Quitman County, Georgia

Not to be confused with Quitman, Georgia.

Quitman County, Georgia
County
Quitman County Courthouse in Georgetown
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Coordinates: 31°52′N 85°01′W / 31.86°N 85.01°W / 31.86; -85.01
Country United States
State Georgia
FoundedDecember 10, 1858 (1858)
Named afterJohn A. Quitman
SeatGeorgetown
Largest cityGeorgetown
Area
 • Total
161 sq mi (420 km2)
 • Land151 sq mi (390 km2)
 • Water9.3 sq mi (24 km2)  5.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
2,235
 • Estimate 
(2024)
2,323
 • Density14.8/sq mi (5.71/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district2nd
Websitegqc-ga.org

Quitman County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,235,[1] making it the second-least populous county in Georgia. The county seat is Georgetown.[2] The county was created on December 10, 1858, and named after General John A. Quitman, leader in the Mexican–American War, and once Governor of Mississippi. In November 2006, residents voted to consolidate the city government of Georgetown and the county government of Quitman into a consolidated city-county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 161 square miles (420 km2), of which 151 square miles (390 km2) is land and 9.3 square miles (24 km2) (5.8%) is water.[3] The entirety of Quitman County is located in the Middle Chattahoochee River–Walter F. George Lake sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin).[4]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Communities

City

Unincorporated community

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18603,499—
18704,15018.6%
18804,3925.8%
18904,4711.8%
19004,7015.1%
19104,594−2.3%
19203,417−25.6%
19303,82011.8%
19403,435−10.1%
19503,015−12.2%
19602,432−19.3%
19702,180−10.4%
19802,3578.1%
19902,209−6.3%
20002,59817.6%
20102,513−3.3%
20202,235−11.1%
2024 (est.)2,323[5]3.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790-1880[7] 1890-1910[8]
1920-1930[9] 1930-1940[10]
1940-1950[11] 1960-1980[12]
1980-2000[13] 2010[14]

2020 census

Quitman County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000[15] Pop 2010[16] Pop 2020[17] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 1,351 1,265 1,190 52.00% 50.34% 53.24%
Black or African American alone (NH) 1,213 1,198 917 46.69% 47.67% 41.03%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 5 3 13 0.19% 0.12% 0.58%
Asian alone (NH) 1 2 12 0.04% 0.08% 0.54%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 0 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Other race alone (NH) 1 0 9 0.04% 0.00% 0.40%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 14 11 63 0.54% 0.44% 2.82%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 13 34 31 0.50% 1.35% 1.39%
Total 2,598 2,513 2,235 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 2,235 and a median age of 53.7 years, with 16.3% of residents under the age of 18 and 31.1% aged 65 or older; for every 100 females there were 98.0 males and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.4 males age 18 and over.[18]

As of the 2020 census, 26.3% of residents lived in urban areas while 73.7% lived in rural areas.[19]

As of the 2020 census, the racial makeup of the county was 53.2% White, 41.1% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.4% from some other race, and 4.1% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.4% of the population.[20]

As of the 2020 census, there were 998 households in the county, of which 22.0% had children under age 18 living with them and 30.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present; about 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[18]

As of the 2020 census, there were 1,678 housing units, of which 40.5% were vacant; among occupied housing units, 77.6% were owner-occupied and 22.4% were renter-occupied, with homeowner and rental vacancy rates of 4.5% and 9.9%, respectively.[18]

Education

Quitman County School District operates area public schools, including Quitman County High School.

County students attended Stewart-Quitman High School (now Stewart County High School) from 1978, until Quitman County High opened,[21] in 2009.

Politics

United States presidential election results for Quitman County, Georgia[22]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
№  % №  % №  %
1912 7 4.27% 152 92.68% 5 3.05%
1916 15 10.56% 125 88.03% 2 1.41%
1920 4 2.88% 135 97.12% 0 0.00%
1924 8 5.33% 138 92.00% 4 2.67%
1928 41 19.07% 174 80.93% 0 0.00%
1932 0 0.00% 239 98.35% 4 1.65%
1936 19 5.08% 355 94.92% 0 0.00%
1940 19 5.54% 324 94.46% 0 0.00%
1944 16 4.31% 355 95.69% 0 0.00%
1948 19 5.26% 246 68.14% 96 26.59%
1952 93 21.88% 332 78.12% 0 0.00%
1956 31 8.03% 355 91.97% 0 0.00%
1960 67 14.73% 388 85.27% 0 0.00%
1964 377 62.11% 230 37.89% 0 0.00%
1968 90 12.05% 198 26.51% 459 61.45%
1972 502 78.19% 140 21.81% 0 0.00%
1976 313 31.62% 677 68.38% 0 0.00%
1980 240 28.67% 589 70.37% 8 0.96%
1984 361 42.42% 490 57.58% 0 0.00%
1988 296 40.11% 436 59.08% 6 0.81%
1992 284 30.80% 523 56.72% 115 12.47%
1996 224 28.11% 514 64.49% 59 7.40%
2000 348 38.50% 542 59.96% 14 1.55%
2004 409 42.38% 543 56.27% 13 1.35%
2008 509 45.61% 597 53.49% 10 0.90%
2012 510 45.21% 612 54.26% 6 0.53%
2016 575 55.08% 461 44.16% 8 0.77%
2020 604 54.61% 497 44.94% 5 0.45%
2024 656 57.54% 480 42.11% 4 0.35%

As of the 2020s, Quitman County is a Republican stronghold, voting 57% for Donald Trump in 2024. From the 1940s to 1960s Joe Hurst dominated politics in Quitman County, delivering votes for statewide officials, state judges, and prosecuting attorneys, under the County unit system which gave Quitman two units, a third as many as the biggest counties in the state. He hand-delivered state welfare checks and prevented secret ballots. In 1962 he stuffed the ballot box for future President Jimmy Carter's opponent in a state senate primary. Carter won a series of court cases to remove his Democratic primary opponent's name from the general election ballot. There was no Republican candidate. Both candidates used radio ads to ask voters to vote by write-in, and Carter won the general election. Hurst was later convicted of fraud in an earlier primary, for which he had a fine and three years probation. He was also convicted of selling moonshine, for which he went to prison.[23]

[24]

For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Quitman County is part of Georgia's 2nd congressional district, currently represented by Sanford Bishop. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Quitman County is part of District 12.[25] For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Quitman County is part of District 154.[26]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Quitman County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  6. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
  7. ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
  8. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2024.
  9. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
  10. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
  11. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
  12. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
  13. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
  14. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  15. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Quitman County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  16. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Quitman County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  17. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Quitman County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  18. ^ a b c "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  19. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  20. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  21. ^ "Stewart - Quitman County High School is Splitting Up". WTVM. August 14, 2008. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  22. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  23. ^ Carter, Jimmy (1992). Turning point: a candidate, a state, and a nation come of age (1 ed.). New York: Times Books. pp. 74–204. ISBN 978-0-8129-2079-6.
  24. ^ Bourne, Peter G. (1997). Jimmy Carter: a comprehensive biography from Plains to postpresidency. New York: A Lisa Drew book Scribner. pp. 113–132. ISBN 978-0-684-19543-8.
  25. ^ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  26. ^ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.

Further reading

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