Pulaski County, Georgia
Pulaski County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,855. The county seat is Hawkinsville.
History
Pulaski County was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December 13, 1808, from a portion of Laurens County. In the antebellum years, it was developed for cotton cultivation and is part of the Black Belt of Georgia, an arc of highly fertile soil.In 1870, Dodge County was partially created from a section of Pulaski County by another legislative act. In 1912, the northeastern half of Pulaski County was used to create Bleckley County via a constitutional amendment approved by Georgia voters.
The county was named for Count Kazimierz Pułaski of Poland who fought and died for United States independence in the American Revolutionary War.
The county population fell by more than half from 1910 to 1930, as residents moved to cities. African Americans especially joined the Great Migration to northern and midwestern cities, both to gain work and to escape the Jim Crow racial oppression of the South.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The entirety of Pulaski County is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.Major highways
U.S. Route 129 AlternateU.S. Route 129 Business
U.S. Route 341 Business
- State Route 11
- State Route 11 Business
- State Route 26
- State Route 27
- State Route 112
- State Route 230
- State Route 247
- State Route 257
Adjacent counties
- Bleckley County - northeast
- Dodge County - east
- Wilcox County - south
- Dooly County - west
- Houston County - northwest
Communities
City
Unincorporated community
Demographics
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
| White | 6,022 | 61.11% |
| Black or African American | 3,161 | 32.08% |
| Native American | 8 | 0.08% |
| Asian | 92 | 0.93% |
| Pacific Islander | 3 | 0.03% |
| Other/Mixed | 242 | 2.46% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 327 | 3.32% |
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 9,855, with 3,595 households and 2,479 families residing in the county.The median age was 42.9 years. 18.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 73.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 66.8 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 61.9% White, 32.2% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.0% from some other race, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.3% of the population.
There were 3,595 households in the county, of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 33.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 4,281 housing units, of which 16.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 69.5% were owner-occupied and 30.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.9%.
Government and infrastructure
Pulaski County is one of only a handful of counties in Georgia with the sole commissioner form of county government, in which the county is governed by a single elected official. Georgia is the only state that permits this form of government. In 2018, Jenna Mashburn was elected to the office of sole commissioner.The Georgia Department of Corrections operates the Pulaski State Prison in Hawkinsville.