Hamilton County, Florida

Hamilton County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,004, down from 14,799 at the 2010 census.^[1] Its county seat is Jasper.^[2]

Hamilton County
County
Hamilton County Courthouse in Jasper
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Florida
Florida's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 30°29′N 82°57′W
Country	United States
State	Florida
Founded	December 26, 1827
Named after	Alexander Hamilton
Seat	Jasper
Largest city	Jasper
Area
• Total	519 sq mi (1,340 km2)
• Land	514 sq mi (1,330 km2)
• Water	5.3 sq mi (14 km2)  1.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	14,004
• Estimate  (2023)	13,471
• Density	27/sq mi (10/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.hamiltoncountyfl.com

History

Hamilton County was created in 1827^[3] from portions of Jefferson County. It was named for Alexander Hamilton, first United States Secretary of the Treasury.^[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 519 square miles (1,340 km²), of which 514 square miles (1,330 km²) is land and 5.3 square miles (14 km²) (1.0%) is water.^[5] It is the only county in Florida entirely north of Interstate 10.^[6]

Adjacent counties

• Echols County, Georgia - north
• Columbia County - east
• Suwannee County - south
• Madison County - west
• Lowndes County, Georgia - northwest

Major Highway

See also: List of county roads in Hamilton County, Florida

• I-75 (Interstate 75 / SR 93)
• US 41 (SR 25)
• US 129 (SRs 51 / 100)
• SR 100
• SR 136
• CR 143 / SR 143 (Hamilton Avenue)

Railroads

The main railroad line through Hamilton County is the Norfolk Southern Railway's Navair District (originally the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway), which runs mostly in close proximity to US 41 from Lake City across a bridge over the Suwannee River and the Columbia-Hamilton County Line southeast of White Plains to the Florida-Georgia State Line northwest of Jennings. A former section of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's DuPont—Lakeland Line survives as a rail trail in Jasper.

Politics

Voter Registration

According to the Secretary of State's Office, as of February 28, 2023, Republicans hold a plurality of registered voters in Hamilton County for the first time in over a century. The county has radically shifted from being a Democratic stronghold to becoming a Republican one during the 21st century.

Hamilton County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of February 28, 2023[7]
Political Party		Total Voters	Percentage
	Republican	3,305	42.25%
	Democratic	3,298	42.16%
	Independent	1,108	14.17%
	Third Parties	111	1.42%
Total		7,822	100%

United States presidential election results for Hamilton County, Florida^[8]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	3,964	68.92%	1,727	30.02%	61	1.06%
2020	3,815	65.33%	1,963	33.61%	62	1.06%
2016	3,443	62.70%	1,904	34.67%	144	2.62%
2012	3,138	57.90%	2,228	41.11%	54	1.00%
2008	3,179	56.81%	2,364	42.24%	53	0.95%
2004	2,792	54.97%	2,260	44.50%	27	0.53%
2000	2,147	54.14%	1,723	43.44%	96	2.42%
1996	1,520	41.38%	1,735	47.24%	418	11.38%
1992	1,402	37.64%	1,622	43.54%	701	18.82%
1988	2,062	60.72%	1,318	38.81%	16	0.47%
1984	1,921	57.83%	1,401	42.17%	0	0.00%
1980	1,301	39.66%	1,923	58.63%	56	1.71%
1976	794	26.91%	2,053	69.57%	104	3.52%
1972	1,741	73.34%	626	26.37%	7	0.29%
1968	337	12.34%	820	30.03%	1,574	57.63%
1964	1,158	47.07%	1,302	52.93%	0	0.00%
1960	656	33.01%	1,331	66.99%	0	0.00%
1956	464	23.71%	1,493	76.29%	0	0.00%
1952	658	31.18%	1,452	68.82%	0	0.00%
1948	202	12.53%	1,071	66.44%	339	21.03%
1944	262	17.92%	1,200	82.08%	0	0.00%
1940	185	11.50%	1,424	88.50%	0	0.00%
1936	73	4.49%	1,554	95.51%	0	0.00%
1932	110	8.65%	1,161	91.35%	0	0.00%
1928	167	16.83%	741	74.70%	84	8.47%
1924	143	17.40%	619	75.30%	60	7.30%
1920	151	15.91%	706	74.39%	92	9.69%
1916	113	13.92%	675	83.13%	24	2.96%
1912	46	8.26%	405	72.71%	106	19.03%
1908	116	16.38%	452	63.84%	140	19.77%
1904	155	24.53%	455	71.99%	22	3.48%

Hamilton County Courthouse Annex and Administrative Offices

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1830	553		—
1840	1,464		164.7%
1850	2,511		71.5%
1860	4,154		65.4%
1870	5,749		38.4%
1880	6,790		18.1%
1890	8,507		25.3%
1900	11,881		39.7%
1910	11,825		−0.5%
1920	9,873		−16.5%
1930	9,454		−4.2%
1940	9,778		3.4%
1950	8,981		−8.2%
1960	7,705		−14.2%
1970	7,787		1.1%
1980	8,761		12.5%
1990	10,930		24.8%
2000	13,327		21.9%
2010	14,799		11.0%
2020	14,004		−5.4%
2023 (est.)	13,471	[9]	−3.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12] 1990-2000[13] 2010-2019[1]

2020 census

Hamilton County racial composition^[14]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	7,633	54.51%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	4,422	31.58%
Native American	43	0.31%
Asian	43	0.31%
Other/Mixed	408	2.91%
Hispanic or Latino	1,455	10.39%

A map of racial demographics in Hamilton County by Census tract

Legend

• Non-Hispanic White   40–50%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90% Black or African American   50–60%

The 2020 United States census counted 14,004 people, 4,690 households, and 3,072 families in Hamilton County, Florida.^[15][16] The population density was 27.2 per square mile (10.5/km²). There were 5,596 housing units at an average density of 10.9 per square mile (4.2/km²).^[16][17] The racial makeup was 57.33% (8,028) white or European American (54.51% non-Hispanic white), 31.97% (4,477) black or African-American, 0.41% (58) Native American or Alaska Native, 0.31% (43) Asian, 0.0% (0) Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, 5.06% (709) from other races, and 4.92% (689) from two or more races.^[18] Hispanic or Latino of any race was 10.39% (1,455) of the population.^[19]

Of the 4,690 households, 29.1% had children under the age of 18; 41.2% were married couples living together; 31.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 29.3% of households consisted of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.^[16] The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 2.9.^[20] The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 6.4% of the population.^[21]

19.1% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 73.4 males.^[16] For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 69.9 males.^[16]

The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $38,300 (with a margin of error of +/- $6,178). The median family income was $44,231 (+/- $6,593).^[22] Males had a median income of $24,556 (+/- $4,009) versus $22,406 (+/- $1,882) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $23,110 (+/- $2,444).^[23] Approximately, 20.3% of families and 25.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.2% of those under the age of 18 and 19.0% of those ages 65 or over.^[24][25]

2000 census

As of the census^[26] of 2000, there were 13,327 people, 4,161 households, and 2,995 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile (10 people/km²). There were 4,966 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (3.9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 58.79% White, 37.72% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.69% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. 6.36% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,161 households, out of which 32.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.30% were married couples living together, 16.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.50% under the age of 18, 10.80% from 18 to 24, 31.80% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 11.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 135.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 145.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,638, and the median income for a family was $30,677. Males had a median income of $26,999 versus $20,552 for females. The per capita income for the county was $10,562. About 21.70% of families and 26.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.70% of those under age 18 and 16.10% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Hamilton County School District administrative offices

Hamilton County High School

Hamilton County School District operates public schools in the county. The sole elementary school is Hamilton County Elementary School, and the sole high school is Hamilton County High School.

Hamilton County is served by the Suwannee River Regional Library System, which contains eight branches and also serves Madison and Suwannee counties.

Libraries in Hamilton County include:

• Jasper
• Jennings
• White Springs

Communities

City

• Jasper

Towns

• Jennings
• White Springs

Unincorporated communities

• Avoca
• Bakers Mill
• Bellville
• Blue Springs
• Crossroads
• Hillcoat
• Marion
• Rawls
• Watson
• West Lake

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Hamilton County, Florida