Pierce County, Georgia

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Pierce County, Georgia
Map
Location in the state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded	December 18, 1857
Seat	Blackshear
Area - Total - Land - Water	344 sq mi (891 km²) 343 sq mi (889 km²) 1 sq mi (2 km²),
Population - (2000) - Density	15,636
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Named for: Franklin Pierce

Pierce County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population is 15,636. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 17,881 [1]. The county seat is Blackshear, Georgia^[1].

1 History
2 Geography
- 2.1 Major highways
- 2.2 Adjacent counties
3 Demographics
4 Local Media Outlets
5 Cities and Towns
- 5.1 Smaller Communities

[edit] History

Pierce County is named for Franklin Pierce, fourteenth President of the United States. It was created December 18, 1857, from Appling and Ware counties.

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 344 square miles (891 km²), of which, 343 square miles (889 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (2 km²) of it (0.19%) is water.

[edit] Major highways

[edit] Adjacent counties

Appling County, Georgia - north
Wayne County, Georgia - northeast
Brantley County, Georgia - southeast
Ware County, Georgia - west
Bacon County, Georgia - northwest

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 15,636 people, 5,958 households, and 4,438 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 people per square mile (18/km²). There were 6,719 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.90% White, 10.91% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.97% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 2.28% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,958 households out of which 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% were married couples living together, 11.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.50% were non-families. 23.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.70% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,895, and the median income for a family was $35,903. Males had a median income of $28,331 versus $19,771 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,230. About 14.40% of families and 18.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.50% of those under age 18 and 22.40% of those age 65 or over.