Laurens County, Georgia

Laurens County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,570,^[1] up from 48,434 in 2010.^[2] The county seat is Dublin.^[3] The county was founded on December 10, 1807, and named after Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens,^[4] an American soldier and statesman from South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War.

Laurens County
County
Laurens County Courthouse in Dublin
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°28′N 82°56′W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	December 10, 1807; 217 years ago (1807-12-10)
Named after	John Laurens
Seat	Dublin
Largest city	Dublin
Area
• Total	818 sq mi (2,120 km2)
• Land	807 sq mi (2,090 km2)
• Water	11 sq mi (30 km2)  1.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	49,570
• Density	60/sq mi (20/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	12th
Website	www.laurenscoga.org

Laurens County is part of the Dublin micropolitan statistical area.

History

Laurens County was formed on December 10, 1807, from portions of Wilkinson and Washington Counties.^[5] During the Red Summer of 1919, racial tensions increased in the area, leading to the Laurens County, Georgia race riot of 1919.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 818 square miles (2,120 km²), of which 807 square miles (2,090 km²) is land and 11 square miles (28 km²) (1.4%) is water.^[6] It is the third-largest county in Georgia by land area and fourth-largest by total area.

The majority of Laurens County is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The southwestern corner of the county, defined by a line that runs west from Chester through Rentz to U.S. Route 441, and then southeast toward Glenwood, is located in the Little Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin. A small and narrow sliver of the eastern edge of the county, from east of Lovett to northeast of Rockledge, is located in the Ohoopee River sub-basin of the larger Altamaha River basin.^[7] The county has several swamps along with Oconee river including Cow Hell Swamp.

Major highways

• I-16 (Interstate 16)
• US 80
• US 319
• US 441
• US 441 Byp. (around Dublin)
• SR 19
• SR 26
• SR 29
• SR 31
• SR 46
• SR 86
• SR 117
• SR 126
• SR 199
• SR 257
• SR 278
• SR 338
• SR 404 (unsigned designation for I-16)

Adjacent counties

• Johnson County – northeast
• Treutlen County – east
• Wheeler County – south
• Dodge County – southwest
• Bleckley County – west
• Wilkinson County – northwest
• Twiggs County – northwest

Communities

Cities

• Allentown
• Dublin
• Dudley
• East Dublin

Towns

• Cadwell
• Dexter
• Montrose
• Rentz

Unincorporated communities

• Alcorns
• Alligood
• Baston
• Brewton
• Catlin
• Cedar Grove
• Chappells Mill
• Condor
• Five Points
• Garretta
• Harlow
• Haskins Crossing
• Holly Hills
• Kewanee
• Laurens Hill
• Lollie
• Lovett
• Lowery
• Midway
• Minter
• Moores
• Nameless
• Old Condor
• Rockledge
• Shewmake
• Spring Hill
• Tuckers Crossroad
• Tweed
• Vincent
• Whipples Crossing

Ghost towns

• Bender

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1810	2,210		—
1820	5,436		146.0%
1830	5,589		2.8%
1840	5,585		−0.1%
1850	6,442		15.3%
1860	6,998		8.6%
1870	7,834		11.9%
1880	10,053		28.3%
1890	13,747		36.7%
1900	25,908		88.5%
1910	35,501		37.0%
1920	39,605		11.6%
1930	32,693		−17.5%
1940	33,606		2.8%
1950	33,123		−1.4%
1960	32,313		−2.4%
1970	32,738		1.3%
1980	36,990		13.0%
1990	39,988		8.1%
2000	44,874		12.2%
2010	48,434		7.9%
2020	49,570		2.3%
2024 (est.)	50,287	[8]	1.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1880[10] 1890-1910[11] 1920-1930[12] 1930-1940[13] 1940-1950[14] 1960-1980[15] 1980-2000[16] 2010[17] 2020[18]

2020 Census

Laurens 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[19]	Pop 2010[17]	Pop 2020[18]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	28,199	28,920	27,881	62.84%	59.71%	56.25%
Black or African American alone (NH)	15,417	17,268	18,219	34.36%	35.65%	36.75%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	80	87	80	0.18%	0.18%	0.16%
Asian alone (NH)	361	478	507	0.80%	0.99%	1.02%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)	12	4	14	0.03%	0.01%	0.03%
Other race alone (NH)	44	41	141	0.10%	0.08%	0.28%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	232	493	1,304	0.52%	1.02%	2.63%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	529	1,143	1,424	1.18%	2.36%	2.87%
Total	44,874	48,434	49,570	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 49,570 people, 17,142 households, and 11,549 families residing in the county.

Education

Laurens County School District operates the county's public schools.

Notable people

• Karl Slover, one of the oldest living Munchkins from Wizard of Oz (1939 film).
• Demaryius Thomas, wide receiver for the Denver Broncos
• Anthony Johnson, mixed martial artist for the Ultimate Fighting Championship(UFC)

Politics

United States presidential election results for Laurens County, Georgia^[20]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	15,460	66.20%	7,820	33.49%	72	0.31%
2020	14,493	63.76%	8,074	35.52%	164	0.72%
2016	12,411	63.33%	6,752	34.46%	433	2.21%
2012	11,950	60.85%	7,513	38.26%	176	0.90%
2008	12,052	60.37%	7,769	38.92%	142	0.71%
2004	10,883	63.05%	6,281	36.39%	97	0.56%
2000	8,133	57.94%	5,724	40.78%	179	1.28%
1996	6,118	47.79%	5,792	45.24%	893	6.97%
1992	6,146	43.72%	6,184	43.99%	1,729	12.30%
1988	6,929	57.89%	4,879	40.76%	162	1.35%
1984	7,181	56.76%	5,471	43.24%	0	0.00%
1980	4,392	35.07%	7,860	62.76%	271	2.16%
1976	3,281	27.58%	8,617	72.42%	0	0.00%
1972	7,350	77.53%	2,130	22.47%	0	0.00%
1968	2,738	21.33%	3,451	26.88%	6,649	51.79%
1964	5,457	58.76%	3,828	41.22%	2	0.02%
1960	1,884	28.84%	4,648	71.16%	0	0.00%
1956	1,189	18.95%	5,085	81.05%	0	0.00%
1952	1,046	17.30%	5,001	82.70%	0	0.00%
1948	268	7.05%	2,325	61.12%	1,211	31.83%
1944	498	16.37%	2,544	83.63%	0	0.00%
1940	435	15.79%	2,316	84.07%	4	0.15%
1936	304	10.37%	2,620	89.39%	7	0.24%
1932	38	1.71%	2,188	98.25%	1	0.04%
1928	470	19.13%	1,987	80.87%	0	0.00%
1924	121	9.31%	1,127	86.76%	51	3.93%
1920	350	23.07%	1,167	76.93%	0	0.00%
1916	143	9.69%	1,269	85.98%	64	4.34%
1912	92	7.52%	1,107	90.52%	24	1.96%

See also

• State of Georgia portal

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