Washington County, Georgia

For other counties with similar names, see Washington County.
Not to be confused with Washington, Georgia.

Washington County, Georgia
County
Washington County Courthouse in Sandersville
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Coordinates: 32°58′N 82°47′W / 32.97°N 82.79°W / 32.97; -82.79
Country United States
State Georgia
FoundedFebruary 25, 1784 (1784)
Named afterGeorge Washington
SeatSandersville
Largest citySandersville
Area
 • Total
684 sq mi (1,770 km2)
 • Land678 sq mi (1,760 km2)
 • Water5.9 sq mi (15 km2)  0.9%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
19,988
 • Estimate 
(2024)
19,834
 • Density29.5/sq mi (11.4/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district12th
Websitewashingtoncountyga.gov

Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,988.[1][2] The county seat is Sandersville.[3] The county was established on February 25, 1784. It was named for Revolutionary War general and President of the United States George Washington.[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 684 square miles (1,770 km2), of which 678 square miles (1,760 km2) is land and 5.9 square miles (15 km2) (0.9%) is water.[5]

The western portion of Washington County, west of a north-to-south line running through Sandersville, is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The northeastern portion of the county, north of Riddleville, is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin, while the southeastern portion, centered on Harrison, is located in the Ohoopee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.[6]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
17904,552—
180010,300126.3%
18109,940−3.5%
182010,6276.9%
18309,820−7.6%
184010,5657.6%
185011,76611.4%
186012,6987.9%
187015,84224.8%
188021,96438.6%
189025,23714.9%
190028,22711.8%
191028,174−0.2%
192028,147−0.1%
193025,030−11.1%
194024,230−3.2%
195021,012−13.3%
196018,903−10.0%
197017,480−7.5%
198018,8427.8%
199019,1121.4%
200021,17610.8%
201021,1870.1%
202019,988−5.7%
2024 (est.)19,834[7] −0.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1880[9] 1890-1910[10]
1920-1930[11] 1930-1940[12]
1940-1950[13] 1960-1980[14]
1980-2000[15] 2010[1] 2020[2]

2020 Census

Washington County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000[16] Pop 2010[17] Pop 2020[18] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 9,620 9,339 8,412 45.43% 44.08% 42.09%
Black or African American alone (NH) 11,233 11,124 10,698 53.05% 52.50% 53.52%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 35 19 37 0.17% 0.09% 0.19%
Asian alone (NH) 55 104 76 0.26% 0.49% 0.38%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) 2 1 0 0.01% 0.00% 0.00%
Other race alone (NH) 11 26 30 0.05% 0.12% 0.15%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 86 167 401 0.41% 0.79% 2.01%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 134 407 334 0.63% 1.92% 1.67%
Total 21,176 21,187 19,988 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 19,988.[19] The median age was 42.2 years, with 21.4% of residents under the age of 18 and 19.1% of residents 65 years of age or older.[20] For every 100 females there were 102.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.8 males age 18 and over.[21] 35.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 64.5% lived in rural areas.[20]

The racial makeup of the county was 42.4% White, 53.7% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.7% of the population.[19]

There were 7,506 households in the county, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 37.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[21] Of those households, 5,315 were families.[21]

There were 8,556 housing units, of which 12.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.6% were owner-occupied and 32.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.5%.[21]

Education

The county is served by the Washington County School District, which includes:[23]

The county is also the location of one privately run school:

The 1933 short story "The People's Choice" by Erskine Caldwell is set in Washington County, where the story's protagonist is a popular local politician elected again and again as the county's tax assessor.

In 1992, the Pig Monument was erected in the county, near Oconee off of Georgia State Route 272. The monument commemorates a 1933 event where several residents of the county gathered together to help a local farmer rescue a pig that had fallen down a dry well.

The biography of one of the main characters (Grant Alexander) in the 2011 console game X-Men: Destiny states that they were born in Sandersville, Georgia.

Politics

Like most other majority-minority counties in the South, Washington County has primarily backed Democratic Party candidates for most of its history. Democratic margins of victory in presidential elections were far greater prior to 1964, but the county has only failed to back a Democratic presidential candidate five times in its history. However, no candidate of any party since Bill Clinton in 1996 has managed to win the county by a margin of 1,000 votes or greater. It was the most Black county in Georgia to vote for Donald Trump in 2024.

For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Washington County is part of Georgia's 12th congressional district, currently represented by Rick Allen. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Washington County is part of District 26.[24] For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Washington County is part of District 128.[25]

United States presidential election results for Washington County, Georgia[26]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
1912 28 2.51% 920 82.51% 167 14.98%
1916 18 1.60% 954 84.57% 156 13.83%
1920 118 9.42% 1,134 90.58% 0 0.00%
1924 130 13.47% 758 78.55% 77 7.98%
1928 472 29.24% 1,142 70.76% 0 0.00%
1932 9 0.46% 1,923 99.33% 4 0.21%
1936 149 10.34% 1,286 89.24% 6 0.42%
1940 253 18.41% 1,112 80.93% 9 0.66%
1944 351 24.29% 1,094 75.71% 0 0.00%
1948 204 14.79% 1,169 84.77% 6 0.44%
1952 795 25.03% 2,381 74.97% 0 0.00%
1956 602 19.22% 2,530 80.78% 0 0.00%
1960 956 32.30% 2,004 67.70% 0 0.00%
1964 2,296 55.63% 1,830 44.34% 1 0.02%
1968 1,247 26.43% 1,443 30.58% 2,029 43.00%
1972 3,901 75.79% 1,246 24.21% 0 0.00%
1976 1,657 30.01% 3,865 69.99% 0 0.00%
1980 1,822 33.97% 3,452 64.35% 90 1.68%
1984 2,887 48.76% 3,034 51.24% 0 0.00%
1988 2,752 51.12% 2,615 48.58% 16 0.30%
1992 2,384 35.45% 3,508 52.16% 833 12.39%
1996 2,348 33.94% 4,057 58.64% 514 7.43%
2000 3,162 47.26% 3,476 51.95% 53 0.79%
2004 4,081 51.93% 3,733 47.51% 44 0.56%
2008 4,216 47.49% 4,607 51.89% 55 0.62%
2012 4,035 45.76% 4,714 53.46% 68 0.77%
2016 4,149 48.90% 4,200 49.50% 136 1.60%
2020 4,668 49.24% 4,743 50.03% 69 0.73%
2024 4,824 50.82% 4,643 48.91% 26 0.27%
United States Senate election results for Washington County, Georgia2
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 4,630 49.90% 4,477 48.25% 172 1.85%
2020 4,161 48.79% 4,368 51.21% 0 0.00%
[27]
United States Senate election results for Washington County, Georgia3
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 2,376 25.82% 3,046 33.10% 3,780 41.08%
2020 4,663 49.64% 4,730 50.36% 0 0.00%
2022 3,904 50.29% 3,793 48.86% 66 0.85%
2022 3,667 49.41% 3,754 50.59% 0 0.00%
Georgia Gubernatorial election results for Washington County
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2022 4,098 52.58% 3,665 47.02% 31 0.40%

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  2. ^ a b U.S. 2020 Census Bureau report, Washington County, Georgia
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 247. ISBN 0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 27, 2003.
  5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  6. ^ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  7. ^ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  8. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
  9. ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
  10. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2024.
  11. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
  12. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
  13. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
  14. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
  15. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
  16. ^ "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Washington County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  17. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Washington County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  18. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Washington County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  19. ^ a b "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  20. ^ a b "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  21. ^ a b c d "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  22. ^ Kaolin mines in Washington County, Georgia
  23. ^ District, Washington County School. "Washington County Board of Education - Washington County Board of Education Listing". Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  24. ^ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  25. ^ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  26. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  27. ^ "2022 Senate Election (Official Returns)". Commonwealth of Georgia by county. November 5, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2024.

Further reading

  • Ella Mitchell, History of Washington County. Atlanta, GA: Byrd Printing Company, 1924. —Reissued 1973.

32°58′N 82°47′W / 32.97°N 82.79°W / 32.97; -82.79

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