Pierce County, Georgia

Pierce County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,716. The county seat is Blackshear. Pierce County is part of the Waycross, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area.

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.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (7.8%) is water.

The northeastern third of Pierce County, bordered by a line from just west of Mershon to just south of Bristol, then south to just north of Blackshear, and then heading due east, is located in the Little Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys River-Satilla River basin. The southern two-thirds of the county is located in the Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla River basin.

Major highways

20px U.S. Highway 84
20px State Route 15
20px State Route 32
20px State Route 38
23px State Route 121
23px State Route 203

Adjacent counties

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

Communities

Cities

Blackshear
Offerman
Patterson

Census-designated places

Bristol
Mershon

Unincorporated communities

Otter Creek
Walkerville

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

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

|+Pierce 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)

|10,133

|11,628

|13,425

|15,860

|style='background: #ffffe6; |16,403

|85.17%

|87.24%

|85.86%

|84.55%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |83.20%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|1,618

|1,566

|1,691

|1,646

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,597

|13.60%

|11.75%

|10.81%

|8.77%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8.10%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|20

|34

|70

|style='background: #ffffe6; |41

|0.07%

|0.15%

|0.22%

|0.37%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.21%

|Asian alone (NH)

|10

|25

|58

|style='background: #ffffe6; |82

|0.08%

|0.16%

|0.31%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.42%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|12

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0

|0.05%

|0.06%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%

|Other race alone (NH)

|10

|style='background: #ffffe6; |45

|0.01%

|0.00%

|0.03%

|0.05%

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

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|91

|215

|style='background: #ffffe6; |550

|0.58%

|1.15%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.79%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|128

|104

|357

|887

|style='background: #ffffe6; |998

|1.08%

|0.78%

|2.28%

|4.73%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.06%

|Total

|11,897

|13,328

|15,636

|18,758

|style='background: #ffffe6; |19,716

|100.00%

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 19,716, 7,506 households, and 5,319 families residing in the county.

The median age was 40.5 years, 24.4% of residents were under the age of 18, and 18.0% were 65 years of age or older; for every 100 females there were 96.3 males and 93.5 males age 18 and over. 1.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 98.7% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 84.5% White, 8.1% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.8% from some other race, and 3.7% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.1% of the population. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Pierce County is part of District 178.

Education

The Pierce County School District has five schools, including the Pierce County High School.