Monroe County, Georgia
County in Georgia, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Monroe County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,957.[1] The county seat is Forsyth.[2] The county was created on May 15, 1821.[3] The county was named for James Monroe.[4] Monroe County is included in the Macon, Georgia metropolitan area.
Monroe County, Georgia | |
|---|---|
| |
 Location within the U.S. state of Georgia | |
| Coordinates: 33°01′N 83°55′W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | 1821 |
| Named after | James Monroe |
| Seat | Forsyth |
| Largest city | Forsyth |
| Government | |
| • Commission Chair | Greg Tapley |
| Area | |
• Total | 398 sq mi (1,030 km2) |
| • Land | 396 sq mi (1,030 km2) |
| • Water | 2.2 sq mi (5.7 km2) 0.5% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 27,957 |
• Estimate (2025) | 32,023  |
| • Density | 70.6/sq mi (27.3/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 8th |
| Website | www |
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 398 square miles (1,030 km2), of which 396 square miles (1,030 km2) is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2) (0.5%) is water.[5] Located on the fall line, the county falls in between the Piedmont and the Atlantic coastal plain. The vast majority of Monroe County is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin, with just a tiny southwestern corner of the county, west of a line between Yatesville and Culloden, located in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin).[6]
Major highways
Interstate 75
Interstate 475
U.S. Route 23
U.S. Route 41
U.S. Route 341
State Route 7
State Route 18
State Route 19
State Route 42
State Route 74
State Route 83
State Route 87
State Route 401 (unsigned designation for I-75)
State Route 408 (unsigned designation for I-475)
Adjacent counties
- Butts County (north)
- Jasper County (northeast)
- Jones County (east)
- Bibb County (southeast)
- Crawford County (south)
- Upson County (southwest)
- Lamar County (west)
Communities
Cities
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 16,202 | — | |
| 1840 | 16,275 | 0.5% | |
| 1850 | 16,985 | 4.4% | |
| 1860 | 15,953 | −6.1% | |
| 1870 | 17,213 | 7.9% | |
| 1880 | 18,808 | 9.3% | |
| 1890 | 19,137 | 1.7% | |
| 1900 | 20,682 | 8.1% | |
| 1910 | 20,450 | −1.1% | |
| 1920 | 20,138 | −1.5% | |
| 1930 | 11,606 | −42.4% | |
| 1940 | 10,749 | −7.4% | |
| 1950 | 10,523 | −2.1% | |
| 1960 | 10,495 | −0.3% | |
| 1970 | 10,991 | 4.7% | |
| 1980 | 14,610 | 32.9% | |
| 1990 | 17,113 | 17.1% | |
| 2000 | 21,757 | 27.1% | |
| 2010 | 26,424 | 21.5% | |
| 2020 | 27,957 | 5.8% | |
| 2025 (est.) | 32,023 | [7] | 14.5% |
| 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[16] 2020[17] | |||
Racial and ethnic composition
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[18] | Pop 1990[19] | Pop 2000[20] | Pop 2010[16] | Pop 2020[17] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 9,012 | 11,554 | 15,150 | 19,101 | 19,954 | 61.68% | 67.52% | 69.63% | 72.29% | 71.37% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 5,386 | 5,390 | 6,015 | 6,249 | 6,084 | 36.87% | 31.50% | 27.65% | 23.65% | 21.76% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 17 | 36 | 67 | 64 | 34 | 0.12% | 0.21% | 0.31% | 0.24% | 0.12% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 20 | 36 | 74 | 209 | 239 | 0.14% | 0.21% | 0.34% | 0.79% | 0.85% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x [21] | x [22] | 6 | 4 | 0 | x | x | 0.03% | 0.02% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 2 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 86 | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.03% | 0.05% | 0.31% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x [23] | x [24] | 158 | 248 | 846 | x | x | 0.73% | 0.94% | 3.03% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 173 | 96 | 281 | 535 | 714 | 1.18% | 0.56% | 1.29% | 2.02% | 2.55% |
| Total | 14,610 | 17,113 | 21,757 | 26,424 | 27,957 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 27,957 people, 10,257 households, and 6,179 families residing in the county.[25] The median age was 43.2 years, 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.7 males age 18 and over. 18.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 81.8% lived in rural areas.[26]
The racial makeup of the county was 72.0% White, 21.9% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.1% from some other race, and 4.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.6% of the population.[27]
Of the 10,257 households, 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[25]
There were 11,085 housing units, of which 7.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.2% were owner-occupied and 20.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.5%.[25]
Politics
As of the 2020s, Monroe County is a strongly Republican voting county, voting 73% for Donald Trump in 2024. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Monroe County is part of Georgia's 8th congressional district, currently represented by Austin Scott. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Monroe County is part of District 18.[28] For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Monroe County is part of districts 118, 144 and 145.[29]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 50 | 6.49% | 702 | 91.17% | 18 | 2.34% |
| 1916 | 65 | 7.76% | 721 | 86.04% | 52 | 6.21% |
| 1920 | 83 | 9.02% | 837 | 90.98% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 64 | 8.34% | 672 | 87.61% | 31 | 4.04% |
| 1928 | 329 | 29.12% | 801 | 70.88% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 45 | 3.61% | 1,200 | 96.31% | 1 | 0.08% |
| 1936 | 147 | 10.27% | 1,277 | 89.24% | 7 | 0.49% |
| 1940 | 49 | 4.58% | 1,014 | 94.86% | 6 | 0.56% |
| 1944 | 410 | 26.59% | 1,132 | 73.41% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 169 | 11.90% | 881 | 62.04% | 370 | 26.06% |
| 1952 | 501 | 17.23% | 2,406 | 82.77% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 506 | 24.67% | 1,545 | 75.33% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 581 | 26.14% | 1,642 | 73.86% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,665 | 51.33% | 1,578 | 48.64% | 1 | 0.03% |
| 1968 | 770 | 23.91% | 1,028 | 31.93% | 1,422 | 44.16% |
| 1972 | 2,181 | 73.43% | 789 | 26.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 1,078 | 26.68% | 2,962 | 73.32% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 1,242 | 32.18% | 2,542 | 65.85% | 76 | 1.97% |
| 1984 | 2,420 | 52.51% | 2,189 | 47.49% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 2,570 | 56.38% | 1,970 | 43.22% | 18 | 0.39% |
| 1992 | 2,423 | 39.28% | 2,774 | 44.97% | 971 | 15.74% |
| 1996 | 3,054 | 48.19% | 2,768 | 43.67% | 516 | 8.14% |
| 2000 | 4,561 | 60.48% | 2,839 | 37.65% | 141 | 1.87% |
| 2004 | 6,522 | 66.59% | 3,216 | 32.84% | 56 | 0.57% |
| 2008 | 7,933 | 65.31% | 4,106 | 33.80% | 108 | 0.89% |
| 2012 | 8,361 | 68.00% | 3,785 | 30.78% | 149 | 1.21% |
| 2016 | 8,832 | 69.61% | 3,571 | 28.15% | 284 | 2.24% |
| 2020 | 11,057 | 70.91% | 4,385 | 28.12% | 150 | 0.96% |
| 2024 | 12,954 | 73.17% | 4,689 | 26.49% | 61 | 0.34% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 10,929 | 70.84% | 4,205 | 27.26% | 294 | 1.91% |
| 2020 | 10,084 | 71.46% | 4,027 | 28.54% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 6,077 | 39.60% | 3,197 | 20.83% | 6,071 | 39.56% |
| 2020 | 10,057 | 71.25% | 4,058 | 28.75% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2022 | 9,673 | 70.79% | 3,737 | 27.35% | 255 | 1.87% |
| 2022 | 9,018 | 71.42% | 3,609 | 28.58% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2022 | 10,314 | 75.19% | 3,315 | 24.17% | 89 | 0.65% |
Education
All parts of the county are in the Monroe County School District.[32]