Pierce County, Georgia | |
|---|---|
 Pierce County Courthouse in Blackshear | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofGeorgia | |
| Coordinates:31°22′N82°13′W / 31.36°N 82.22°W /31.36; -82.22 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | December 18, 1857; 169 years ago (1857) |
| Named after | Franklin Pierce |
| Seat | Blackshear |
| Largest city | Blackshear |
| Area | |
• Total | 343 sq mi (890 km2) |
| • Land | 316 sq mi (820 km2) |
| • Water | 27 sq mi (70 km2) 7.8% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 19,716 |
• Estimate (2024) | 20,669 |
| • Density | 62.4/sq mi (24.1/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | piercecountyga |
Pierce County is acounty located in thesoutheastern part of theU.S. state ofGeorgia. As of the2020 census, the population was 19,716.[1] Thecounty seat isBlackshear.[2] Pierce County is part of theWaycross, GeorgiaMicropolitan Statistical Area.
Pierce County is named forFranklin Pierce, fourteenth president of the United States. It was created December 18, 1857, fromAppling andWare counties.[3]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 343 square miles (890 km2), of which 316 square miles (820 km2) is land and 27 square miles (70 km2) (7.8%) is water.[4]
The northeastern third of Pierce County, bordered by a line from just west ofMershon to just south ofBristol, then south to just north ofBlackshear, and then heading due east, is located in the LittleSatilla River sub-basin of theSt. Marys River-Satilla River basin. The southern two-thirds of the county is located in the Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla River basin.[5]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 1,973 | — | |
| 1870 | 2,778 | 40.8% | |
| 1880 | 4,538 | 63.4% | |
| 1890 | 6,379 | 40.6% | |
| 1900 | 8,100 | 27.0% | |
| 1910 | 10,749 | 32.7% | |
| 1920 | 11,934 | 11.0% | |
| 1930 | 12,522 | 4.9% | |
| 1940 | 11,800 | −5.8% | |
| 1950 | 11,112 | −5.8% | |
| 1960 | 9,678 | −12.9% | |
| 1970 | 9,281 | −4.1% | |
| 1980 | 11,897 | 28.2% | |
| 1990 | 13,328 | 12.0% | |
| 2000 | 15,636 | 17.3% | |
| 2010 | 18,758 | 20.0% | |
| 2020 | 19,716 | 5.1% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 20,669 | [6] | 4.8% |
| 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] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 16,403 | 83.2% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,597 | 8.1% |
| Native American | 41 | 0.21% |
| Asian | 82 | 0.42% |
| Other/Mixed | 595 | 3.02% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 998 | 5.06% |
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 19,716, 7,506 households, and 5,319 families residing in the county.[17][18]
The median age was 40.5 years, 24.4% of residents were under the age of 18, and 18.0% were 65 years of age or older; for every 100 females there were 96.3 males and 93.5 males age 18 and over. 1.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 98.7% lived in rural areas.[19]
The racial makeup of the county was 84.5% White, 8.1%Black or African American, 0.4%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Asian, 0.0%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 2.8% from some other race, and 3.7% fromtwo or more races;Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.1% of the population.[17]
Of those households, 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present; about 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[18]
There were 8,360 housing units, of which 10.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.6% were owner-occupied and 24.4% were renter-occupied; the homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.4%.[18]
As of the 2020s, Pierce County is a Republican stronghold, voting 88.41% forDonald Trump in2024. For elections to theUnited States House of Representatives, Pierce County is part ofGeorgia's 1st congressional district, currently represented byBuddy Carter. For elections to theGeorgia State Senate, Pierce County is part of District8.[20] For elections to theGeorgia House of Representatives, Pierce County is part of District178.[21]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 63 | 10.96% | 408 | 70.96% | 104 | 18.09% |
| 1916 | 85 | 14.19% | 489 | 81.64% | 25 | 4.17% |
| 1920 | 122 | 23.06% | 407 | 76.94% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 83 | 16.57% | 397 | 79.24% | 21 | 4.19% |
| 1928 | 285 | 35.27% | 523 | 64.73% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 29 | 2.57% | 1,094 | 96.90% | 6 | 0.53% |
| 1936 | 45 | 2.91% | 1,494 | 96.45% | 10 | 0.65% |
| 1940 | 84 | 8.16% | 943 | 91.55% | 3 | 0.29% |
| 1944 | 165 | 13.37% | 1,069 | 86.63% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 108 | 7.13% | 908 | 59.97% | 498 | 32.89% |
| 1952 | 592 | 23.73% | 1,903 | 76.27% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 298 | 14.44% | 1,766 | 85.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 544 | 27.30% | 1,449 | 72.70% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,981 | 66.86% | 982 | 33.14% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 579 | 17.93% | 507 | 15.70% | 2,144 | 66.38% |
| 1972 | 1,982 | 88.05% | 269 | 11.95% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 544 | 17.15% | 2,628 | 82.85% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 1,027 | 34.41% | 1,918 | 64.25% | 40 | 1.34% |
| 1984 | 1,978 | 56.86% | 1,501 | 43.14% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 1,947 | 55.49% | 1,558 | 44.40% | 4 | 0.11% |
| 1992 | 1,899 | 42.46% | 1,852 | 41.41% | 721 | 16.12% |
| 1996 | 2,319 | 56.73% | 1,420 | 34.74% | 349 | 8.54% |
| 2000 | 3,348 | 71.52% | 1,300 | 27.77% | 33 | 0.70% |
| 2004 | 4,680 | 78.99% | 1,234 | 20.83% | 11 | 0.19% |
| 2008 | 5,500 | 80.92% | 1,253 | 18.43% | 44 | 0.65% |
| 2012 | 5,667 | 82.67% | 1,124 | 16.40% | 64 | 0.93% |
| 2016 | 6,302 | 86.20% | 903 | 12.35% | 106 | 1.45% |
| 2020 | 7,898 | 87.29% | 1,100 | 12.16% | 50 | 0.55% |
| 2024 | 8,655 | 88.41% | 1,089 | 11.12% | 46 | 0.47% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 7,810 | 87.35% | 1,002 | 11.21% | 129 | 1.44% |
| 2020 | 6,972 | 87.94% | 956 | 12.06% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 4,034 | 45.91% | 478 | 5.44% | 4,274 | 48.65% |
| 2020 | 6,980 | 88.05% | 947 | 11.95% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2022 | 6,325 | 88.25% | 779 | 10.87% | 63 | 0.88% |
| 2022 | 5,929 | 88.49% | 771 | 11.51% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2022 | 6,462 | 90.04% | 674 | 9.39% | 41 | 0.57% |
Places adjacent to Pierce County, Georgia | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofPierce County, Georgia,United States | ||
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