Charlton County, Georgia

Charlton County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,518.^[2] The county seat is Folkston.^[3]

Charlton County
County
Charlton County Courthouse in Folkston
Logo
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 30°47′N 82°08′W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	1854; 171 years ago (1854)
Named after	Robert M. Charlton
Seat	Folkston
Largest city	Folkston
Area
• Total	782 sq mi (2,030 km2)
• Land	774 sq mi (2,000 km2)
• Water	8.8 sq mi (23 km2)  1.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	13,392[1]
• Density	16.4/sq mi (6.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	charltoncountyga.us

History

Charlton County was created from a portion of Camden County, Georgia, by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on February 18, 1854.^[4] The original county seat was at Trader's Hill, until 1901. Additional lands from Ware County, Georgia, were added to Charlton's borders by an 1855 act of the General Assembly. In 1856, an additional legislative act redefined the Charlton–Camden borders again with each county ceding land to the other.^[5]

The county is named for Robert Milledge Charlton, a U. S. Senator from Georgia.^[6]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 782 square miles (2,030 km²), of which 774 square miles (2,000 km²) is land and 8.8 square miles (23 km²) (1.1%) is water.^[7] It is the fifth-largest county by area in Georgia. It is the southernmost county in Georgia. A large portion of the county lies within the Okefenokee Swamp and its federally protected areas.

The entire central and southern portion of Charlton County is located in the St. Marys sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla basin. The county's northeastern portion, north of Homeland, is located in the Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla basin. The western portion of Charlton County is located in the Upper Suwannee River sub-basin of the larger Suwannee River basin.^[8] The county's southern region is level with the northernmost part of the central and eastern Panhandle of the Florida peninsula.

Major highways

• US 1
• US 23
• US 301
• SR 4
• SR 15
• SR 23
• SR 40
• SR 40 Conn.
• SR 94
• SR 121
• SR 177
• SR 185
• SR 252

Adjacent counties

• Brantley County - north
• Nassau County, Florida - south and east
• Camden County - east
• Baker County, Florida - south
• Ware County - north and west

National protected area

• Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Communities

Cities

• Folkston
• Homeland

Unincorporated communities

• Moniac
• Racepond
• Saint George
• Toledo
• Trader's Hill
• Uptonville

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	1,780		—
1870	1,897		6.6%
1880	2,154		13.5%
1890	3,335		54.8%
1900	3,592		7.7%
1910	4,722		31.5%
1920	4,536		−3.9%
1930	4,381		−3.4%
1940	5,256		20.0%
1950	4,821		−8.3%
1960	5,313		10.2%
1970	5,680		6.9%
1980	7,343		29.3%
1990	8,496		15.7%
2000	10,282		21.0%
2010	12,171		18.4%
2020	12,518		2.9%
2023 (est.)	12,934	[9]	3.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1850-1870[11] 1870-1880[12] 1890-1910[13] 1920-1930[14] 1940[15] 1950[16] 1960[17] 1970[18] 1980[19] 1990[20] 2000[21] 2010[22] 2020[23]

Charlton 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[24]	Pop 2010[25]	Pop 2020[23]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	7,014	8,116	7,532	68.22%	66.68%	60.17%
Black or African American alone (NH)	2,990	3,443	2,386	29.08%	28.29%	19.06%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	39	38	40	0.38%	0.31%	0.32%
Asian alone (NH)	35	76	109	0.34%	0.62%	0.87%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	6	3	2	0.06%	0.02%	0.02%
Other race alone (NH)	3	5	30	0.03%	0.04%	0.24%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	114	180	383	1.11%	1.48%	3.06%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	81	310	2,036	0.79%	2.55%	16.26%
Total	10,282	12,171	12,518	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 12,518 people, 3,675 households, and 2,685 families residing in the county.

Education

Main article: Charlton County School District

Politics

United States presidential election results for Charlton County, Georgia^[26]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	3,607	77.94%	1,007	21.76%	14	0.30%
2020	3,419	74.85%	1,105	24.19%	44	0.96%
2016	2,951	73.21%	1,004	24.91%	76	1.89%
2012	2,527	67.12%	1,197	31.79%	41	1.09%
2008	2,466	66.70%	1,197	32.38%	34	0.92%
2004	2,311	68.15%	1,064	31.38%	16	0.47%
2000	1,770	62.86%	1,015	36.04%	31	1.10%
1996	1,374	45.33%	1,368	45.13%	289	9.53%
1992	1,333	46.09%	1,127	38.97%	432	14.94%
1988	1,327	57.60%	943	40.93%	34	1.48%
1984	1,368	55.18%	1,111	44.82%	0	0.00%
1980	779	34.08%	1,469	64.26%	38	1.66%
1976	452	20.53%	1,750	79.47%	0	0.00%
1972	1,244	80.05%	310	19.95%	0	0.00%
1968	332	17.08%	455	23.41%	1,157	59.52%
1964	1,179	67.26%	574	32.74%	0	0.00%
1960	289	28.28%	733	71.72%	0	0.00%
1956	204	21.38%	750	78.62%	0	0.00%
1952	288	26.11%	815	73.89%	0	0.00%
1948	70	12.32%	339	59.68%	159	27.99%
1944	89	16.15%	462	83.85%	0	0.00%
1940	60	9.65%	562	90.35%	0	0.00%
1936	28	5.63%	468	94.16%	1	0.20%
1932	32	8.82%	330	90.91%	1	0.28%
1928	160	27.83%	415	72.17%	0	0.00%
1924	20	11.24%	151	84.83%	7	3.93%
1920	28	15.14%	157	84.86%	0	0.00%
1916	52	22.41%	169	72.84%	11	4.74%
1912	22	9.95%	150	67.87%	49	22.17%

See also

• State of Georgia portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Charlton County, Georgia
• List of counties in Georgia