Spalding County, Georgia
County in Georgia, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Spalding County is a county in the West Central region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,306.[2] The county seat is Griffin.[3][1] The county was created December 20, 1851, and named for former United States representative and senator Thomas Spalding.[4]
Spalding County, Georgia | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Spalding County Courthouse in Griffin | |
 Logo | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Georgia | |
| Coordinates: 33°16′N 84°17′W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | 1851 |
| Named after | Thomas Spalding |
| Seat | Griffin |
| Largest city | Griffin |
| Area | |
• Total | 200 sq mi (520 km2) |
| • Land | 196 sq mi (510 km2) |
| • Water | 3.1 sq mi (8.0 km2) 1.6% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 67,306[1] |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | spaldingcounty.com |
Spalding County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell MSA.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 200 square miles (520 km2), of which 196 square miles (510 km2) is land and 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2) (1.6%) is water.[5] The county is located in the Piedmont region of the state.
The western portion of Spalding County, west of a line from Sunny Side through Griffin to Orchard Hill, is located in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The eastern part of the county is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.[6]
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Henry County (northeast)
- Butts County (east)
- Lamar County (southeast)
- Pike County (southwest)
- Meriwether County (west)
- Coweta County (west)
- Fayette County (northwest)
- Clayton County (northwest)
Communities
Cities
- Griffin (county seat)
Town
Census-designated places
- East Griffin
- Experiment
- Heron Bay (partly in Henry County)
- Sunny Side (formerly a city)
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 8,699 | — | |
| 1870 | 10,205 | 17.3% | |
| 1880 | 12,585 | 23.3% | |
| 1890 | 13,117 | 4.2% | |
| 1900 | 17,619 | 34.3% | |
| 1910 | 19,741 | 12.0% | |
| 1920 | 21,908 | 11.0% | |
| 1930 | 23,495 | 7.2% | |
| 1940 | 28,427 | 21.0% | |
| 1950 | 31,045 | 9.2% | |
| 1960 | 35,404 | 14.0% | |
| 1970 | 39,514 | 11.6% | |
| 1980 | 47,899 | 21.2% | |
| 1990 | 54,457 | 13.7% | |
| 2000 | 58,417 | 7.3% | |
| 2010 | 64,073 | 9.7% | |
| 2020 | 67,306 | 5.0% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 70,292 | [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[2] 2020[1] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 37,105 | 55.13% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 23,148 | 34.39% |
| Native American | 154 | 0.23% |
| Asian | 640 | 0.95% |
| Pacific Islander | 23 | 0.03% |
| Other/Mixed | 2,570 | 3.82% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 3,666 | 5.45% |
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 67,306, 25,726 households, and 16,563 families.[17][18]
The median age was 40.4 years. 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.8 males age 18 and over. 59.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 40.7% lived in rural areas.[17]
The racial makeup of the county was 56.2% White, 34.6% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.5% from some other race, and 5.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.4% of the population.[19]
There were 25,726 households in the county, of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 33.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[18]
There were 27,785 housing units, of which 7.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 61.3% were owner-occupied and 38.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.3%.[18]
Education
The Griffin-Spalding County School District has 11 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, 2 high schools, and 4 complementary programs.
Politics
Spalding County is solidly Republican at the presidential level having last voted for a Democrat in 1980 when it voted for Jimmy Carter. Since then, the closest a Democrat has come to winning Spalding County was in 1992, when Bill Clinton lost to George H. W. Bush by 5.6 percent. The county voted 57% for Donald Trump in 2024. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Spalding County is part of Georgia's 3rd congressional district, currently represented by Brian Jack. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Spalding County is part of District 16.[20] For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Spalding County is divided between districts 82 and 135.[21]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 26 | 3.22% | 736 | 91.20% | 45 | 5.58% |
| 1916 | 41 | 3.99% | 835 | 81.23% | 152 | 14.79% |
| 1920 | 181 | 17.90% | 830 | 82.10% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 75 | 5.28% | 1,257 | 88.52% | 88 | 6.20% |
| 1928 | 412 | 19.20% | 1,734 | 80.80% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 54 | 2.40% | 2,185 | 97.07% | 12 | 0.53% |
| 1936 | 36 | 1.44% | 2,457 | 98.28% | 7 | 0.28% |
| 1940 | 197 | 6.11% | 3,022 | 93.76% | 4 | 0.12% |
| 1944 | 217 | 7.18% | 2,805 | 92.79% | 1 | 0.03% |
| 1948 | 506 | 10.94% | 3,441 | 74.38% | 679 | 14.68% |
| 1952 | 1,249 | 19.08% | 5,296 | 80.92% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 1,458 | 23.10% | 4,853 | 76.90% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,753 | 28.37% | 4,426 | 71.63% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 4,763 | 46.56% | 5,466 | 53.44% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 3,077 | 28.03% | 2,949 | 26.86% | 4,953 | 45.11% |
| 1972 | 7,183 | 80.84% | 1,702 | 19.16% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 3,739 | 33.00% | 7,593 | 67.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 4,809 | 39.00% | 7,176 | 58.19% | 346 | 2.81% |
| 1984 | 8,571 | 63.73% | 4,878 | 36.27% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 7,730 | 63.68% | 4,318 | 35.57% | 90 | 0.74% |
| 1992 | 7,262 | 46.15% | 6,392 | 40.63% | 2,080 | 13.22% |
| 1996 | 7,376 | 50.74% | 6,017 | 41.39% | 1,143 | 7.86% |
| 2000 | 9,271 | 60.24% | 5,831 | 37.89% | 289 | 1.88% |
| 2004 | 13,461 | 63.99% | 7,460 | 35.46% | 115 | 0.55% |
| 2008 | 14,885 | 58.85% | 10,141 | 40.09% | 269 | 1.06% |
| 2012 | 14,911 | 59.31% | 9,898 | 39.37% | 330 | 1.31% |
| 2016 | 15,646 | 60.58% | 9,357 | 36.23% | 823 | 3.19% |
| 2020 | 18,104 | 59.91% | 11,828 | 39.14% | 287 | 0.95% |
| 2024 | 19,184 | 57.77% | 13,679 | 41.19% | 345 | 1.04% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 17,768 | 59.70% | 11,355 | 38.15% | 641 | 2.15% |
| 2020 | 15,957 | 59.27% | 10,966 | 40.73% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 9,759 | 32.84% | 8,543 | 28.75% | 11,412 | 38.41% |
| 2020 | 18,057 | 67.88% | 8,543 | 32.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2022 | 13,966 | 53.13% | 11,784 | 44.83% | 535 | 2.04% |
| 2022 | 12,625 | 58.65% | 8,902 | 41.35% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2022 | 15,090 | 61.86% | 9,146 | 37.49% | 159 | 0.65% |
