Hamilton County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,004, down from 14,799 at the 2010 census. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

Jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...

History

Hamilton County was created in 1827 from portions of Jefferson County. It was named for Alexander Hamilton, first

United States Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal ...

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.0%) is water. It is the only county in Florida entirely north of

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally ...

Adjacent counties

Echols County, Georgia Echols County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,697. The county seat is Statenville. Statenville is a disincorporated municipality. Echols and Webster co ...

- north * Columbia County - east * Suwannee County - south * Madison County - west * Lowndes County, Georgia - northwest

Major Highway

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from ...

U.S. Route 41 * US 129

U.S. Route 129 * State Road 6 * State Road 100 * State Road 136 * State Road 143

Politics

Voter Registration

According to the Secretary of State's Office, as of September 30, 2022 Republicans hold a plurality of registered voters in Hamilton County for the first time in over a century. The county has radically shifted from being a Democratic stronghold to becoming a Republican one during the 21st century. , - ! colspan = 2 , Political Party ! Total Voters ! Percentage , - , , Republican , align = center , 3,305 , align = center , 42.25% , - , ,

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, align = center , 3,298 , align = center , 42.16% , - , , Independent , align = center , 1,108 , align = center , 14.17% , - , , Third Parties , align = center , 111 , align = center , 1.42% , - ! colspan = 2 , Total ! align = center , 7,822 ! align = center , 100% Hamilton County Courthouse Annex

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,004 people, 4,381 households, and 3,082 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 13,327 people, 4,161 households, and 2,995 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 26 people per square mile (10/km²). There were 4,966 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 58.79%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 37.72%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.42% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 1.69% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. 6.36% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 4,161 households, out of which 32.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.30% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 16.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.07. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.50% under the age of 18, 10.80% from 18 to 24, 31.80% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 11.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 135.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 145.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $25,638, and the median income for a family was $30,677. Males had a median income of $26,999 versus $20,552 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $10,562. About 21.70% of families and 26.00% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 35.70% of those under age 18 and 16.10% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Hamilton County School District Hamilton County School District (HCSD) is a school district headquartered on the grounds of Hamilton County High School in unincorporated Hamilton County, Florida, south of Jasper. It serves the entire county. History Circa 2003 the school dis ...

operates public schools in the county. The sole elementary school is Hamilton County Elementary School, and the sole high school is

Hamilton County High School Hamilton County High School (HCHS) is a public high school located at 5683 US Highway 129 in unincorporated Hamilton County, Florida, south of Jasper. A part of the Hamilton County School District (HCSD), its sports teams are nicknamed the "Fightin ...

. Hamilton County is served by th
Suwannee River Regional Library System
which contains eight branches and also serves Madison and Suwannee counties. Libraries in Hamilton County include: * Jasper * Jennings * White Springs

Communities

City

Towns

* Jennings * White Springs

Unincorporated communities

* Avoca * Bakers Mill * Bellville * Blue Springs * Crossroads * Hillcoat * Marion * Rawls * Watson * West Lake

References

External links

Government links/Constitutional offices

Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners

Hamilton County Supervisor of Elections

Hamilton County Property Appraiser

Hamilton County Sheriff's Office

Hamilton County Tax Collector

Special districts

Hamilton County Schools - dead link

Suwannee River Water Management District

Judicial branch

Public Defender, 3rd Judicial Circuit of Florida
serving

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

Dixie Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas shift over the years), or the extent of the area it cove ...

, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, and Taylor Counties
Office of the State Attorney, 3rd Judicial Circuit of Florida

Tourism links

Hamilton County Tourism Development Council
{{authority control Florida counties 1827 establishments in Florida Territory Populated places established in 1827 North Florida