Brantley County, Georgia

Brantley County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,021. The county seat is Nahunta. Brantley County is part of the Brunswick, Georgia metropolitan area.

History

Georgia voters passed a state constitutional amendment on November 2, 1920, to form Brantley County from pieces of three earlier surrounding Georgia counties: Charlton, Pierce, and Wayne counties. The Satilla River runs through Brantley County.

The bulk of Brantley County, from east of Hortense south to west of Waynesville and west to east of Waycross, is located in the Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla basin. The county's eastern border area, east of Waynesville, is located in the Cumberland-St. Simons sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla River basin. A small northwestern corner, west of Hortense, is located in the Little Satilla sub-basin of the larger St. Marys-Satilla River basin, and a very small southwestern corner of Brantley County is located in the Upper Suwannee River sub-basin of the larger Suwannee River basin.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Wayne County - northeast
Glynn County - east
Camden County - southeast
Charlton County - south
Ware County - west
Pierce County - northwest

Communities

Cities

Hoboken
Nahunta

Census-designated places

Hickox
Hortense
Waynesville

Unincorporated communities

Fort Mudge
Schlatterville

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Brantley County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 1980

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|8,068

|10,408

|13,712

|17,198

|style='background: #ffffe6; |16,317

|92.72%

|93.96%

|93.73%

|93.41%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |90.54%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|555

|596

|579

|531

|style='background: #ffffe6; |562

|6.38%

|5.38%

|3.96%

|2.88%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.12%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|11

|32

|20

|56

|style='background: #ffffe6; |45

|0.13%

|0.29%

|0.14%

|0.30%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.25%

|Asian alone (NH)

|13

|37

|style='background: #ffffe6; |42

|0.05%

|0.09%

|0.20%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.23%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3

|0.01%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.02%

|Other race alone (NH)

|10

|style='background: #ffffe6; |34

|0.09%

|0.00%

|0.02%

|0.05%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.19%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|149

|234

|style='background: #ffffe6; |692

|1.02%

|1.27%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.84%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|55

|36

|152

|343

|style='background: #ffffe6; |326

|0.63%

|0.32%

|1.04%

|1.86%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.81%

|Total

|8,701

|11,077

|14,629

|18,411

|style='background: #ffffe6; |18,021

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 18,021. Of the residents, 24.0% were under the age of 18 and 16.6% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 40.3 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.1 males. 0.7% of residents lived in urban areas and 99.3% lived in rural areas.

There were 6,915 households and 4,578 families residing in the county; 32.4% of the households had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

As of the 2020s, Brantley County is a Republican stronghold, voting 91% for Donald Trump in 2024. The last Democrat to carry the county was Bill Clinton in 1992, and it has swung hard to the right in the following elections. In 2020, Donald Trump carried the county with 90.2% of the vote, the most out of any county in Georgia.

For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Brantley County is part of Georgia's 1st congressional district, currently represented by Buddy Carter. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Brantley County is part of District 3. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Brantley County is part of District 174.