# Washington County, Georgia

Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,988. The county seat is Sandersville. The county was established on February 25, 1784. It was named for Revolutionary War general and President of the United States George Washington.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 684 square miles (1,770 km$^2$), of which 678 square miles (1,760 km$^2$) is land and 5.9 square miles (15 km$^2$) (0.9%) is water.
The western portion of Washington County, west of a north-to-south line running through Sandersville, is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The northeastern portion of the county, north of Riddleville, is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin, while the southeastern portion, centered on Harrison, is located in the Ohoopee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.

### Major highways

* State Route 15
* State Route 24
* State Route 24 Spur
* State Route 57
* State Route 68
* State Route 88
* State Route 102
* State Route 231
* State Route 242
* State Route 272
* State Route 540 (Fall Line Freeway)

### Adjacent counties

* Glascock County (northeast)
* Jefferson County (east)
* Johnson County (south)
* Wilkinson County (southwest)
* Baldwin County (west)
* Hancock County (northwest)

## Communities
### Cities

* Davisboro
* Oconee
* Sandersville (county seat)
* Tennille

### Towns

* Deepstep
* Harrison
* Riddleville

### Census-designated places

* Warthen

### Other unincorporated communities

* Ennis
* Goat Town
* Hamburg
* Irwins Crossroads
* Pringle
* Sun Hill
* Veal

## Demographics
### 2020 Census

Washington 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 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
| White alone (NH) | 9,620 | 9,339 | 8,412 | 45.43% | 44.08% | 42.09% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 11,233 | 11,124 | 10,698 | 53.05% | 52.50% | 53.52% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 35 | 19 | 37 | 0.17% | 0.09% | 0.19% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 55 | 104 | 76 | 0.26% | 0.49% | 0.38% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.01% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 11 | 26 | 30 | 0.05% | 0.12% | 0.15% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 86 | 167 | 401 | 0.41% | 0.79% | 2.01% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 134 | 407 | 334 | 0.63% | 1.92% | 1.67% |
| Total | 21,176 | 21,187 | 19,988 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 19,988 people, 7,503 households, and 5,315 families residing in the county.

## Education

The county is served by the Washington County School District, which includes:
* Ridge Road Elementary School
* T.J. Elder Middle School
* Washington County High School.
The county is also the location of one privately run school:
* Brentwood School

## In popular culture

The 1933 short story "The People's Choice" by Erskine Caldwell is set in Washington County, where the story's protagonist is a popular local politician elected again and again as the county's tax assessor.
In 1992, the Pig Monument was erected in the county, near Oconee off of Georgia State Route 272. The monument commemorates a 1933 event where several residents of the county gathered together to help a local farmer rescue a pig that had fallen down a dry well.
The biography of one of the main characters (Grant Alexander) in the 2011 console game X-Men: Destiny states that they were born in Sandersville, Georgia.

## Politics

Like most other majority-minority counties in the South, Washington County has primarily backed Democratic Party candidates for most of its history. Democratic margins of victory in presidential elections were far greater prior to 1964, but the county has only failed to back a Democratic presidential candidate five times in its history. However, no candidate of any party since Bill Clinton in 1996 has managed to win the county by a margin of 1,000 votes or greater. It was the most Black county in Georgia to vote for Donald Trump in 2024.
United States presidential election results for Washington County, Georgia :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 4,824 | 50.82% | 4,643 | 48.91% | 26 | 0.27% |
| 2020 | 4,668 | 49.24% | 4,743 | 50.03% | 69 | 0.73% |
| 2016 | 4,149 | 48.90% | 4,200 | 49.50% | 136 | 1.60% |
| 2012 | 4,035 | 45.76% | 4,714 | 53.46% | 68 | 0.77% |
| 2008 | 4,216 | 47.49% | 4,607 | 51.89% | 55 | 0.62% |
| 2004 | 4,081 | 51.93% | 3,733 | 47.51% | 44 | 0.56% |
| 2000 | 3,162 | 47.26% | 3,476 | 51.95% | 53 | 0.79% |
| 1996 | 2,348 | 33.94% | 4,057 | 58.64% | 514 | 7.43% |
| 1992 | 2,384 | 35.45% | 3,508 | 52.16% | 833 | 12.39% |
| 1988 | 2,752 | 51.12% | 2,615 | 48.58% | 16 | 0.30% |
| 1984 | 2,887 | 48.76% | 3,034 | 51.24% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 1,822 | 33.97% | 3,452 | 64.35% | 90 | 1.68% |
| 1976 | 1,657 | 30.01% | 3,865 | 69.99% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1972 | 3,901 | 75.79% | 1,246 | 24.21% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,247 | 26.43% | 1,443 | 30.58% | 2,029 | 43.00% |
| 1964 | 2,296 | 55.63% | 1,830 | 44.34% | 1 | 0.02% |
| 1960 | 956 | 32.30% | 2,004 | 67.70% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 602 | 19.22% | 2,530 | 80.78% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 795 | 25.03% | 2,381 | 74.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 204 | 14.79% | 1,169 | 84.77% | 6 | 0.44% |
| 1944 | 351 | 24.29% | 1,094 | 75.71% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 253 | 18.41% | 1,112 | 80.93% | 9 | 0.66% |
| 1936 | 149 | 10.34% | 1,286 | 89.24% | 6 | 0.42% |
| 1932 | 9 | 0.46% | 1,923 | 99.33% | 4 | 0.21% |
| 1928 | 472 | 29.24% | 1,142 | 70.76% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 130 | 13.47% | 758 | 78.55% | 77 | 7.98% |
| 1920 | 118 | 9.42% | 1,134 | 90.58% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 18 | 1.60% | 954 | 84.57% | 156 | 13.83% |
| 1912 | 28 | 2.51% | 920 | 82.51% | 167 | 14.98% |