Washington County, Georgia

Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,988.U.S. 2020 Census Bureau report, Washington County, Georgia The county seat is Sandersville. The county was established on February 25, 1784. It was named for Revolutionary War general and President of the United States George Washington.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.9%) is water.

The western portion of Washington County, west of a north-to-south line running through Sandersville, is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The northeastern portion of the county, north of Riddleville, is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin, while the southeastern portion, centered on Harrison, is located in the Ohoopee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.

Major highways

State Route 15 State Route 24 State Route 24 Spur State Route 57 State Route 68 State Route 88 State Route 102 State Route 231 State Route 242 State Route 272 State Route 540 (Fall Line Freeway)

Adjacent counties Glascock County (northeast) Jefferson County (east) Johnson County (south) Wilkinson County (southwest) Baldwin County (west) Hancock County (northwest)

Communities Cities Davisboro Oconee Sandersville (county seat) Tennille

Towns Deepstep Harrison Riddleville

Census-designated places Warthen

Other unincorporated communities Ennis, Georgia Goat Town Hamburg, Washington County, Georgia Irwins Crossroads Pringle Sun Hill Tanner, Georgia Veal, Washington County, Georgia

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Washington County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)9,1159,1799,6209,3398,41248.38%48.03%45.43%44.08%42.09%Black or African American alone (NH)9,5469,83111,23311,12410,69850.66%51.44%53.05%52.50%53.52%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)2103519370.01%0.05%0.17%0.09%0.19%Asian alone (NH)232555104760.12%0.13%0.26%0.49%0.38%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census210xx0.01%0.00%0.00%Other race alone (NH)2221126300.12%0.01%0.05%0.12%0.15%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census86167401xx0.41%0.79%2.01%Hispanic or Latino (any race)134651344073340.71%0.34%0.63%1.92%1.67%Total18,84219,11221,17621,18719,988 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 19,988. The median age was 42.2 years, with 21.4% of residents under the age of 18 and 19.1% of residents 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.8 males age 18 and over. 35.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 64.5% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 42.4% White, 53.7% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.7% of the population.

There were 7,506 households in the county, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 37.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Of those households, 5,315 were families.

There were 8,556 housing units, of which 12.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.6% were owner-occupied and 32.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.5%.

Education The county is served by the Washington County School District, which includes: Ridge Road Elementary School T.J. Elder Middle School Washington County High School.

The county is also the location of one privately run school: Brentwood School

In popular culture The 1933 short story "The People's Choice" by Erskine Caldwell is set in Washington County, where the story's protagonist is a popular local politician elected again and again as the county's tax assessor.

In 1992, the Pig Monument was erected in the county, near Oconee off of Georgia State Route 272. The monument commemorates a 1933 event where several residents of the county gathered together to help a local farmer rescue a pig that had fallen down a dry well.

The biography of one of the main characters (Grant Alexander) in the 2011 console game X-Men: Destiny states that they were born in Sandersville, Georgia.

Politics Like most other majority-minority counties in the South, Washington County has primarily backed Democratic Party candidates for most of its history. Democratic margins of victory in presidential elections were far greater prior to 1964, but the county has only failed to back a Democratic presidential candidate five times in its history. However, no candidate of any party since Bill Clinton in 1996 has managed to win the county by a margin of 1,000 votes or greater. It was the most Black county in Georgia to vote for Donald Trump in 2024.

For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Washington County is part of Georgia's 12th congressional district, currently represented by Rick Allen. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Washington County is part of District 26. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Washington County is part of District 128.

Washington County, Georgia

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