Peach County, Georgia

Peach County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,981. Its county seat is Fort Valley. Founded in 1924, it is the state's newest county, taken from Houston and Macon counties on July 18 of that year. Its namesake is the peach on account of it being located in a peach-growing district.
Peach County is included in the Warner Robins, GA metropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Macon-Warner Robins, GA combined statistical area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It is the fifth-smallest county in Georgia by area.
The majority of Peach County is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. A small portion of the northern edge of the county, north of Byron, is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The very western tip of Peach County is located in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin.

Major highways

Cities

Byron
Fort Valley
Warner Robins
Perry
Demographics

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2000	Pop 2010		% 2000	% 2010
White alone	11,654	12,499	12,119	49.24%	45.13%	43.31%
Black or African American alone	10,682	12,647	12,139	45.13%	45.67%	43.38%
Native American or Alaska Native alone	66	59	63	0.28%	0.21%	0.23%
Asian alone	77	222	194	0.33%	0.80%	0.69%
Pacific Islander alone	8	8	6	0.03%	0.03%	0.02%
Other race alone	21	26	98	0.09%	0.09%	0.35%
Mixed race or Multiracial	162	344	815	0.68%	1.24%	2.91%
Hispanic or Latino	998	1,890	2,547	4.22%	6.82%	9.10%
Total	23,668	27,695	27,981	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 27,981, and 60.0% of residents lived in urban areas while 40.0% lived in rural areas. The median age was 39.1 years; 21.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.2% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.1 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 44.7% White, 43.7% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.3% from some other race, and 5.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 9.1% of the population.
There were 10,693 households, including 6,596 families; 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 33.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.2% of households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 11,991 housing units, of which 10.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 64.9% were owner-occupied and 35.1% were renter-occupied, and the homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% while the rental vacancy rate was 8.5%.

Education

It is in the Peach County School District. Peach County High School is the comprehensive high school.

Politics

As of the 2020s, Peach County is a swing county, voting 52.8% for Donald Trump in 2024. Since the 1990s, Peach County has been a bellwether, usually voting for the winning candidate in United States presidential elections. It has voted for the national winner in six of the past eight elections, only picking the national loser in 2000 and 2020. Before this, Peach County voted for the Democratic candidate in most elections during the 20th century, often by large margins.
For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Peach County is part of Georgia's 2nd congressional district, currently represented by Sanford Bishop. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Peach County is part of District 18. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Peach County is part of districts 134, 147 and 150.