Covington County, Alabama

County in Alabama, United States

County in Alabama

Covington County

County

The Covington County Courthouse in Andalusia

Seal

Location within the U.S. state of Alabama

Alabama's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 31°14′31″N 86°27′09″W﻿ / ﻿31.2419°N 86.4525°W﻿ / 31.2419; -86.4525
Country|  United States
State|  Alabama
Founded| December 17, 1821
Named after| Leonard Covington
Seat| Andalusia
Largest city| Andalusia
Area

• Total

| 1,044 sq mi (2,700 km2)
• Land| 1,030 sq mi (2,700 km2)
• Water| 13 sq mi (30 km2)  1.3%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 37,570

• Estimate

(2023)

| 37,952
• Density| 36/sq mi (14/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 1st
Website| www.covcounty.com

* County Number 23 on Alabama Licence Plates

Covington County (briefly Jones County) is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the population was 37,570.[1] Its county seat is Andalusia.[2] Its name is in honor of Brigadier General Leonard Covington of Maryland[3] and Mississippi, who died in the War of 1812.

## History

[edit]

Covington County was established on December 17, 1821. The Alabama state legislature changed the name to Jones County on August 6, 1868. Two months later on October 10, 1868, the original name was restored.[4]

The county was declared a disaster area in September 1979 due to damage from Hurricane Frederic and again in October 1995 due to Hurricane Opal.

## Geography

[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,044 square miles (2,700 km2), of which 1,030 square miles (2,700 km2) is land and 13 square miles (34 km2) (1.3%) is water.[5] The county is located in the Gulf Coastal Plain region of the state. It is drained by the Conecuh and Yellow rivers.[6]

### Major highways

[edit]

* U.S. Highway 29
* U.S. Highway 84
* U.S. Highway 331
* State Route 52
* State Route 54
* State Route 55
* State Route 100
* State Route 134
* State Route 137

### Transit

[edit]

* Covington Area Transit System (CATS) provides demand-response service.

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* Butler County (north)
* Crenshaw County (north)
* Coffee County (east)
* Geneva County (east)
* Walton County, Florida (southeast)
* Okaloosa County, Florida (southwest)
* Escambia County (west)
* Conecuh County (west)

### National protected area

[edit]

* Conecuh National Forest (part)

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1830| 1,522| | —
1840| 2,435| | 60.0%
1850| 3,645| | 49.7%
1860| 6,469| | 77.5%
1870| 4,868| | −24.7%
1880| 5,639| | 15.8%
1890| 7,536| | 33.6%
1900| 15,346| | 103.6%
1910| 32,124| | 109.3%
1920| 38,103| | 18.6%
1930| 41,356| | 8.5%
1940| 42,417| | 2.6%
1950| 40,373| | −4.8%
1960| 35,631| | −11.7%
1970| 34,079| | −4.4%
1980| 36,850| | 8.1%
1990| 36,478| | −1.0%
2000| 37,631| | 3.2%
2010| 37,765| | 0.4%
2020| 37,570| | −0.5%
2023 (est.)| 37,952| [7]| 1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10]
1990–2000[11] 2010–2020[1]

### 2020 census

[edit]

Covington County, Alabama –– Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race. Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[12] | Pop 2010[13] | Pop 2020[14] | % 2000  | % 2010  | % 2020

|
|
|
|
|
|

White alone (NH)  | 32,247  | 31,751  | 30,657  | 85.69%  | 84.08%  | 81.60%
Black or African American alone (NH)  | 4,618  | 4,685  | 4,563  | 12.27%  | 12.41%  | 12.15%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)  | 180  | 196  | 140  | 0.48%  | 0.52%  | 0.37%
Asian alone (NH)  | 64  | 148  | 240  | 0.17%  | 0.39%  | 0.64%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)  | 3  | 1  | 0  | 0.01%  | 0.00%  | 0.00%
Other race alone (NH)  | 11  | 13  | 71  | 0.03%  | 0.03%  | 0.19%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)  | 216  | 488  | 1,245  | 0.57%  | 1.29%  | 3.31%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)  | 292  | 483  | 654  | 0.78%  | 1.28%  | 1.74%
Total | 37,631 | 37,765 | 37,570 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00%

As of the census of 2020, there were 37,570 people, 14,852 households, and 9,924 families residing in the county.

### 2010 census

[edit]

As of the census[15] of 2010, there were 37,765 people, 15,531 households, and 10,791 families living in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile (14 people/km2). There were 18,829 housing units at an average density of 18 units per square mile (6.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 84.8% White, 12.5% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. 1.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,531 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91.

The age distribution was 22.6% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.4 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,852, and the median income for a family was $43,468. Males had a median income of $32,463 versus $26,241 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,822. About 15.7% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.3% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2012[update] the largest self-reported European ancestry group in Covington County is English with 41.2% of people in Covington County citing that they were of English descent. They were followed by people who wrote that they were of "American" ancestry, who made up 16.0% of Covington county. Irish was the third largest self-reported European ancestry with 14.5% of people in the county writing that they were of Irish descent.

### 2000 census

[edit]

As of the census[16] of 2000, there were 37,631 people, 15,640 households, and 10,791 families living in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile (14 people/km2). There were 18,578 housing units at an average density of 18 units per square mile (6.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 86.2% White, 12.4% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.2% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. 0.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,640 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.90.

The age distribution was 23.5% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,336, and the median income for a family was $33,201. Males had a median income of $27,453 versus $19,640 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,365. About 14.1% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 19.2% of those age 65 or over.

## Government

[edit]

Covington County is reliably Republican at the presidential level. The last Democrat to win the county in a presidential election is Jimmy Carter, who won it by a majority in 1976.

United States presidential election results for Covington County, Alabama[17][18] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No.  | % | No.  | % | No.  | %
2024 | 14,677  | 85.86% | 2,314  | 13.54%  | 104  | 0.61%
2020 | 14,586  | 83.68% | 2,721  | 15.61%  | 123  | 0.71%
2016 | 13,267  | 83.23% | 2,387  | 14.97%  | 286  | 1.79%
2012 | 12,153  | 78.72% | 3,158  | 20.45%  | 128  | 0.83%
2008 | 12,444  | 78.82% | 3,240  | 20.52%  | 103  | 0.65%
2004 | 11,119  | 76.02% | 3,423  | 23.40%  | 85  | 0.58%
2000 | 8,961  | 65.83% | 4,440  | 32.62%  | 212  | 1.56%
1996 | 6,035  | 50.66% | 4,543  | 38.13%  | 1,335  | 11.21%
1992 | 6,840  | 48.99% | 5,004  | 35.84%  | 2,118  | 15.17%
1988 | 8,130  | 67.34% | 3,845  | 31.85%  | 98  | 0.81%
1984 | 9,944  | 71.63% | 3,812  | 27.46%  | 127  | 0.91%
1980 | 7,014  | 51.54% | 6,305  | 46.33%  | 289  | 2.12%
1976 | 4,977  | 40.71%  | 7,081  | 57.93% | 166  | 1.36%
1972 | 9,278  | 85.27% | 1,547  | 14.22%  | 56  | 0.51%
1968 | 831  | 6.33%  | 791  | 6.03%  | 11,506  | 87.64%
1964 | 7,554  | 82.33% | 0  | 0.00%  | 1,621  | 17.67%
1960 | 2,047  | 26.16%  | 5,744  | 73.42% | 33  | 0.42%
1956 | 2,257  | 30.13%  | 4,887  | 65.25% | 346  | 4.62%
1952 | 1,581  | 24.11%  | 4,956  | 75.57% | 21  | 0.32%
1948 | 154  | 5.25%  | 0  | 0.00%  | 2,782  | 94.75%
1944 | 256  | 7.92%  | 2,972  | 91.98% | 3  | 0.09%
1940 | 186  | 3.86%  | 4,635  | 96.08% | 3  | 0.06%
1936 | 167  | 3.76%  | 4,265  | 95.91% | 15  | 0.34%
1932 | 99  | 2.49%  | 3,855  | 97.15% | 14  | 0.35%
1928 | 1,681  | 45.60%  | 2,000  | 54.26% | 5  | 0.14%
1924 | 156  | 7.54%  | 1,776  | 85.88% | 136  | 6.58%
1920 | 548  | 20.65%  | 2,039  | 76.83% | 67  | 2.52%
1916 | 305  | 14.03%  | 1,738  | 79.94% | 131  | 6.03%
1912 | 110  | 6.47%  | 1,251  | 73.54% | 340  | 19.99%
1908 | 315  | 21.18%  | 1,054  | 70.88% | 118  | 7.94%
1904 | 310  | 23.24%  | 907  | 67.99% | 117  | 8.77%

## Communities

[edit]

### Cities

[edit]

* Andalusia (county seat)
* Opp

### Towns

[edit]

* Babbie
* Carolina
* Florala
* Gantt
* Heath
* Horn Hill
* Libertyville
* Lockhart
* Onycha
* Red Level
* River Falls
* Sanford

### Unincorporated communities

[edit]

* Antioch
* Beck
* Beda
* Brooks
* Chapel Hill
* Estothel
* Fairfield
* Falco
* Green Bay
* Huckaville
* Loango
* McRae
* Opine
* Rome
* Rose Hill
* South
* Straughn
* Wiggins
* Wing

## See also

[edit]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Covington County, Alabama
* Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in Covington County, Alabama
* Covington County Website

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 94.
4. ^ Owen, Thomas McAdory (1921). History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography. Vol. I. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. p. 429.
5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
6. ^ Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). "Covington. I. A S. county of Alabama" . The American Cyclopædia.
7. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
8. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
9. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
10. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
11. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
12. ^ "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Covington County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau.
13. ^ "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Covington County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau.
14. ^ "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Covington County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau.
15. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
16. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
17. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved November 16, 2016.
18. ^ "Our Campaigns". Retrieved June 22, 2025.

Places adjacent to Covington County, Alabama

|  | Butler County and Crenshaw County |

|
|

|  |
Conecuh County
Escambia County |

Covington County, Alabama

| Coffee County
Geneva County
|  |
Okaloosa County, Florida |  | Walton County, Florida

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Covington County, Alabama, United States

County seat: Andalusia

Cities|

* Andalusia
* Opp

Map of Alabama highlighting Covington County

Towns|

* Babbie
* Carolina
* Florala
* Gantt
* Heath
* Horn Hill
* Libertyville
* Lockhart
* Onycha
* Red Level
* River Falls
* Sanford

Unincorporated
communities|

* Antioch
* Beck
* Beda
* Brooks
* Chapel Hill
* Estothel
* Fairfield
* Falco
* Green Bay
* Huckaville
* Loango
* McRae
* Opine
* Rome
* Rose Hill
* South
* Straughn
* Wiggins
* Wing

* Alabama portal
* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Alabama

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31°14′31″N 86°27′09″W﻿ / ﻿31.24194°N 86.45250°W﻿ / 31.24194; -86.45250

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