US (09).jpg
County courthouse in Louisville
Map of Georgia highlighting Jefferson County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Coordinates: 33°03′N82°25′W / 33.05°N 82.42°W / 33.05; -82.42
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Georgia (U.S. state).svg Georgia
FoundedFebruary 20, 1796;229 years ago (1796-02-20)
Named after Thomas Jefferson
Seat Louisville
Largest cityLouisville
Area
 • Total
530 sq mi (1,400 km2)
 • Land526 sq mi (1,360 km2)
 • Water3.2 sq mi (8.3 km2)  0.6%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
15,709
 • Estimate 
(2024)
15,019 Decrease2.svg
 • Density29.9/sq mi (11.5/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 12th
Website Jefferson County, Georgia

Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,709. [1] The county seat and largest city is Louisville. [2] The county was created on February 20, 1796, and named for Thomas Jefferson, the main author of the Declaration of Independence who became the third president of the United States. [3]

Contents

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 530 square miles (1,400 km2), of which 526 square miles (1,360 km2) is land and 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2) (0.6%) is water. [4]

The small northern portion of Jefferson County, defined by a line running from Stapleton southeast and just south of State Route 80, is located in the Brier Creek sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. The entire rest of the county is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin. [5]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated place

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1800 5,684—
1810 6,1117.5%
1820 7,05615.5%
1830 7,3093.6%
1840 7,254−0.8%
1850 9,13125.9%
1860 10,21911.9%
1870 12,19019.3%
1880 15,67128.6%
1890 17,2139.8%
1900 18,2125.8%
1910 21,37917.4%
1920 22,6025.7%
1930 20,727−8.3%
1940 20,040−3.3%
1950 18,855−5.9%
1960 17,468−7.4%
1970 17,174−1.7%
1980 18,4037.2%
1990 17,408−5.4%
2000 17,266−0.8%
2010 16,930−1.9%
2020 15,709−7.2%
2024 (est.)15,019 [6] −4.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [7]
1790-1880 [8] 1890-1910 [9]
1920-1930 [10] 1930-1940 [11]
1940-1950 [12] 1960-1980 [13]
1980-2000 [14] 2010 [15] 2020 [16]
Jefferson County, Georgia – 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 [17] Pop 2010 [15] Pop 2020 [16] % 2000% 2010% 2020
White alone (NH)7,2157,0156,83441.79%41.44%43.50%
Black or African American alone (NH)9,6639,1877,97055.97%54.26%50.74%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)2118210.12%0.11%0.13%
Asian alone (NH)2764700.16%0.38%0.45%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)1200.01%0.01%0.00%
Other race alone (NH)1613250.09%0.08%0.16%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)641143270.37%0.67%2.08%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)2595174621.50%3.05%2.94%
Total17,26616,93015,709100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 15,709. The median age was 43.4 years. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.1 males age 18 and over. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas. [18] [19] [20]

The racial makeup of the county was 44.2% White, 50.8% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.7% from some other race, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.9% of the population. [20]

There were 6,170 households, including 3,598 families, in the county, of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 36.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. [19]

There were 7,148 housing units, of which 13.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 66.9% were owner-occupied and 33.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.0%. [19]

Education

There is one school district in the county: Jefferson County School District, which has its boundaries paralleling that of the county. [21]

Politics

The county has been depopulating since 1980, and the Democratic Party vote share has fluctuated since then. Jefferson County leans Democratic in presidential elections; it voted for Democrats in every presidential election from 1992 to 2020. In 2024, Donald Trump became the first Republican since George H. W. Bush in 1988 to carry the county. It is now a Democratic-leaning swing county.

For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Jefferson County is part of Georgia's 12th congressional district, currently represented by Rick Allen. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Jefferson County is part of District 23. [22] For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Jefferson County is part of District 132. [23]

United States presidential election results for Jefferson County, Georgia [24]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
№ %№ %№ %
1912 453.31%89966.15%41530.54%
1916 637.91%58873.87%14518.22%
1920 828.92%83791.08%00.00%
1924 10315.10%50273.61%7711.29%
1928 1,05756.98%79843.02%00.00%
1932 654.23%1,45494.66%171.11%
1936 16811.85%1,23887.31%120.85%
1940 17113.72%1,06885.71%70.56%
1944 27420.80%1,04379.20%00.00%
1948 1377.98%54431.70%1,03560.31%
1952 74433.51%1,47666.49%00.00%
1956 51227.48%1,35172.52%00.00%
1960 98643.71%1,27056.29%00.00%
1964 2,95070.15%1,25329.80%20.05%
1968 1,22723.51%1,90136.43%2,09040.05%
1972 2,77770.11%1,18429.89%00.00%
1976 1,30929.59%3,11570.41%00.00%
1980 1,60532.24%3,30566.39%681.37%
1984 2,99951.57%2,81648.43%00.00%
1988 2,78854.13%2,34645.54%170.33%
1992 2,07734.68%3,22053.77%69211.55%
1996 2,07735.86%3,40458.77%3115.37%
2000 2,55945.98%2,97353.41%340.61%
2004 3,06646.89%3,44752.71%260.40%
2008 3,06142.31%4,14957.35%250.35%
2012 2,99941.08%4,26158.36%410.56%
2016 3,06343.91%3,82154.77%921.32%
2020 3,53746.30%4,05853.12%440.58%
2024 3,76550.24%3,67449.03%550.73%

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Census - Geography Profile: Jefferson County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  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.  168.
  4. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  6. ↑ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
  8. ↑ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
  9. ↑ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
  10. ↑ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
  11. ↑ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
  12. ↑ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
  13. ↑ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
  14. ↑ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
  15. 1 2 "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Jefferson County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  16. 1 2 "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Jefferson County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  17. ↑ "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Jefferson County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  18. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  19. 1 2 3 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  20. 1 2 "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  21. ↑ Geography Division (December 26, 2020). 2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Jefferson County, GA (PDF) (Map). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved May 31, 2025. - Text list
  22. ↑ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  24. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 20, 2018.

33°03′N82°25′W / 33.05°N 82.42°W / 33.05; -82.42

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