Houston County, Georgia

Not to be confused with Houston, Georgia.

Houston County, Georgia
County
Houston County courthouse in Perry
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Coordinates: 32°28′N 83°40′W / 32.46°N 83.67°W / 32.46; -83.67
Country United States
State Georgia
FoundedMay 15, 1821 (1821-05-15)
Named afterJohn Houstoun
SeatPerry
Largest cityWarner Robins
Area
 • Total
380 sq mi (980 km2)
 • Land376 sq mi (970 km2)
 • Water4.4 sq mi (11 km2)  1.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
163,633
 • Density373/sq mi (144/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts8th, 2nd
Websitewww.houstoncountyga.gov

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

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

Communities

Cities

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18307,369—
18409,71131.8%
185016,45069.4%
186015,611−5.1%
187020,40630.7%
188022,4149.8%
189021,613−3.6%
190022,6414.8%
191023,6094.3%
192021,964−7.0%
193011,280−48.6%
194011,3030.2%
195020,96485.5%
196039,15486.8%
197062,92460.7%
198077,60523.3%
199089,20815.0%
2000110,76524.2%
2010139,90026.3%
2020163,63317.0%
2024 (est.)174,897[8]6.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790-1880[10] 1890-1910[11]
1920-1930[12] 1930-1940[13]
1940-1950[14] 1960-1980[15]
1980-2000[16] 2010[17]
Houston County racial composition as of 2020[18]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 86,211 52.69%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 51,992 31.77%
Native American 339 0.21%
Asian 4,905 3.0%
Pacific Islander 124 0.08%
Other/Mixed 8,255 5.04%
Hispanic or Latino 11,807 7.22%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 163,633 in 62,115 households, including 39,810 families.[19]

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.[20]

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.[21]

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.[19]

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%.[19]

Education

Houston County Schools operates public schools.[22]

Politics

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.[23] 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.[24] For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Houston County is part of districts 143, 146, 147 and 148.[25]

United States presidential election results for Houston County, Georgia[26]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
№  % №  % №  %
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%
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 55.14% 35,907 43.91% 784 0.96%
United States Senate election results for Houston County, Georgia3
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
№  % №  % №  %
2022 29,437 54.47% 24,605 45.53% 0 0.00%

Transportation

Major highways

Pedestrians and cycling

  • Big Indian Creek Trail (Proposed)[27]
  • Walker's Pond Trail
  • Wellston Trail
  • The Walk at Sandy Run Creek

See also

References

  1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Houston County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ "Houston County, Georgia - Centerville, Perry, Warner Robins - Georgia's Most Progressive County!".
  5. ^ a b "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.
  6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  9. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
  10. ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
  11. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
  12. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
  13. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
  14. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
  15. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
  16. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
  17. ^ "2016 Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  18. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  19. ^ a b c "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  20. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  21. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  22. ^ "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
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  25. ^ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  26. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  27. ^ "Perry, Houston County considering 7.5 mile recreation trail".

32°28′N 83°40′W / 32.46°N 83.67°W / 32.46; -83.67

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