Jefferson County, Georgia

Not to be confused with Jefferson, Georgia or Jeffersonville, Georgia.

Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,709.^[1] The county seat and largest city is Louisville.^[2] The county was created on February 20, 1796, and named for Thomas Jefferson, the main author of the Declaration of Independence who became the third president of the United States.^[3]

Jefferson County
County
County courthouse in Louisville
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°03′N 82°25′W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	February 20, 1796; 229 years ago (1796-02-20)
Named after	Thomas Jefferson
Seat	Louisville
Largest city	Louisville
Area
• Total	530 sq mi (1,400 km2)
• Land	526 sq mi (1,360 km2)
• Water	3.2 sq mi (8 km2)  0.6%
Population  (2020)
• Total	15,709
• Estimate  (2023)	15,183
• Density	30/sq mi (11/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	12th
Website	Jefferson County, Georgia

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 530 square miles (1,400 km²), of which 526 square miles (1,360 km²) is land and 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²) (0.6%) is water.^[4]

The small northern portion of Jefferson County, defined by a line running from Stapleton southeast and just south of State Route 80, is located in the Brier Creek sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. The entire rest of the county is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin.^[5]

Major highways

• US 1 / SR 4
  • US 1 Bus. (Wadley)
  • US 1 Bus. (Louisville)
• US 221
• US 319
• SR 17
• SR 24
• SR 47
• SR 78
• SR 80
• SR 88
• SR 101
• SR 171
• SR 242
• SR 296
• SR 540 (Fall Line Freeway)

Adjacent counties

• McDuffie County - north
• Richmond County - northeast
• Burke County - east
• Emanuel County - south
• Johnson County - southwest
• Glascock County - northwest
• Washington County - west
• Warren County - northwest

Communities

Cities

• Avera
• Louisville (county seat)
• Stapleton
• Wadley
• Wrens

Towns

• Bartow

Census-designated place

• Matthews

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1800	5,684		—
1810	6,111		7.5%
1820	7,056		15.5%
1830	7,309		3.6%
1840	7,254		−0.8%
1850	9,131		25.9%
1860	10,219		11.9%
1870	12,190		19.3%
1880	15,671		28.6%
1890	17,213		9.8%
1900	18,212		5.8%
1910	21,379		17.4%
1920	22,602		5.7%
1930	20,727		−8.3%
1940	20,040		−3.3%
1950	18,855		−5.9%
1960	17,468		−7.4%
1970	17,174		−1.7%
1980	18,403		7.2%
1990	17,408		−5.4%
2000	17,266		−0.8%
2010	16,930		−1.9%
2020	15,709		−7.2%
2023 (est.)	15,183	[6]	−3.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1880[8] 1890-1910[9] 1920-1930[10] 1930-1940[11] 1940-1950[12] 1960-1980[13] 1980-2000[14] 2010[15] 2020[16]

Jefferson 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[17]	Pop 2010[15]	Pop 2020[16]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	7,215	7,015	6,834	41.79%	41.44%	43.50%
Black or African American alone (NH)	9,663	9,187	7,970	55.97%	54.26%	50.74%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	21	18	21	0.12%	0.11%	0.13%
Asian alone (NH)	27	64	70	0.16%	0.38%	0.45%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)	1	2	0	0.01%	0.01%	0.00%
Other race alone (NH)	16	13	25	0.09%	0.08%	0.16%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	64	114	327	0.37%	0.67%	2.08%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	259	517	462	1.50%	3.05%	2.94%
Total	17,266	16,930	15,709	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,709 people, 5,664 households, and 3,598 families residing in the county.

Education

Main article: Louisville, Georgia § Education

Politics

The county has been depopulating since 1980, and Democratic vote share has fluctuated since then.

Jefferson County leans Democratic in presidential elections; it voted for Democrats in every presidential election from 1992 to 2020. In 2024, Donald Trump became the first Republican since George H. W. Bush in 1988 to carry the county. It is now a Democratic-leaning swing county.

United States presidential election results for Jefferson County, Georgia^[18]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	3,765	50.24%	3,674	49.03%	55	0.73%
2020	3,537	46.30%	4,058	53.12%	44	0.58%
2016	3,063	43.91%	3,821	54.77%	92	1.32%
2012	2,999	41.08%	4,261	58.36%	41	0.56%
2008	3,061	42.31%	4,149	57.35%	25	0.35%
2004	3,066	46.89%	3,447	52.71%	26	0.40%
2000	2,559	45.98%	2,973	53.41%	34	0.61%
1996	2,077	35.86%	3,404	58.77%	311	5.37%
1992	2,077	34.68%	3,220	53.77%	692	11.55%
1988	2,788	54.13%	2,346	45.54%	17	0.33%
1984	2,999	51.57%	2,816	48.43%	0	0.00%
1980	1,605	32.24%	3,305	66.39%	68	1.37%
1976	1,309	29.59%	3,115	70.41%	0	0.00%
1972	2,777	70.11%	1,184	29.89%	0	0.00%
1968	1,227	23.51%	1,901	36.43%	2,090	40.05%
1964	2,950	70.15%	1,253	29.80%	2	0.05%
1960	986	43.71%	1,270	56.29%	0	0.00%
1956	512	27.48%	1,351	72.52%	0	0.00%
1952	744	33.51%	1,476	66.49%	0	0.00%
1948	137	7.98%	544	31.70%	1,035	60.31%
1944	274	20.80%	1,043	79.20%	0	0.00%
1940	171	13.72%	1,068	85.71%	7	0.56%
1936	168	11.85%	1,238	87.31%	12	0.85%
1932	65	4.23%	1,454	94.66%	17	1.11%
1928	1,057	56.98%	798	43.02%	0	0.00%
1924	103	15.10%	502	73.61%	77	11.29%
1920	82	8.92%	837	91.08%	0	0.00%
1916	63	7.91%	588	73.87%	145	18.22%
1912	45	3.31%	899	66.15%	415	30.54%

See also

• State of Georgia portal

• Central Savannah River Area
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, Georgia
• List of counties in Georgia