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. The county seat and largest city is Louisville. 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.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.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.
Major highways
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Adjacent counties
- McDuffie County - north
- Richmond County - northeast
- Burke County - east
- Emanuel County - south
- Johnson County - southwest
- Glascock County - northwest
- Washington County - west
- Warren County - northwest
Communities
Cities
Towns
Census-designated place
Demographics
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | % 2000 | % 2010 | ||
| White alone | 7,215 | 7,015 | 6,834 | 41.79% | 41.44% | 43.50% |
| Black or African American alone | 9,663 | 9,187 | 7,970 | 55.97% | 54.26% | 50.74% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone | 21 | 18 | 21 | 0.12% | 0.11% | 0.13% |
| Asian alone | 27 | 64 | 70 | 0.16% | 0.38% | 0.45% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone | 16 | 13 | 25 | 0.09% | 0.08% | 0.16% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial | 64 | 114 | 327 | 0.37% | 0.67% | 2.08% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 259 | 517 | 462 | 1.50% | 3.05% | 2.94% |
| Total | 17,266 | 16,930 | 15,709 | 100.00% | 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.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.
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.
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%.
Education
There is one school district in the county: Jefferson County School District, which has its boundaries paralleling that of the county.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. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Jefferson County is part of District 132.