Volusia County, Florida


Volusia County is a county located in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Florida between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 census, the county was home to 553,543 people, an increase of 11.9% from the 2010 census. It was founded on December 29, 1854, from a portion of Orange County, and was named for the community of Volusia, located in northwestern Volusia County. The original county seat was Enterprise. Since 1887, the county seat has been DeLand. Volusia County is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropolitan statistical area, as well as part of the larger Orlando–Deltona–Daytona Beach Combined statistical area.

Etymology

The origins of the word "Volusia" are unclear, though several theories exist:
  1. The name came from a word meaning "Land of the Euchee", from the Euchee Indians who migrated into the area after the Timucua Indian cultures declined in the early 1700s. The Euchees lived in the area of Spring Gardens, about south of Volusia.
  2. It was named after a British settler named Voluz, who owned a plantation located on the St. Johns River in the late 1700s.
  3. The name originated from the Veluche, the surname of a French or Belgian owner of the trading post in Volusia. According to some, this was during the British regime, and according to others, it was around 1818. Over time, the name Veluche became anglicized to Volusia.
  4. The town was established by and named for Jere Volusia.
  5. The settlement was named by the Spanish after the celebrated Roman jurist Lucius Volusius Maecianus, who wrote 30 books and tutored Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and philosopher.

    History

Volusia County was named after its largest community, Volusia, when the Florida Legislature created it by dividing Orange County on December 29, 1854. At the time, Volusia County had about 600 residents.
The land area of present-day Volusia County was long inhabited by the indigenous Timucua and Mayaca peoples. Neither historic group exists today as distinct ethnic tribes, having been decimated by disease and war in the decades after contact with European traders and settlers. The large shell middens at Tomoka State Park and other evidence of their historic habitation can still be seen in various areas of Volusia County.
During the British occupation of Florida, a colony known as New Smyrna was started in southeast Volusia County by Andrew Turnbull. This colony was connected to St. Augustine, the capital of East Florida, via the Kings Road. After the failure of the colony the settlers, many of whom were ethnic Menorcan and Greek, traveled the to move to St. Augustine.
The Seminole Indians, descendants of the Creek tribe of Alabama and Georgia who resisted forced relocation to Indian Territory, also camped in various parts of Volusia County. During the Second Seminole War, the Seminole burned a large sugar plantation in what is today the city of Daytona Beach.
On the east shore of the St. Johns River in Volusia, in present-day DeBary, General Winfield Scott established a fort/depot in 1836 named Fort Florida.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which are land and are covered by water.
Volusia County is bordered on the west by the St. Johns River and Lake Monroe, and by the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Roughly the size of Rhode Island, Volusia is situated northeast of Orlando, north of the Kennedy Space Center, and south of Jacksonville.

Regions

The Volusia County government divides the county into three regions. This parallels the three calling regions used by BellSouth, the regional phone company:

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had 553,543 residents and a median age of 48.2 years. 17.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 25.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.1 males age 18 and over.
The 2020 census counted 232,301 households and 136,510 families in the county, of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 44.3% were married-couple households, 19.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 272,325 housing units in the county, of which 14.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.8% were owner-occupied and 28.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.9%.
The racial makeup of the county was 72.3% White, 10.4% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.0% from some other race, and 9.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 14.9% of the population.
Of the population, 91.5% lived in urban areas, while 8.5% lived in rural areas.

2016

As of 2016, an estimated 205,310 households were in Volusia County. The total population was 510,806. About 86.8% spoke English as their only language, so 13.2% could speak a language other than English. The largest ancestry groups in the county were English-American at 15.7%, German-American at 12.3%, Irish-American at 11.0% and Italian-American at 7.0%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, 443,343 people, 184,723 households, and 120,069 families were residing in the county. The population density was. The 211,938 housing units averaged 192 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 86.11% White, 9.29% African American, 0.31% Native American, 1.00% Asian, 1.86% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. About 6.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race; ancestry was 13.7% German, 11.5% Irish, 11.2% English, 10.7% American, and 8.7% Italian ancestry.
Of the 184,723 households, 24.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.40% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.00% were not families. About 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32, and the average family size was 2.82.
In the county, the age distribution was 20.30% under 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 22.10% at 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,219, and for a family was $41,767. Males had a median income of $30,573 versus $22,471 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,664. About 7.90% of families and 11.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.30% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Voter registration

According to the secretary of state's office, Republicans are a plurality of registered voters in Volusia County.
Volusia County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of Dec. 31, 2025Volusia County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of Dec. 31, 2025Volusia County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of Dec. 31, 2025Volusia County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of Dec. 31, 2025Volusia County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of Dec. 31, 2025Volusia County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of Dec. 31, 2025
Political PartyPolitical PartyTotal VotersPercentage--
Republican167,72143.00%--
Democratic104,66926.84%--
No party affiliation102,02226.16%--
Minor parties15,5994.00%--
TotalTotal390,011100.00%--

Until 1952, Volusia County was reliably Democratic, with Republicans only winning it once in 1928. From 1952 to 1988, Democrats only carried the county twice, in 1964 and 1976. Democrats then gained ground again by winning the county five times in a row. Since 2010, it has trended more Republican, and in 2024 Donald Trump carried the county with the highest percentage for any candidate from either party since Reagan's 1984 landslide.