Jefferson County, Georgia

County in Georgia, United States

Not to be confused with Jefferson, Georgia or Jeffersonville, Georgia.

County in Georgia

Jefferson County

County

County courthouse in Louisville

Location within the U.S. state of Georgia

Georgia's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 33°03′N 82°25′W﻿ / ﻿33.05°N 82.42°W﻿ / 33.05; -82.42
Country|  United States
State|  Georgia
Founded| February 20, 1796; 229 years ago (1796-02-20)
Named after| Thomas Jefferson
Seat| Louisville
Largest city| Louisville
Area

• Total

| 530 sq mi (1,400 km2)
• Land| 526 sq mi (1,360 km2)
• Water| 3.2 sq mi (8 km2)  0.6%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 15,709

• Estimate

(2023)

| 15,183
• Density| 30/sq mi (11/km2)
Time zone| UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district| 12th
Website| 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.[1] The county seat and largest city is Louisville.[2] 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.[3]

## Geography

[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 530 square miles (1,400 km2), of which 526 square miles (1,360 km2) is land and 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2) (0.6%) is water.[4]

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.[5]

### Major highways

[edit]

* US 1 / SR 4
* US 1 Bus. (Wadley)
* US 1 Bus. (Louisville)
* US 221
* US 319
* SR 17
* SR 24
* SR 47
* SR 78
* SR 80
* SR 88
* SR 101
* SR 171
* SR 242
* SR 296
* SR 540 (Fall Line Freeway)

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* 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

[edit]

### Cities

[edit]

* Avera
* Louisville (county seat)
* Stapleton
* Wadley
* Wrens

### Towns

[edit]

* Bartow

### Census-designated place

[edit]

* Matthews

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1800| 5,684| | —
1810| 6,111| | 7.5%
1820| 7,056| | 15.5%
1830| 7,309| | 3.6%
1840| 7,254| | −0.8%
1850| 9,131| | 25.9%
1860| 10,219| | 11.9%
1870| 12,190| | 19.3%
1880| 15,671| | 28.6%
1890| 17,213| | 9.8%
1900| 18,212| | 5.8%
1910| 21,379| | 17.4%
1920| 22,602| | 5.7%
1930| 20,727| | −8.3%
1940| 20,040| | −3.3%
1950| 18,855| | −5.9%
1960| 17,468| | −7.4%
1970| 17,174| | −1.7%
1980| 18,403| | 7.2%
1990| 17,408| | −5.4%
2000| 17,266| | −0.8%
2010| 16,930| | −1.9%
2020| 15,709| | −7.2%
2023 (est.)| 15,183| [6]| −3.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1880[8] 1890-1910[9]
1920-1930[10] 1930-1940[11]
1940-1950[12] 1960-1980[13]
1980-2000[14] 2010[15] 2020[16]
Jefferson County, Georgia – 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[17] | Pop 2010[15] | Pop 2020[16] | % 2000  | % 2010  | % 2020

|
|
|
|
|
|

White alone (NH)  | 7,215  | 7,015  | 6,834  | 41.79%  | 41.44%  | 43.50%
Black or African American alone (NH)  | 9,663  | 9,187  | 7,970  | 55.97%  | 54.26%  | 50.74%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)  | 21  | 18  | 21  | 0.12%  | 0.11%  | 0.13%
Asian alone (NH)  | 27  | 64  | 70  | 0.16%  | 0.38%  | 0.45%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)  | 1  | 2  | 0  | 0.01%  | 0.01%  | 0.00%
Other race alone (NH)  | 16  | 13  | 25  | 0.09%  | 0.08%  | 0.16%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)  | 64  | 114  | 327  | 0.37%  | 0.67%  | 2.08%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)  | 259  | 517  | 462  | 1.50%  | 3.05%  | 2.94%
Total | 17,266 | 16,930 | 15,709 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,709 people, 5,664 households, and 3,598 families residing in the county.

## Education

[edit]

Main article: Louisville, Georgia § Education

## Politics

[edit]

The county has been depopulating since 1980, and Democratic 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.

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

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2024 | 3,765  | 50.24% | 3,674  | 49.03%  | 55  | 0.73%
2020 | 3,537  | 46.30%  | 4,058  | 53.12% | 44  | 0.58%
2016 | 3,063  | 43.91%  | 3,821  | 54.77% | 92  | 1.32%
2012 | 2,999  | 41.08%  | 4,261  | 58.36% | 41  | 0.56%
2008 | 3,061  | 42.31%  | 4,149  | 57.35% | 25  | 0.35%
2004 | 3,066  | 46.89%  | 3,447  | 52.71% | 26  | 0.40%
2000 | 2,559  | 45.98%  | 2,973  | 53.41% | 34  | 0.61%
1996 | 2,077  | 35.86%  | 3,404  | 58.77% | 311  | 5.37%
1992 | 2,077  | 34.68%  | 3,220  | 53.77% | 692  | 11.55%
1988 | 2,788  | 54.13% | 2,346  | 45.54%  | 17  | 0.33%
1984 | 2,999  | 51.57% | 2,816  | 48.43%  | 0  | 0.00%
1980 | 1,605  | 32.24%  | 3,305  | 66.39% | 68  | 1.37%
1976 | 1,309  | 29.59%  | 3,115  | 70.41% | 0  | 0.00%
1972 | 2,777  | 70.11% | 1,184  | 29.89%  | 0  | 0.00%
1968 | 1,227  | 23.51%  | 1,901  | 36.43%  | 2,090  | 40.05%
1964 | 2,950  | 70.15% | 1,253  | 29.80%  | 2  | 0.05%
1960 | 986  | 43.71%  | 1,270  | 56.29% | 0  | 0.00%
1956 | 512  | 27.48%  | 1,351  | 72.52% | 0  | 0.00%
1952 | 744  | 33.51%  | 1,476  | 66.49% | 0  | 0.00%
1948 | 137  | 7.98%  | 544  | 31.70%  | 1,035  | 60.31%
1944 | 274  | 20.80%  | 1,043  | 79.20% | 0  | 0.00%
1940 | 171  | 13.72%  | 1,068  | 85.71% | 7  | 0.56%
1936 | 168  | 11.85%  | 1,238  | 87.31% | 12  | 0.85%
1932 | 65  | 4.23%  | 1,454  | 94.66% | 17  | 1.11%
1928 | 1,057  | 56.98% | 798  | 43.02%  | 0  | 0.00%
1924 | 103  | 15.10%  | 502  | 73.61% | 77  | 11.29%
1920 | 82  | 8.92%  | 837  | 91.08% | 0  | 0.00%
1916 | 63  | 7.91%  | 588  | 73.87% | 145  | 18.22%
1912 | 45  | 3.31%  | 899  | 66.15% | 415  | 30.54%

## See also

[edit]

* State of Georgia portal

* Central Savannah River Area
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, Georgia
* List of counties in Georgia

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Jefferson County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
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. 168.
4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
5. ^ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
6. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
7. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
8. ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
9. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
10. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
11. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
12. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
13. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
14. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
15. ^ a b "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Jefferson County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
16. ^ a b "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Jefferson County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
17. ^ "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Jefferson County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
18. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 20, 2018.

## External links

[edit]

* The Jefferson County Information Center Website
* The Friends of Historic Downtown Louisville Website
* The Fire House Gallery Website - Contemporary art in Jefferson County
* Videos about life in Jefferson County by Fire Team Productions
* A genealogy table for Jefferson County, Georgia ←Broken link, December 2015.
* USA Today Q&A with Jefferson County High principal Molly Howard
* The News and Farmer and Wadley Herald/ Jefferson Reporter, the county's weekly newspaper and the oldest weekly in Georgia
* The Official Jefferson County Economic Development Website
* General Wood's Fort historical marker
* Old Savannah Road historical marker
* Old Town Plantation historical marker
* Rocky Comfort Creek historical marker
* Yazoo Fraud historical marker

* v
* t
* e

Places adjacent to Jefferson County, Georgia

| Glascock County and Warren County | McDuffie County | Richmond County

|
|

|  |
Washington County |

Jefferson County, Georgia

| Burke County
|  |
Johnson County | Emanuel County |

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Jefferson County, Georgia, United States

County seat: Louisville

Cities|

* Avera
* Keysville‡
* Louisville
* Stapleton
* Wadley
* Wrens

Map of Georgia highlighting Jefferson County

Town|

* Bartow

CDP|

* Matthews

Unincorporated communities|

* Moxley
* Noah
* Stellaville

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* Georgia portal
* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

Central Savannah River Area (CSRA)

Central Savannah River Area of Georgia and South Carolina

| Georgia| South Carolina

|

| Burke County:|

* Keysville
* Midville
* Waynesboro Girard
* Sardis
* Vidette

|

Columbia County:|

* Grovetown
* Harlem
* ApplingCDP
* EvansCDP
* MartinezCDP

Glascock County:|

* Edge Hill
* Gibson
* Mitchell

Hancock County:|

* Sparta
* CulvertonU
* JewellU

Jefferson County:|

* Avera
* Louisville
* Stapleton
* Wadley
* Wrens
* Bartow

Jenkins County:|

* Millen
* PerkinsU

| Lincoln County:|

* Lincolnton
* ChennaultU

|

McDuffie County:|

* Thomson
* Dearing

Richmond County:|

* Augusta
* Blythe
* Hephzibah

Taliaferro County:|

* Crawfordville
* Sharon

Warren County:|

* Norwood
* Warrenton
* Camak
* JewellU

Washington County:|

* Davisboro
* Oconee
* Sandersville
* Tennille
* Deepstep
* Harrison
* Riddleville
* WarthenCDP
* EnnisU
* HamburgU
* VealU

Wilkes County:|

* Washington
* Rayle
* Tignall

| Aiken County:|

* Aiken
* North Augusta
* Jackson
* Burnettown
* Monetta
* New Ellenton
* Perry
* Salley
* Wagener
* Windsor
* BelvedereCDP
* ClearwaterCDP
* GlovervilleCDP
* BathU
* Beech IslandU
* GranitevilleU
* LangleyU
* VaucluseU
* WarrenvilleU

|

Edgefield County:|

* Edgefield
* Johnston
* Trenton
* Murphys EstatesCDP

Allendale County:|

* Allendale
* Fairfax
* Sycamore
* Ulmer
* MartinU

Barnwell County:|

* Barnwell
* Blackville
* Elko
* Hilda
* Kline
* Snelling
* Williston

McCormick County:|

* McCormick
* Parksville
* Plum Branch
* Clarks HillCDP
* ModocCDP
* Mount CarmelCDP
* WillingtonCDP

* CDP Census-designated place
* U Unincorporated area

* v
* t
* e

State of Georgia

Atlanta (capital)

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33°03′N 82°25′W﻿ / ﻿33.05°N 82.42°W﻿ / 33.05; -82.42
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