According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 362 square miles (940 km2), of which 356 square miles (920 km2) is land and 5.9 square miles (15 km2) (1.6%) is water.[6] Most of the western three-quarters of Lee County is located in theKinchafoonee-Muckalee sub-basin of theACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The eastern quarter of the county is located in the MiddleFlint River sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin, while a very small corner in the south of Lee County is located in the LowerFlint River sub-basin of the same larger ACF River Basin. An even smaller southwestern corner is located in theIchawaynochaway Creek sub-basin of the ACF River Basin.[7]
As of the2020 census, there were 33,163 people, 11,971 households, and 7,872 families residing in the county. The median age was 38.5 years; 25.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.1 males age 18 and over. 37.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 62.4% lived in rural areas.[19][20]
Of the 11,971 households, 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[19]
There were 12,709 housing units, of which 5.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.5% were owner-occupied and 28.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.3%.[19]
Historically, Lee County was part of the solidly DemocraticSolid South[22] where control of the dominant black population dictated unified white voting for Democratic candidates due to the Republican association withReconstruction and black political power. However, with a combination ofthe Great Migration and white in-migration, the black share of the county's population has declined and it is now powerfully Republican, having voted Republican in every presidential election since 1964, with the exception of 1968 and 1976 when it backed Southern “favorite sons”George Wallace andJimmy Carter.
