Statham (; ) is a city in Barrow County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,408 at the 2010 census, and 2,813 in 2020.
History The community was named after Charles Statham, a University of Georgia official.
In the 2010s, Statham's aggressive stops for driving under the influence (DUI) came under widespread scrutiny. After the city's projected revenue from fines more than tripled in two years, residents accused the town of "policing for profit".
One police officer was accused of "routinely arrested dozens of people, usually women, and charged them with driving under the influence simply because they were taking medications prescribed by their doctors that did not impair their driving". The police chief said "I will not apologize for my officers", even those who were untrained in such DUI stops. The chief and the city were subsequently sued for violation of First Amendment rights and the Americans with Disabilities Act as the result of one arrest, and the city council banned several critics of the policing for profit from city property. The suit was later settled.
Geography Statham is located in eastern Barrow County at (33.965496, -83.596711), west of Athens.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.08%, is water.
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Statham had a population of 2,813. The median age was 36.5 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.8% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.2 males age 18 and over.
99.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 991 households in Statham, of which 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.4% were married-couple households, 14.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 1,051 housing units, of which 5.7% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.7%.
+Statham racial composition as of 2020RaceNum.Perc.White (non-Hispanic)1,68259.79%Black or African American (non-Hispanic)50918.09%Native American60.21%Asian863.06%Other/Mixed1264.48%Hispanic or Latino40414.36% Education Barrow County Schools is the sole school district covering the county. - Text list
Statham Elementary School is the zoned elementary school, and Bear Creek Middle School is the zoned middle school. Statham Elementary feeds into Winder-Barrow High School.
Notable people Julius Thompson, teacher and novelist. Michael D. Steele, retired United States Army Colonel. Ronald Cooper, racing driver
References
External links City of Statham official website Statham House historical marker Statham High School historical marker