Dooly County, Georgia


Dooly County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,208. The county seat is Vienna. The county was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on May 15, 1821, and named for Colonel John Dooly, a Georgia American Revolutionary War fighter. It was one of the original landlot counties created from land ceded from the Creek Nation.
The entire county of Crisp and parts of Macon, Pulaski, Turner, Wilcox and Worth counties were formed from Dooly's original borders.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The county is located in the upper Atlantic coastal plain region of the state.
The western two-thirds of Dooly County, from west of Unadilla south to Pinehurst, then to the southeastern corner of the county, is located in the Middle Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin. The northeastern and eastern portion of Dooly County is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The very southeastern corner of the county is located in the Alapaha River sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin.

Major highways

Cities

Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010
White alone 5,1616,4614,61144.78%43.31%41.14%
Black or African American alone 5,6797,3815,54049.28%49.48%49.43%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 1716170.15%0.11%0.15%
Asian alone 4993510.43%0.62%0.46%
Pacific Islander alone 11320.10%0.02%0.02%
Other race alone 56140.04%0.04%0.12%
Mixed race or Multiracial 66961760.57%0.64%1.57%
Hispanic or Latino 5378627974.66%5.78%7.11%
Total11,52514,91811,208100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 11,208. The median age was 43.4 years. 18.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 122.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 127.9 males age 18 and over. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 41.9% White, 49.6% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.0% from some other race, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.1% of the population.
There were 4,047 households in the county, of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 36.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 4,762 housing units, of which 15.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 66.9% were owner-occupied and 33.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.1%.

Economy

The Big Pig Jig, Georgia's official State Barbecue Cooking Championship, is held annually in Fall in Dooly County and attracts a national audience. The county is also notable for cotton and peanut production.

Education

Politics

As of the 2020s, Dooly County is a swing county, voting 53.7% for Donald Trump in 2024. The county flipped in 2016 after voting for every Democratic Party presidential candidate since 1976. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Dooly County is part of Georgia's 2nd congressional district, currently represented by Sanford Bishop. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Dooly County is part of District 20. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Dooly County is part of District 150.

Notable people