Atkinson 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 southeastern portion of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,375. The

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 ...

is Pearson. The county was formed in 1917 from parts of

Coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

and Clinch Counties. It is named for William Yates Atkinson, Democratic governor of Georgia from 1894 to 1898. In 2003 it had the highest illiteracy rate of any U.S. county at 36%.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.5%) is water. The vast majority of Atkinson County is located in the

Satilla River The Satilla River rises in Ben Hill County, Georgia, United States, near the town of Fitzgerald, and flows in a mostly easterly direction to the Atlantic Ocean. Along its approximately U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset hig ...

sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla River basin. The entire narrow western border area, in a line parallel to the western border and running through

Willacoochee Willacoochee is a city in Atkinson County, Georgia, United States, along the Alapaha River. The population was 1,391 at the 2010 census. History The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Willacoochee as a town in 1889. ''Willacoochee'' is a name ...

, is located in the

Alapaha River The Alapaha River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 18, 2011 river in southern Georgia and northern Florida in the United States. It is a tributary of the Su ...

sub-basin of the

Suwannee River The Suwannee River (also spelled Suwanee River) is a river that runs through south Georgia southward into Florida in the southern United States. It is a wild blackwater river, about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset h ...

basin. A small southeastern corner of the county is located in the Upper Suwannee River sub-basin of the same Suwannee River basin.

Major highways

* U.S. Route 82 * U.S. Route 221 *

U.S. Route 441 U.S. Route 441 (US 441) is a auxiliary route of U.S. Route 41. It extends from US 41 in Miami, Florida to US 25W in Rocky Top, Tennessee. Between its termini, US 441 travels through the states of Florida, Georgia, North ...

* State Route 31 * State Route 64 *

State Route 89 The following highways are numbered 89: Canada * Manitoba Highway 89 * Highway 89 (Ontario) Israel * Highway 89 (Israel) United States * Interstate 89 ** Interstate 87 (North Carolina–Virginia) (former proposal) * U.S. Route 89 * Alabama Stat ...

* State Route 90 * State Route 135 * State Route 520

Adjacent counties

* Coffee County - north * Ware County - east * Clinch County - south * Lanier County - southwest * Berrien County - west

Demographics

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,609 people, 2,717 households, and 1,980 families living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 22 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 3,171 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 66.79%

White White is the 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 reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 19.61%

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 ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.37% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.03%

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 O ...

, 12.03% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 16.95% 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 2,717 households, out of which 38.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.10% 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 ...

living together, 12.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 23.30% 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 2.78 and the average family size was 3.27. In the county the population was spread out, with 30.30% under the age of 18, 10.90% from 18 to 24, 29.60% from 25 to 44, 19.90% from 45 to 64, and 9.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $26,470, and the median income for a family was $32,688. Males had a median income of $24,763 versus $18,434 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 $12,178. About 18.10% of families and 23.00% 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 27.10% of those under age 18 and 31.00% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...

, there were 8,375 people, 2,983 households, and 2,159 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 3,522 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 62.2% white, 17.3% black or African American, 0.6% American Indian, 0.3% Pacific islander, 0.3% Asian, 17.7% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 24.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.1% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

, 16.0% were Irish, and 7.5% were

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. Of the 2,983 households, 41.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.6% were non-families, and 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.29. The median age was 33.4 years. The median income for a household in the county was $33,834 and the median income for a family was $34,859. Males had a median income of $29,286 versus $25,705 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,456. About 19.8% of families and 28.0% of the population were below the

, including 42.4% of those under age 18 and 21.3% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, there were 8,286 people, 2,880 households, and 1,976 families residing in the county.

Education

The county is serviced along with

Coffee County, Georgia Coffee County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,092, up from 37,413 at the 2010 census. The county seat is Douglas. Coffee County comprises the Douglas, G ...

by the Satilla Regional Library System.