Houston County, Georgia
Houston County (/ˈhaʊstən/ HOW-stən) is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 163,633 at the 2020 census.[1] Its county seat is Perry; the city of Warner Robins is substantially larger in both area and population.[2]
The county was created on May 15, 1821, along with four other counties in the state, and later reduced in size with the formation of Bibb, Crawford, Pulaski, Macon, and Peach counties.[3] It was named after Georgia governor John Houstoun, with the spelling being a common 19th-century variation that later evolved to "Houston".[4] The pronunciation, however, remains to this day "howston."[5] The geographic center of the county was given the name Wattsville, which was later changed to Perry.[5]
Houston County is included in the Warner Robins, GA metropolitan statistical area, which in turn is included in the Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley combined statistical area. Flat Creek Public Fishing Area is in Houston County, south west of Perry.
Geography
[edit | edit source]According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 380 square miles (980 km2), of which 376 square miles (970 km2) is land and 4.4 square miles (11 km2) (1.2%) is water.[6] The county is located in the upper Atlantic coastal plain region of the state.
The vast majority of Houston County is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The very northern edge of the county, north of Centerville and Warner Robins, is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin. The very southwestern corner of Houston County, well west of Interstate 75, is located in the Middle Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin).[7]
Adjacent counties
[edit | edit source]- Bibb County - north
- Peach County - west
- Twiggs County - east
- Bleckley County - southeast
- Pulaski County - south-southeast
- Dooly County - south
- Macon County - southwest
Communities
[edit | edit source]Cities
[edit | edit source]- Byron (Partially)
- Centerville
- Perry (Slightly extends into Peach County, Georgia)
- Warner Robins
Census-designated place
[edit | edit source]Unincorporated communities
[edit | edit source]- Bonaire
- Clinchfield
- Dunbar - one mile east of U.S. Route 41 at the intersection of Dunbar and Houston Lake Roads.
- Elberta
- Elko
- Grovania
- Haynesville
- Kathleen
- Henderson
Demographics
[edit | edit source]Racial and ethnic composition
[edit | edit source]| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[8] | Pop 1990[9] | Pop 2000[10] | Pop 2010[11] | Pop 2020[12] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 60,050 | 67,175 | 76,391 | 84,703 | 86,211 | 77.38% | 75.30% | 68.97% | 60.55% | 52.69% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 15,687 | 19,279 | 27,181 | 39,535 | 51,992 | 20.21% | 21.61% | 24.54% | 28.26% | 31.77% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 170 | 267 | 352 | 392 | 339 | 0.22% | 0.30% | 0.32% | 0.28% | 0.21% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 476 | 993 | 1,727 | 3,360 | 4,905 | 0.61% | 1.11% | 1.56% | 2.40% | 3.00% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x [13] | x [14] | 67 | 96 | 124 | x | x | 0.06% | 0.07% | 0.08% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 179 | 35 | 174 | 210 | 703 | 0.23% | 0.04% | 0.16% | 0.15% | 0.43% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x [15] | x [16] | 1,510 | 3,089 | 7,552 | x | x | 1.36% | 2.21% | 4.62% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,043 | 1,459 | 3,363 | 8,515 | 11,807 | 1.34% | 1.64% | 3.04% | 6.09% | 7.22% |
| Total | 77,605 | 89,208 | 110,765 | 139,900 | 163,633 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2020 census
[edit | edit source]As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 163,633 in 62,115 households, including 39,810 families.[17]
The median age was 36.4 years. 25.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.7 males age 18 and over. 91.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 9.0% lived in rural areas.[18]
The racial makeup of the county was 54.1% White, 32.2% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.0% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.0% from some other race, and 7.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.2% of the population.[19]
There were 62,115 households in the county, of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 29.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[17]
There were 66,633 housing units, of which 6.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 64.3% were owner-occupied and 35.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.4%.[17]
Education
[edit | edit source]
Houston County Schools operates public schools.[20]
Politics
[edit | edit source]Houston County voted for conservative Democrats for most of the twentieth century, and gradually switched to voting for conservative Republicans closer to the century's end and into the twenty-first. In the 2018 gubernatorial election, while she did not carry Houston County, Stacey Abrams improved on Democratic margins in the county, improving five percent compared to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential run and by four percent compared to Barack Obama's 2008 run. Houston was one of five counties not carried by Abrams which improved their Democratic margins.[21] In 2020, Joe Biden improved Democratic margins to their best since Jimmy Carter carried it in 1980. He also became the first non-Georgian Democrat to win 40 percent of the county's vote since 1960.
For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Houston County is divided between Georgia's 2nd congressional district and Georgia's 8th congressional district. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Houston County is part of districts 18, 20, and 26.[22] For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Houston County is part of districts 143, 146, 147 and 148.[23]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1880 | 909 | 39.68% | 1,382 | 60.32% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1884 | 433 | 24.99% | 1,300 | 75.01% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1888 | 466 | 32.86% | 949 | 66.93% | 3 | 0.21% |
| 1892 | 507 | 20.48% | 1,953 | 78.88% | 16 | 0.65% |
| 1896 | 192 | 17.63% | 875 | 80.35% | 22 | 2.02% |
| 1900 | 81 | 9.11% | 798 | 89.76% | 10 | 1.12% |
| 1904 | 78 | 8.99% | 768 | 88.48% | 22 | 2.53% |
| 1908 | 27 | 2.58% | 855 | 81.58% | 166 | 15.84% |
| 1912 | 24 | 3.00% | 760 | 95.00% | 16 | 2.00% |
| 1916 | 52 | 5.98% | 806 | 92.64% | 12 | 1.38% |
| 1920 | 39 | 5.12% | 723 | 94.88% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 75 | 4.39% | 1,611 | 94.27% | 23 | 1.35% |
| 1928 | 92 | 22.17% | 323 | 77.83% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 27 | 5.54% | 460 | 94.46% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 37 | 4.44% | 796 | 95.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 149 | 19.30% | 622 | 80.57% | 1 | 0.13% |
| 1944 | 190 | 26.21% | 535 | 73.79% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 204 | 9.85% | 1,437 | 69.35% | 431 | 20.80% |
| 1952 | 511 | 15.48% | 2,789 | 84.52% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 1,060 | 19.12% | 4,483 | 80.88% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,757 | 30.35% | 4,033 | 69.65% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 6,532 | 60.53% | 4,258 | 39.46% | 1 | 0.01% |
| "text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/American Independent |1968 | 4,285 | 29.64% | 2,833 | 19.60% | 7,339 | 50.76% |
| 1972 | 13,576 | 84.16% | 2,556 | 15.84% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 5,404 | 29.10% | 13,164 | 70.90% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 9,005 | 43.51% | 10,915 | 52.74% | 775 | 3.74% |
| 1984 | 14,255 | 60.71% | 9,226 | 39.29% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 15,748 | 64.02% | 8,664 | 35.22% | 185 | 0.75% |
| 1992 | 14,119 | 43.11% | 12,270 | 37.47% | 6,359 | 19.42% |
| 1996 | 17,050 | 52.18% | 12,760 | 39.05% | 2,868 | 8.78% |
| 2000 | 23,174 | 62.65% | 13,301 | 35.96% | 513 | 1.39% |
| 2004 | 29,862 | 66.03% | 15,054 | 33.29% | 310 | 0.69% |
| 2008 | 33,392 | 59.59% | 22,094 | 39.43% | 548 | 0.98% |
| 2012 | 34,662 | 59.58% | 22,702 | 39.02% | 811 | 1.39% |
| 2016 | 35,430 | 58.65% | 22,553 | 37.34% | 2,423 | 4.01% |
| 2020 | 41,540 | 55.48% | 32,239 | 43.06% | 1,093 | 1.46% |
| 2024 | 45,090 | 55.32% | 35,907 | 44.05% | 517 | 0.63% |
| 2016 | 1 | 33.33% | 1 | 33.33% | 1 | 33.33% |
Template:U.S. SenHead Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenFoot Template:U.S. SenHead Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenFoot Template:G.A. GovHead Template:G.A. GovRow Template:G.A. GovFoot
Transportation
[edit | edit source]Major highways
[edit | edit source]- Error: package.lua:80: module 'Module:Road data/strings/USA/GA' not found / Error: package.lua:80: module 'Module:Road data/strings/USA/GA' not found – SR 401 is the unsigned designation for I-75
- Error: package.lua:80: module 'Module:Road data/strings/USA/GA' not found
- Error: package.lua:80: module 'Module:Road data/strings/USA/GA' not found / Error: package.lua:80: module 'Module:Road data/strings/USA/GA' not found
- Error: package.lua:80: module 'Module:Road data/strings/USA/GA' not found (Warner Robins)
- Error: package.lua:80: module 'Module:Road data/strings/USA/GA' not found (Perry)
- Error: package.lua:80: module 'Module:Road data/strings/USA/GA' not found
- Error: package.lua:80: module 'Module:Road data/strings/USA/GA' not found
- Error: package.lua:80: module 'Module:Road data/strings/USA/GA' not found (Perry)
- Error: package.lua:80: module 'Module:Road data/strings/USA/GA' not found
- Error: package.lua:80: module 'Module:Road data/strings/USA/GA' not found (Perry)
- Error: package.lua:80: module 'Module:Road data/strings/USA/GA' not found (Perry)
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Pedestrians and cycling
[edit | edit source]- Big Indian Creek Trail (Proposed)[25]
- Walker's Pond Trail
- Wellston Trail
- The Walk at Sandy Run Creek
See also
[edit | edit source]- National Register of Historic Places listings in Houston County, Georgia
- Houston County Schools
- List of counties in Georgia
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "Census - Geography Profile: Houston County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ↑ "Houston County". The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Georgia Humanities Council, in partnership with the University of Georgia Press, the University System of Georgia/GALILEO, and the Office of the Governor. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
- ↑ "Houston County, Georgia - Centerville, Perry, Warner Robins - Georgia's Most Progressive County!".
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Houston County". The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Georgia Humanities Council, in partnership with the University of Georgia Press, the University System of Georgia/GALILEO, and the Office of the Governor. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ↑ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ↑ "1980 Census of Population - General Social and Economic Characteristics - Georgia - Table 58 - Race by Sex: 1980 and Table 59 - Persons by Spanish Origin, Race, and Sex: 1980" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. p. 12-52. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 18, 2026 – via Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia: Table 6 - Race and Hispanic Origin" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. p. 15-65. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 1, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Houston County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Houston County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Houston County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
- ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
- ↑ not an option in the 1980 Census
- ↑ not an option in the 1990 Census
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Houston County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022. - Text list
- ↑ Regan-Porter, Tim (November 13, 2018). "Is Georgia red, blue or purple? Data shows rural, metro voters more divided than ever". Macon Telegraph. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ↑ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
- ↑ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
- ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ↑ "Perry, Houston County considering 7.5 mile recreation trail".
External links
[edit | edit source]- Template:Cite AmCyc
- Flint Electric Membership Corporation historical marker
- Houston County historical marker
Template:Geographic Location Template:Houston County, Georgia Template:Macon Metro Template:Georgia (U.S. state) Coordinates: 32°28′N 83°40′W / 32.46°N 83.67°W