Ben Hill County, Georgia

Ben Hill County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,194. The county seat is Fitzgerald. The county was organized in 1906. It is named after Benjamin Harvey Hill, a former Confederate and United States Senator.

Ben Hill County comprises the Fitzgerald micropolitan statistical area. The area also included Irwin County until the 2023 OMB statistical area updates when the county was removed.

The Ben Hill County Courthouse and Ben Hill County Jail are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History Ben Hill County was organized in 1906. It was created from Irwin and Wilcox counties.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.5%) is water.

The majority of Ben Hill County, its northern and eastern portions, are located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The northwestern corner of the county, east of Rebecca, is located in the Alapaha River sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin. The southeastern corner of the county, east of Fitzgerald, is located in the Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla River basin. Ben Hill County is part of the Southeast Georgia region.

Major highways

U.S. Route 129 U.S. Route 319 State Route 11 State Route 90 State Route 107 State Route 125 State Route 182 State Route 206 State Route 215 State Route 233

Adjacent counties Wilcox County - north Telfair County - northeast Coffee County - east Irwin County - south Turner County - west

Communities

City Fitzgerald (county seat)

Unincorporated communities Bowen's Mill Queensland

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, the Fitzgerald micropolitan area (which included Irwin County at the time) had a population of 27,415 (though a July 1, 2009 estimate placed the population at 27,653).

Racial and ethnic composition + County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)11,09611,04710,81810,1649,21969.35%68.00%61.87%57.64%53.62%Black or African American alone (NH)4,7935,0685,6736,0876,22229.96%31.20%32.45%34.52%36.19%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)17163147570.11%0.10%0.18%0.27%0.33%Asian alone (NH)734491201160.04%0.21%0.28%0.68%0.67%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census020xx0.00%0.01%0.00%Other race alone (NH)52515480.03%0.01%0.03%0.09%0.28%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census108173478xx0.62%0.98%2.78%Hispanic or Latino (any race)82788001,0261,0540.51%0.48%4.58%5.82%6.13%Total16,00016,24517,48417,63417,194 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 17,194; there were 4,019 families residing in the county. Of the residents, 23.4% were under the age of 18 and 18.9% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 41.1 years. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.2 males. 65.6% of residents lived in urban areas and 34.4% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 54.9% White, 36.4% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.2% from some other race, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.1% of the population.

There were 7,074 households in the county, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 35.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 8,124 housing units, of which 12.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 58.5% were owner-occupied and 41.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%.

2010 census In 2010, there were 17,634 people, 6,794 households, and 4,730 families living in the county.

In 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $30,134 and the median income for a family was $35,868. Males had a median income of $32,613 versus $23,320 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,529. About 22.7% of families and 26.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.0% of those under age 18 and 16.3% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census In 2000, there were 17,484 people, 6,673 households, and 4,631 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 7,623 housing units at an average density of .

In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $27,100, and the median income for a family was $33,023. Males had a median income of $26,750 versus $19,547 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,093. 22.30% of the population and 18.70% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 33.30% are under the age of 18 and 17.60% are 65 or older.

2022 American Community Survey According to the 2022 American Community Survey, the county's median household income was $38,255 with a per capita income of $22,625. An estimated 26.5% of the county lived at or below the poverty line.

Religion Religiously, the Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020 denoted Christianity as the predominant religion, being part of the Bible Belt. Among its Christian population, the majority formed the Southern Baptist Convention, and the Baptist tradition was the county's dominant Christian affiliation. The National Baptist Convention, USA was the second-largest Baptist denomination in County. One notable non-Christian religion for the county has been the Baha'i Faith. Education The Ben Hill County School District operates schools serving the county. Ben Hill Preschool Ben Hill County Primary School Ben Hill County Elementary School Ben Hill County Middle School Fitzgerald High School

Politics As of the 2020s, Ben Hill County is a strongly Republican voting county, voting 65.85% for Donald Trump in 2024. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Ben Hill County is part of Georgia's 8th congressional district. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Ben Hill County is part of Georgia's 13th Senate district. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Ben Hill County is part of districts 148 and 156.

Transportation Fitzgerald Municipal Airport is a public use airport located 2 miles southwest of Fitzgerald.

Ben Hill County, Georgia

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