Monroe County, Georgia

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Monroe County, Georgia
Monroe County courthouse in Forsyth
Location in the state of Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1821 (1821)
Named for	James Monroe
Seat	Forsyth
Largest city	Forsyth
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	398 sq mi (1,031 km²) 396 sq mi (1,026 km²) 2.2 sq mi (6 km²), 0.5%
Population  - (2020)  - Density	27,957 67/sq mi (26/km²)
Congressional district	8th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	http://www.monroecountygeorgia.com/

Monroe County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,957. The county seat is Forsyth. The county was created on May 15, 1821. The county was named for James Monroe.

Monroe County is included in the Macon, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 398 square miles (1,030 km²), of which 396 square miles (1,030 km²) is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²) (0.5%) is water. It is located in the Piedmont region of the state.

The vast majority of Monroe County is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin, with just a tiny southwestern corner of the county, west of a line between Yatesville and Culloden, located in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin).

Major highways

• Interstate 75
• Interstate 475
• U.S. Route 23
• U.S. Route 41
• U.S. Route 341
• State Route 7
• State Route 18
• State Route 19
• State Route 42
• State Route 74
• State Route 83
• State Route 87
• State Route 401 (unsigned designation for I-75)
• State Route 408 (unsigned designation for I-475)

Adjacent counties

• Butts County (north)
• Jasper County (northeast)
• Jones County (east)
• Bibb County (southeast)
• Crawford County (south)
• Upson County (southwest)
• Lamar County (west)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1830	16,202		—
1840	16,275		0.5%
1850	16,985		4.4%
1860	15,953		−6.1%
1870	17,213		7.9%
1880	18,808		9.3%
1890	19,137		1.7%
1900	20,682		8.1%
1910	20,450		−1.1%
1920	20,138		−1.5%
1930	11,606		−42.4%
1940	10,749		−7.4%
1950	10,523		−2.1%
1960	10,495		−0.3%
1970	10,991		4.7%
1980	14,610		32.9%
1990	17,113		17.1%
2000	21,757		27.1%
2010	26,424		21.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 21,757 people, 7,719 households, and 6,005 families living in the county. The population density was 21/km² (55/mi²). There were 8,425 housing units at an average density of 8/km² (21/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 70.36% White, 27.93% Black, 0.35% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 1.29% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,719 households, out of which 35.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.60% were married couples living together, 13.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.20% were non-families. 18.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.30% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 10.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,195, and the median income for a family was $51,093. Males had a median income of $34,433 versus $22,146 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,580. About 7.30% of families and 9.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.00% of those under age 18 and 13.30% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 26,424 people, 9,662 households, and 7,157 families living in the county. The population density was 66.8 inhabitants per square mile (25.8 /km²). There were 10,710 housing units at an average density of 27.1 per square mile (10.5 /km²). The racial makeup of the county was 73.3% white, 23.7% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.9% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 14.7% were American, 13.1% were English, 9.9% were German, and 9.5% were Irish.

Of the 9,662 households, 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.9% were non-families, and 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 41.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $48,297 and the median income for a family was $61,110. Males had a median income of $41,409 versus $32,810 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,656. About 9.8% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.3% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

Monroe County racial composition

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	19,954	71.37%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	6,084	21.76%
Native American	34	0.12%
Asian	239	0.85%
Other/Mixed	932	3.33%
Hispanic or Latino	714	2.55%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 27,957 people, 9,760 households, and 6,179 families residing in the county.

Communities

Cities

• Culloden
• Forsyth

Census-designated place

• Bolingbroke
• Juliette
• Smarr

Unincorporated communities

• Berner
• Blount
• Brent
• High Falls
• Russellville
• Strouds

Politics

United States presidential election results for Monroe County, Georgia

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	11,057	70.91%	4,385	28.12%	150	0.96%
2016	8,832	69.61%	3,571	28.15%	284	2.24%
2012	8,361	68.00%	3,785	30.78%	149	1.21%
2008	7,933	65.31%	4,106	33.80%	108	0.89%
2004	6,522	66.59%	3,216	32.84%	56	0.57%
2000	4,561	60.48%	2,839	37.65%	141	1.87%
1996	3,054	48.19%	2,768	43.67%	516	8.14%
1992	2,423	39.28%	2,774	44.97%	971	15.74%
1988	2,570	56.38%	1,970	43.22%	18	0.39%
1984	2,420	52.51%	2,189	47.49%	0	0.00%
1980	1,242	32.18%	2,542	65.85%	76	1.97%
1976	1,078	26.68%	2,962	73.32%	0	0.00%
1972	2,181	73.43%	789	26.57%	0	0.00%
1968	770	23.91%	1,028	31.93%	1,422	44.16%
1964	1,665	51.33%	1,578	48.64%	1	0.03%
1960	581	26.14%	1,642	73.86%	0	0.00%
1956	506	24.67%	1,545	75.33%	0	0.00%
1952	501	17.23%	2,406	82.77%	0	0.00%
1948	169	11.90%	881	62.04%	370	26.06%
1944	410	26.59%	1,132	73.41%	0	0.00%
1940	49	4.58%	1,014	94.86%	6	0.56%
1936	147	10.27%	1,277	89.24%	7	0.49%
1932	45	3.61%	1,200	96.31%	1	0.08%
1928	329	29.12%	801	70.88%	0	0.00%
1924	64	8.34%	672	87.61%	31	4.04%
1920	83	9.02%	837	90.98%	0	0.00%
1916	52	6.21%	721	86.04%	65	7.76%
1912	9	1.01%	786	88.51%	93	10.47%
1908	162	19.38%	456	54.55%	218	26.08%
1904	36	5.41%	462	69.47%	167	25.11%
1900	92	10.11%	810	89.01%	8	0.88%
1896	419	32.46%	729	56.47%	143	11.08%
1892	839	32.63%	1,323	51.46%	409	15.91%
1888	466	24.70%	1,420	75.25%	1	0.05%
1884	500	28.69%	1,243	71.31%	0	0.00%
1880	1,023	43.81%	1,312	56.19%	0	0.00%

Education

All parts of the county are in the Monroe County School District.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Monroe County, Georgia