Macon County, Alabama | |
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 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofAlabama | |
| Coordinates:32°23′07″N85°41′37″W / 32.385277777778°N 85.693611111111°W /32.385277777778; -85.693611111111 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Alabama |
| Founded | December 18, 1832 |
| Named after | Nathaniel Macon |
| Seat | Tuskegee |
| Largest city | Tuskegee |
| Area | |
• Total | 613 sq mi (1,590 km2) |
| • Land | 609 sq mi (1,580 km2) |
| • Water | 4.3 sq mi (11 km2) 0.7% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 19,532 |
• Estimate (2024) | 18,159 |
| • Density | 32.1/sq mi (12.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
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Macon County is acounty located in the east central part of theU.S. state ofAlabama. As of the2020 census, the population was 19,532.[1] Itscounty seat isTuskegee.[2] Its name is in honor ofNathaniel Macon, a member of theUnited States Senate fromNorth Carolina.[3]
Developed forcottonplantation agriculture in the nineteenth century, the county is considered within theBlack Belt of the South. It has had a majority-black population since before theAmerican Civil War.
For thousands of years, this area was inhabited by varying cultures ofindigenous peoples. The historic tribes encountered by European explorers were theCreek people, descendants of theMississippian culture.
Macon County was established by European Americans on December 18, 1832, from land ceded by the Creek, following the US Congress' passage of theIndian Removal Act of 1830. The Creek were removed toIndian Territory west of theMississippi River. The new settlers brought slaves with them from eastern areas of the South or purchased them at the slave market in Montgomery, New Orleans or Mobile. They developed the county for large cotton plantations.
In the first half of the twentieth century, thousands of African-Americansmigrated out of the county to industrial cities in the North and Midwest for job opportunities, and the chance to escape legal segregation. Those who remained have struggled for employment in the mostly rural county, and population has declined by about one-third since 1950.
While Alabama has the 5th highest gun related death rate among states at 24 per 100 000, Macon County has one of the highest gun homicide rates in the nation at 44.5 per 100 000.[4]
Before 1983, Macon County was primarily known as the home of historic Tuskegee Institute, nowTuskegee University, and its noted founder and first president,Booker T. Washington.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 613 square miles (1,590 km2), of which 609 square miles (1,580 km2) is land and 4.3 square miles (11 km2) (0.7%) is water.[5]
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Interstate 85
U.S. Highway 29
U.S. Highway 80
State Route 14
State Route 49
State Route 81
State Route 138
State Route 186
State Route 199
State Route 229| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 11,247 | — | |
| 1850 | 26,898 | 139.2% | |
| 1860 | 26,802 | −0.4% | |
| 1870 | 17,727 | −33.9% | |
| 1880 | 17,371 | −2.0% | |
| 1890 | 18,439 | 6.1% | |
| 1900 | 23,126 | 25.4% | |
| 1910 | 26,049 | 12.6% | |
| 1920 | 23,561 | −9.6% | |
| 1930 | 27,103 | 15.0% | |
| 1940 | 27,654 | 2.0% | |
| 1950 | 30,561 | 10.5% | |
| 1960 | 26,717 | −12.6% | |
| 1970 | 24,841 | −7.0% | |
| 1980 | 26,829 | 8.0% | |
| 1990 | 24,928 | −7.1% | |
| 2000 | 24,105 | −3.3% | |
| 2010 | 21,452 | −11.0% | |
| 2020 | 19,532 | −9.0% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 18,159 | [6] | −7.0% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790–1960[8] 1900–1990[9] 1990–2000[10] 2010–2020[1] | |||
As of the2020 United States census, the county had a population of 19,532. The median age was 39.6 years. 16.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 82.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 78.5 males age 18 and over.[11][12]
46.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 53.9% lived in rural areas.[13]
There were 7,965 households in the county, of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 44.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 39.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[11]
There were 9,604 housing units, of which 17.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 63.1% were owner-occupied and 36.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.2%.[11]
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[14] | Pop 2010[15] | Pop 2020[16] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 3,331 | 3,267 | 3,187 | 13.82% | 15.23% | 16.32% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 20,298 | 17,631 | 15,395 | 84.21% | 82.19% | 78.82% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 39 | 28 | 48 | 0.16% | 0.13% | 0.25% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 91 | 76 | 74 | 0.38% | 0.35% | 0.38% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0.00% | 0.01% | 0.02% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 10 | 12 | 45 | 0.04% | 0.06% | 0.23% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 162 | 204 | 418 | 0.67% | 0.95% | 2.14% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 173 | 232 | 361 | 0.72% | 1.08% | 1.85% |
| Total | 24,105 | 21,452 | 19,532 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 United States census, there were 21,452 people living in the county. 82.6% wereBlack or African American, 15.5%White, 0.4%Asian, 0.1%Native American, 0.3% of some other race and 1.1%of two or more races. 1.1% wereHispanic or Latino (of any race).
As of thecensus[17] of 2000, there were 24,105 people, 8,950 households, and 5,543 families living in the county. Thepopulation density was 40 people per square mile (15 people/km2). There were 10,627 housing units at an average density of 17 units per square mile (6.6 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 84.64%Black orAfrican American, 13.96%White, 0.16%Native American, 0.38%Asian, 0.13% fromother races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 0.72% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 8,950 households, out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.70% weremarried couples living together, 25.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.10% were non-families. 33.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.20% under the age of 18, 16.90% from 18 to 24, 22.90% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 85.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $21,180, and the median income for a family was $28,511. Males had a median income of $25,971 versus $21,773 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $13,714. About 26.80% of families and 32.80% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 43.80% of those under age 18 and 26.00% of those age 65 or over.
Macon County has been overwhelmingly Democratic for most of the past century and a quarter. Apart from the "dealignment" era between 1948 and 1972, andHerbert Hoover in the highly controversial 1928 election, no Republican has won so much as twenty percent of the county's vote in the past century. No Republican has obtained a majority in that time span, althoughDwight D. Eisenhower won a narrow plurality in 1956. AlthoughDonald Trump in 2024 was able to crack 20% of the vote for the first time since Nixon in 1972, Macon County was still the most Democratic county in Alabama in that election.
In the elections of 1980,[18] Macon was the most Democratic county in the nation while in 1984 it was the most Democratic outside of the District of Columbia.[19] Macon County was only 0.02 percent shy of this in 1992,[20] when it gave bothGeorge H. W. Bush his smallest proportion outside of the District of Columbia and independentRoss Perot his smallest vote share in any county nationwide.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1836 | 150 | 81.52% | 34 | 18.48% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1840 | 731 | 68.25% | 340 | 31.75% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1844 | 1,087 | 63.46% | 626 | 36.54% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1848 | 1,464 | 73.35% | 532 | 26.65% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1852 | 772 | 50.49% | 658 | 43.03% | 99 | 6.47% |
| 1856 | 0 | 0.00% | 1,039 | 45.61% | 1,239 | 54.39% |
| 1860 | 0 | 0.00% | 46 | 1.89% | 2,394 | 98.11% |
| 1868 | 2,327 | 68.40% | 1,075 | 31.60% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1872 | 2,073 | 68.62% | 948 | 31.38% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1876 | 881 | 37.11% | 1,493 | 62.89% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1880 | 191 | 26.20% | 538 | 73.80% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1884 | 80 | 19.85% | 323 | 80.15% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1888 | 268 | 22.35% | 931 | 77.65% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1892 | 13 | 1.42% | 200 | 21.81% | 704 | 76.77% |
| 1896 | 259 | 19.00% | 1,043 | 76.52% | 61 | 4.48% |
| 1900 | 511 | 27.61% | 1,295 | 69.96% | 45 | 2.43% |
| 1904 | 51 | 8.23% | 562 | 90.65% | 7 | 1.13% |
| 1908 | 38 | 7.18% | 482 | 91.12% | 9 | 1.70% |
| 1912 | 24 | 3.46% | 647 | 93.23% | 23 | 3.31% |
| 1916 | 43 | 6.92% | 575 | 92.59% | 3 | 0.48% |
| 1920 | 64 | 8.43% | 693 | 91.30% | 2 | 0.26% |
| 1924 | 48 | 8.15% | 538 | 91.34% | 3 | 0.51% |
| 1928 | 348 | 39.68% | 526 | 59.98% | 3 | 0.34% |
| 1932 | 56 | 5.82% | 905 | 94.07% | 1 | 0.10% |
| 1936 | 39 | 3.29% | 1,146 | 96.71% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 41 | 3.15% | 1,259 | 96.77% | 1 | 0.08% |
| 1944 | 82 | 7.35% | 1,032 | 92.56% | 1 | 0.09% |
| 1948 | 110 | 9.08% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,101 | 90.92% |
| 1952 | 621 | 29.87% | 1,457 | 70.08% | 1 | 0.05% |
| 1956 | 1,067 | 48.65% | 1,024 | 46.69% | 102 | 4.65% |
| 1960 | 877 | 39.34% | 1,327 | 59.53% | 25 | 1.12% |
| 1964 | 1,858 | 38.46% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,973 | 61.54% |
| 1968 | 257 | 4.03% | 4,450 | 69.74% | 1,674 | 26.23% |
| 1972 | 1,931 | 33.04% | 3,636 | 62.21% | 278 | 4.76% |
| 1976 | 1,387 | 18.62% | 5,915 | 79.41% | 147 | 1.97% |
| 1980 | 1,259 | 14.35% | 7,028 | 80.10% | 487 | 5.55% |
| 1984 | 1,543 | 16.24% | 7,857 | 82.71% | 99 | 1.04% |
| 1988 | 1,304 | 16.81% | 6,351 | 81.88% | 101 | 1.30% |
| 1992 | 1,134 | 12.94% | 7,253 | 82.78% | 375 | 4.28% |
| 1996 | 987 | 12.03% | 7,018 | 85.55% | 198 | 2.41% |
| 2000 | 1,091 | 12.35% | 7,665 | 86.80% | 75 | 0.85% |
| 2004 | 1,570 | 16.69% | 7,800 | 82.92% | 37 | 0.39% |
| 2008 | 1,396 | 12.83% | 9,450 | 86.88% | 31 | 0.29% |
| 2012 | 1,331 | 12.80% | 9,045 | 87.00% | 20 | 0.19% |
| 2016 | 1,431 | 15.66% | 7,566 | 82.78% | 143 | 1.56% |
| 2020 | 1,541 | 17.67% | 7,108 | 81.49% | 74 | 0.85% |
| 2024 | 1,682 | 21.47% | 6,084 | 77.66% | 68 | 0.87% |
The Sheriff of Macon County is Andre Brunson, who also was the former strength coach at Tuskegee University.[22]
Macon County is home to theTuskegee University, ahistorically black college;Tuskegee National Forest,Tuskegee Lake, theTuskegee Human and Civil Rights Museum, andMoton Field, the training site of theTuskegee Airmen.
Places adjacent to Macon County, Alabama | |
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Municipalities and communities ofMacon County, Alabama,United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
32°23′07″N85°41′37″W / 32.38528°N 85.69361°W /32.38528; -85.69361
