Peach County, Georgia
County in Georgia, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peach County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,981.[1] Its county seat is Fort Valley.[2] Founded in 1924, it is the state's newest county, taken from Houston and Macon counties on July 18 of that year.[3] Its namesake is the peach on account of it being located in a peach-growing district.[4]
Peach County, Georgia | |
|---|---|
Peach County Courthouse in Fort Valley | |
 Logo | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Georgia | |
| Coordinates: 32°34′N 83°50′W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | July 18, 1924 |
| Named after | Peach fruit |
| Seat | Fort Valley |
| Largest city | Fort Valley |
| Area | |
• Total | 151 sq mi (390 km2) |
| • Land | 150 sq mi (390 km2) |
| • Water | 1.0 sq mi (2.6 km2) 0.7% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 27,981 |
| • Density | 187/sq mi (72/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
Peach County is included in the Warner Robins, GA metropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Macon-Warner Robins, GA combined statistical area.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 151 square miles (390 km2), of which 150 square miles (390 km2) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2) (0.7%) is water.[5] It is the fifth-smallest county in Georgia by area.
The majority of Peach County is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. A small portion of the northern edge of the county, north of Byron, is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The very western tip of Peach County is located in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin).[6]
Major highways
Interstate 75
U.S. Route 41
U.S. Route 341
State Route 7
State Route 7 Connector
State Route 11
Georgia State Route 42
Georgia State Route 49
State Route 49 Connector
Georgia State Route 96
State Route 127
State Route 247 Connector
State Route 401 (unsigned designation for I-75)
State Route 540 (Fall Line Freeway)
Adjacent counties
- Bibb County - north
- Houston County - east
- Crawford County - northwest
- Taylor County - west
- Macon County - southwest
Communities
Cities
- Byron (mostly)
- Fort Valley (county seat)
- Warner Robins (partly)
- Perry (partly)
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 10,268 | — | |
| 1940 | 10,378 | 1.1% | |
| 1950 | 11,705 | 12.8% | |
| 1960 | 13,846 | 18.3% | |
| 1970 | 15,990 | 15.5% | |
| 1980 | 19,151 | 19.8% | |
| 1990 | 21,189 | 10.6% | |
| 2000 | 23,668 | 11.7% | |
| 2010 | 27,695 | 17.0% | |
| 2020 | 27,981 | 1.0% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 29,213 | [7]  | 4.4% |
| 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] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2000[18] | Pop 2010[16] | Pop 2020[17] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 11,654 | 12,499 | 12,119 | 49.24% | 45.13% | 43.31% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 10,682 | 12,647 | 12,139 | 45.13% | 45.67% | 43.38% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 66 | 59 | 63 | 0.28% | 0.21% | 0.23% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 77 | 222 | 194 | 0.33% | 0.80% | 0.69% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 8 | 8 | 6 | 0.03% | 0.03% | 0.02% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 21 | 26 | 98 | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.35% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 162 | 344 | 815 | 0.68% | 1.24% | 2.91% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 998 | 1,890 | 2,547 | 4.22% | 6.82% | 9.10% |
| Total | 23,668 | 27,695 | 27,981 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 27,981, and 60.0% of residents lived in urban areas while 40.0% lived in rural areas.[19] The median age was 39.1 years; 21.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.2% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.1 males age 18 and over.[20]
The racial makeup of the county was 44.7% White, 43.7% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.3% from some other race, and 5.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 9.1% of the population.[21]
There were 10,693 households, including 6,596 families; 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 33.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.2% of households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[20]
There were 11,991 housing units, of which 10.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 64.9% were owner-occupied and 35.1% were renter-occupied, and the homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% while the rental vacancy rate was 8.5%.[20]
Education
It is in the Peach County School District.[22] Peach County High School is the comprehensive high school.
Politics
As of the 2020s, Peach County is a swing county, voting 52.8% for Donald Trump in 2024. Since the 1990s, Peach County has been a bellwether,[23] usually voting for the winning candidate in United States presidential elections. It has voted for the national winner in six of the past eight elections, only picking the national loser in 2000 and 2020.[24] Before this, Peach County voted for the Democratic candidate in most elections during the 20th century, often by large margins.
For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Peach County is part of Georgia's 2nd congressional district, currently represented by Sanford Bishop. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Peach County is part of District 18.[25] For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Peach County is part of districts 134, 147 and 150.[26]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1928 | 208 | 26.67% | 572 | 73.33% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 56 | 8.54% | 595 | 90.70% | 5 | 0.76% |
| 1936 | 49 | 5.91% | 767 | 92.52% | 13 | 1.57% |
| 1940 | 155 | 17.24% | 738 | 82.09% | 6 | 0.67% |
| 1944 | 236 | 20.43% | 919 | 79.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 166 | 13.91% | 642 | 53.81% | 385 | 32.27% |
| 1952 | 374 | 19.70% | 1,523 | 80.24% | 1 | 0.05% |
| 1956 | 461 | 23.03% | 1,541 | 76.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 628 | 30.47% | 1,433 | 69.53% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,970 | 55.40% | 1,585 | 44.57% | 1 | 0.03% |
| 1968 | 904 | 23.16% | 1,362 | 34.89% | 1,638 | 41.96% |
| 1972 | 3,747 | 60.83% | 2,413 | 39.17% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 1,163 | 22.57% | 3,989 | 77.43% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 1,642 | 31.76% | 3,415 | 66.05% | 113 | 2.19% |
| 1984 | 2,652 | 44.05% | 3,369 | 55.95% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 2,782 | 48.00% | 2,972 | 51.28% | 42 | 0.72% |
| 1992 | 2,327 | 33.37% | 3,677 | 52.73% | 969 | 13.90% |
| 1996 | 2,676 | 39.63% | 3,582 | 53.05% | 494 | 7.32% |
| 2000 | 3,525 | 49.39% | 3,540 | 49.60% | 72 | 1.01% |
| 2004 | 4,554 | 53.24% | 3,961 | 46.31% | 39 | 0.46% |
| 2008 | 5,173 | 46.20% | 5,927 | 52.94% | 96 | 0.86% |
| 2012 | 5,287 | 45.83% | 6,148 | 53.29% | 102 | 0.88% |
| 2016 | 5,413 | 50.08% | 5,100 | 47.18% | 296 | 2.74% |
| 2020 | 6,506 | 51.82% | 5,922 | 47.17% | 126 | 1.00% |
| 2024 | 7,104 | 52.80% | 6,293 | 46.77% | 57 | 0.42% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 6,483 | 52.15% | 5,702 | 45.87% | 247 | 1.99% |
| 2020 | 5,717 | 51.73% | 5,335 | 48.27% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 3,358 | 27.19% | 4,032 | 32.64% | 4,962 | 40.17% |
| 2020 | 5,701 | 51.59% | 5,350 | 48.41% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2022 | 5,156 | 51.56% | 4,701 | 47.01% | 143 | 1.43% |
| 2022 | 4,751 | 51.73% | 4,433 | 48.27% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2022 | 5,542 | 55.20% | 4,431 | 44.14% | 66 | 0.66% |