Thomas County, Georgia | |
|---|---|
 Former Thomas County Courthouse in Thomasville | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofGeorgia | |
| Coordinates:30°52′N83°55′W / 30.86°N 83.92°W /30.86; -83.92 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | December 23, 1825; 201 years ago (1825) |
| Named after | Jett Thomas |
| Seat | Thomasville |
| Largest city | Thomasville |
| Area | |
• Total | 552 sq mi (1,430 km2) |
| • Land | 545 sq mi (1,410 km2) |
| • Water | 7.6 sq mi (20 km2) 1.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 45,798 |
• Estimate (2024) | 46,054 |
| • Density | 84.0/sq mi (32.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 8th |
| Website | www |
Thomas County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofGeorgia. As of the2020 census the population was 45,798.[1] Thecounty seat isThomasville.[2] Thomas County comprises the Thomasville, GAmicropolitan statistical area.
Thomas County was created by an act of theGeorgia General Assembly on December 23, 1825, from portions ofDecatur andIrwin Counties.[3]Colquitt (1856),Brooks (1858), andGrady (1905) Counties all were formed partially from lands within Thomas County's original borders.
The county is named forJett Thomas, an officer in theWar of 1812 who is also known for overseeing the construction of the first building at theUniversity of Georgia (originally referred to as Franklin College and known today as Old College) as well as the state capital atMilledgeville.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 552 square miles (1,430 km2), of which 545 square miles (1,410 km2) is land and 7.6 square miles (20 km2) (1.4%) is water.[4]
The northwestern half of Thomas County, bordered byU.S. Route 319 southwest ofThomasville, and a line that ends up bisecting the distance betweenCoolidge andPavo in the northeast, is located in the UpperOchlockonee River sub-basin of the larger Ochlockonee River basin. The northeastern edge of the county, from north of Pavo toBoston, is located in theWithlacoochee River sub-basin of theSuwannee River basin. The southeastern portion of Thomas County, running southeast from Thomasville, is located in theAucilla River sub-basin of the larger Aucilla-Waccasassa basin. Almost all of the southwestern portion of the county is located in theApalachee Bay-St. Marks sub-basin of the Ochlockonee River basin, with the exception of the tiny southwesternmost corner, which is located in the LowerOchlockonee River sub-basin of the same Ochlockonee River basin.[5]
TheAucilla River rises in Thomas County. TheRed Hills Region is centered on Thomas County.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 3,299 | — | |
| 1840 | 6,766 | 105.1% | |
| 1850 | 10,103 | 49.3% | |
| 1860 | 10,766 | 6.6% | |
| 1870 | 14,523 | 34.9% | |
| 1880 | 20,597 | 41.8% | |
| 1890 | 26,154 | 27.0% | |
| 1900 | 31,076 | 18.8% | |
| 1910 | 29,071 | −6.5% | |
| 1920 | 33,044 | 13.7% | |
| 1930 | 32,612 | −1.3% | |
| 1940 | 31,289 | −4.1% | |
| 1950 | 33,932 | 8.4% | |
| 1960 | 34,319 | 1.1% | |
| 1970 | 34,515 | 0.6% | |
| 1980 | 38,098 | 10.4% | |
| 1990 | 38,986 | 2.3% | |
| 2000 | 42,737 | 9.6% | |
| 2010 | 44,720 | 4.6% | |
| 2020 | 45,798 | 2.4% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 46,054 | [6] | 0.6% |
| 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 | 25,994 | 56.76% |
| Black or African American | 16,259 | 35.5% |
| Native American | 150 | 0.33% |
| Asian | 406 | 0.89% |
| Pacific Islander | 9 | 0.02% |
| Other/Mixed | 1,403 | 3.06% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 1,577 | 3.44% |
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 45,798 in 18,440 households, including 12,161 families.[17]
The median age was 40.8 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.6 males age 18 and over.[18]
55.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 44.9% lived in rural areas.[18]
The racial makeup of the county was 57.6% White, 35.7%Black or African American, 0.4%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Asian, 0.0%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 1.6% from some other race, and 3.8% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.4% of the population.[19]
Among those households, 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 34.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[17]
There were 20,668 housing units, of which 10.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 63.5% were owner-occupied and 36.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.3%.[17]
Colleges and universities:
There are two school districts:[20]
Private schools:
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 50 | 4.13% | 1,012 | 83.50% | 150 | 12.38% |
| 1916 | 42 | 2.78% | 1,298 | 85.79% | 173 | 11.43% |
| 1920 | 168 | 12.94% | 1,130 | 87.06% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 115 | 7.86% | 1,280 | 87.49% | 68 | 4.65% |
| 1928 | 814 | 39.63% | 1,240 | 60.37% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 90 | 3.32% | 2,607 | 96.20% | 13 | 0.48% |
| 1936 | 222 | 8.39% | 2,409 | 91.08% | 14 | 0.53% |
| 1940 | 371 | 15.16% | 2,072 | 84.64% | 5 | 0.20% |
| 1944 | 557 | 24.16% | 1,747 | 75.79% | 1 | 0.04% |
| 1948 | 925 | 25.22% | 1,429 | 38.97% | 1,313 | 35.81% |
| 1952 | 2,273 | 36.40% | 3,971 | 63.60% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 2,240 | 38.88% | 3,522 | 61.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 2,285 | 41.46% | 3,226 | 58.54% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 6,306 | 65.94% | 3,257 | 34.06% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 2,261 | 22.87% | 2,585 | 26.15% | 5,039 | 50.98% |
| 1972 | 6,668 | 75.44% | 2,171 | 24.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 3,263 | 34.68% | 6,147 | 65.32% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 4,294 | 42.26% | 5,695 | 56.05% | 172 | 1.69% |
| 1984 | 6,427 | 61.41% | 4,039 | 38.59% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 6,572 | 64.78% | 3,530 | 34.80% | 43 | 0.42% |
| 1992 | 5,500 | 46.03% | 4,841 | 40.52% | 1,607 | 13.45% |
| 1996 | 5,649 | 49.04% | 5,183 | 45.00% | 686 | 5.96% |
| 2000 | 7,093 | 58.82% | 4,862 | 40.32% | 103 | 0.85% |
| 2004 | 9,659 | 61.39% | 5,997 | 38.12% | 77 | 0.49% |
| 2008 | 10,642 | 57.54% | 7,720 | 41.74% | 132 | 0.71% |
| 2012 | 11,156 | 58.74% | 7,653 | 40.30% | 183 | 0.96% |
| 2016 | 11,228 | 59.45% | 7,142 | 37.82% | 515 | 2.73% |
| 2020 | 12,969 | 59.28% | 8,708 | 39.80% | 200 | 0.91% |
| 2024 | 13,670 | 61.91% | 8,347 | 37.80% | 63 | 0.29% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 13,020 | 60.28% | 8,158 | 37.77% | 422 | 1.95% |
| 2020 | 11,577 | 60.22% | 7,647 | 39.78% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 5,759 | 27.10% | 3,809 | 17.92% | 11,685 | 54.98% |
| 2020 | 12,954 | 59.80% | 8,708 | 40.20% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2022 | 10,481 | 61.01% | 6,436 | 37.46% | 263 | 1.53% |
| 2022 | 9,432 | 60.98% | 6,036 | 39.02% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2022 | 11,062 | 63.99% | 6,138 | 35.51% | 87 | 0.50% |
As of the 2020s, Thomas County is a Republican stronghold, voting 62% forDonald Trump in2024. Similar to other Georgia counties on the Florida border, Thomas County is reliably Republican in presidential elections, having last voted for a Democrat in 1980 when the Democratic candidate was native GeorgianJimmy Carter.For elections to theUnited States House of Representatives, Thomas County is part ofGeorgia's 2nd congressional district, currently represented bySanford Bishop. For elections to theGeorgia State Senate, Thomas County is part of District11.[23] For elections to theGeorgia House of Representatives, Thomas County is part of District172 and173.[24]
Places adjacent to Thomas County, Georgia | |
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Municipalities and communities ofThomas County, Georgia,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Town | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
