According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 374 square miles (970 km2), of which 351 square miles (910 km2) is land and 23 square miles (60 km2) (6.2%) is water.[5] The county is located in thePiedmont region of the state.
The northern half of Elbert County, north of a line made by followingState Route 17 fromBowman southeast toElberton, and then followingState Route 72 east to just before theSouth Carolina border, and then heading south along the shores ofLake Richard B. Russell & Clarkes Hill to the county's southeastern tip, is located in the UpperSavannah River sub-basin of the larger Savannah River basin. The portion of the county south of this line is located in theBroad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin.[6]
As of the2020 census, there were 19,637 people and 5,065 families residing in the county.[18] The median age was 44.8 years; 21.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older.[18]
For every 100 females there were 91.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.3 males age 18 and over. 29.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 71.0% lived in rural areas.[18][19]
There were 8,016 households in the county, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 31.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[18]
There were 9,248 housing units, of which 13.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.5% were owner-occupied and 28.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.3%.[18]
Elbert County is part of the Northern Judicial Circuit of Georgia, which also includes the counties of Hart, Franklin, Madison, and Oglethorpe. Elbert County's governing authority, the Elbert County Board of Commissioners, has five Commissioners elected in districts, a Chairperson elected County-wide, and an appointed County Administrator.
Historical and cultural sites in Elbert County include theNancy Hart cabin, theDan Tucker gravesite, theStephen Heard Cemetery, the Petersburg Township site, Vans Creek Church, the Elbert County Courthouse, the Elberton Seaboard-Airline Depot, the Rock Gym, theGranite Bowl, the Elberton Granite Museum and Exhibit, the Richard B. Russell Dam, the Elbert Theatre,Richard B. Russell State Park, andBobby Brown Park. TheGeorgia Guidestones stood in Elbert County from 1980 until their destruction in 2022.
