Morgan County, Georgia

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Morgan County, Georgia
Morgan County Courthouse in Madison
Location in the state of Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	December 10, 1807 (1807-12-10)
Seat	Madison
Largest city	Madison
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	361 sq mi (935 km²) 345 sq mi (894 km²) 16 sq mi (41 km²), 4.4%
Population  - (2020)  - Density	20,097 58/sq mi (22/km²)
Congressional district	10th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4

Morgan County is a county located in the north central Piedmont region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,097. The county seat is Madison.

Since the early 21st century, the county has had a housing boom. It has proximity to Lake Oconee, a recreation site, as well as to major employment centers such as Atlanta, Athens, Augusta and Macon.

History

Morgan County was created on December 10, 1807. It was named for renowned Revolutionary War commander Daniel Morgan. During the American Civil War, the county provided the Panola Guards, which was a part of Cobb's Legion.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 355 square miles (920 km²), of which 347 square miles (900 km²) is land and 7.3 square miles (19 km²) (2.1%) is water. The entirety of Morgan County is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.

Major highways

• Interstate 20
• U.S. Route 129
• 
  U.S. Route 129 Bypass
• U.S. Route 278
• 
  U.S. Route 278 Truck
• U.S. Route 441
• 
  U.S. Route 441 Bypass
• State Route 12
• 
  State Route 12 Truck
• State Route 24
• State Route 24 Bypass
• State Route 83
• State Route 186
• State Route 402 (unsigned designation for I-20)

Adjacent counties

• Oconee County (north)
• Greene County (east)
• Putnam County (southeast)
• Jasper County (southwest)
• Newton County (west)
• Walton County (northwest)

National protected area

• Oconee National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1810	8,369		—
1820	13,520		61.5%
1830	12,046		−10.9%
1840	9,121		−24.3%
1850	10,744		17.8%
1860	9,997		−7.0%
1870	10,696		7.0%
1880	14,032		31.2%
1890	16,041		14.3%
1900	15,813		−1.4%
1910	19,717		24.7%
1920	20,143		2.2%
1930	12,488		−38.0%
1940	12,713		1.8%
1950	11,899		−6.4%
1960	10,280		−13.6%
1970	9,904		−3.7%
1980	11,572		16.8%
1990	12,883		11.3%
2000	15,457		20.0%
2010	17,868		15.6%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,457 people, 5,558 households, and 4,301 families living in the county. The population density was 17/km² (44/mi²). There were 6,128 housing units at an average density of 7/km² (18/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 69.69% White, 28.53% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. 1.60% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,558 households, out of which 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.90% were married couples living together, 14.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.60% were non-families. 19.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.60% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,249, and the median income for a family was $46,146. Males had a median income of $34,634 versus $22,206 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,823. About 8.90% of families and 10.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.10% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 17,868 people, 6,660 households, and 5,073 families living in the county. The population density was 51.4 inhabitants per square mile (19.8 /km²). There were 7,472 housing units at an average density of 21.5 per square mile (8.3 /km²). The racial makeup of the county was 72.7% white, 23.6% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.8% were American, 12.5% were English, 11.4% were Irish, and 9.0% were German.

Of the 6,660 households, 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 23.8% were non-families, and 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.06. The median age was 41.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $45,817 and the median income for a family was $57,724. Males had a median income of $44,101 versus $30,133 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,732. About 13.5% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.9% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

Morgan County Racial Composition

Race	Num.	Perc.
White	14,487	72.09%
Black or African American	4,105	20.43%
Native American	42	0.21%
Asian	122	0.61%
Pacific Islander	1	0.0%
Other/Mixed	628	3.12%
Hispanic or Latino	712	3.54%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 20,097 people, 6,942 households, and 5,250 families residing in the county.

Communities

Cities

• Bostwick
• Buckhead
• Madison (county seat)
• Rutledge

Unincorporated communities

• Apalachee
• Godfrey (ghost town)
• Pennington

Politics

United States presidential election results for Morgan County, Georgia

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	8,231	70.29%	3,353	28.63%	126	1.08%
2016	6,559	68.78%	2,663	27.93%	314	3.29%
2012	6,186	68.42%	2,753	30.45%	102	1.13%
2008	5,987	65.32%	3,091	33.73%	87	0.95%
2004	4,902	67.64%	2,304	31.79%	41	0.57%
2000	3,524	59.71%	2,238	37.92%	140	2.37%
1996	2,118	45.92%	2,111	45.77%	383	8.30%
1992	1,797	40.34%	2,057	46.17%	601	13.49%
1988	2,108	58.10%	1,508	41.57%	12	0.33%
1984	2,301	57.31%	1,714	42.69%	0	0.00%
1980	1,323	36.04%	2,276	62.00%	72	1.96%
1976	904	28.45%	2,274	71.55%	0	0.00%
1972	2,007	75.03%	668	24.97%	0	0.00%
1968	616	20.67%	973	32.65%	1,391	46.68%
1964	1,485	47.31%	1,654	52.69%	0	0.00%
1960	373	20.04%	1,488	79.96%	0	0.00%
1956	246	14.15%	1,492	85.85%	0	0.00%
1952	247	13.03%	1,649	86.97%	0	0.00%
1948	115	8.18%	1,147	81.58%	144	10.24%
1944	51	4.18%	1,166	95.50%	4	0.33%
1940	24	4.72%	484	95.28%	0	0.00%
1936	37	3.17%	1,130	96.66%	2	0.17%
1932	74	7.36%	923	91.75%	9	0.89%
1928	208	20.57%	803	79.43%	0	0.00%
1924	126	16.41%	598	77.86%	44	5.73%
1920	176	28.12%	450	71.88%	0	0.00%
1916	59	7.76%	643	84.61%	58	7.63%
1912	24	4.01%	537	89.80%	37	6.19%
1908	187	26.08%	462	64.44%	68	9.48%
1904	67	10.40%	512	79.50%	65	10.09%
1900	222	30.54%	484	66.57%	21	2.89%
1896	819	54.86%	629	42.13%	45	3.01%
1892	357	28.04%	761	59.78%	155	12.18%
1888	210	29.17%	506	70.28%	4	0.56%
1884	602	47.10%	676	52.90%	0	0.00%
1880	1,105	57.17%	828	42.83%	0	0.00%

See also

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