Barrow County, Georgia

Barrow County
Barrow County
County
	Barrow County Courthouse in Winder
	Seal Logo
	Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
	Georgia's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 33°59′N 83°43′W / 33.99°N 83.71°W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	July 7, 1914; 110 years ago
Named for	David Crenshaw Barrow Jr.
Seat	Winder
Largest city	Winder
Area
• Total	163 sq mi (420 km2)
• Land	160 sq mi (400 km2)
• Water	2.6 sq mi (7 km2) 1.6%
Population (2020)
• Total	85,588
• Estimate (2023)	92,792
• Density	530/sq mi (200/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	10th
Website	barrowga.org

Barrow County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, its population was 83,505.^[1] Its county seat is Winder.^[2] Barrow County is included in the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area.

History

Barrow County was created from portions of Gwinnett, Jackson, and Walton counties when Georgia voters approved a constitutional amendment on November 3, 1914, making Barrow County the 149th Georgia county; there are now 159. Barrow County was named after David Crenshaw Barrow, Jr., a University of Georgia mathematics and engineering professor who was later Chancellor serving in that position from 1906 to 1925. Barrow died on January 11, 1929, in Athens and is buried in Oconee Hill Cemetery in Athens.^[3]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 163 square miles (420 km²), of which 160 square miles (410 km²) is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²) (1.6%) is water.^[4] The entirety of Barrow County is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.^[5]

Adjacent counties

Hall County – north
Clarke County – east at single point
Jackson County – east
Oconee County – southeast
Walton County – south
Gwinnett County – west

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated place

Russell

Other unincorporated communities

Barrow Heights

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	13,188		—
1930	12,401		−6.0%
1940	13,064		5.3%
1950	13,115		0.4%
1960	14,485		10.4%
1970	16,859		16.4%
1980	21,354		26.7%
1990	29,721		39.2%
2000	46,144		55.3%
2010	69,367		50.3%
2020	83,505		20.4%
2023 (est.)	92,792	^[6]	11.1%
U.S. Decennial Census^[7] 1790-1880^[8] 1890-1910^[9] 1920-1930^[10] 1930-1940^[11] 1940-1950^[12] 1960-1980^[13] 1980-2000^[14] 2010^[15] 2020^[16]

**Barrow 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^[17]	Pop 2010^[15]	Pop 2020^[16]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	38,543	51,736	55,582	83.53%	74.58%	66.56%
Black or African American alone (NH)	4,456	7,769	10,141	9.66%	11.20%	12.14%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	119	130	130	0.26%	0.19%	0.16%
Asian alone (NH)	1,000	2,359	3,233	2.17%	3.40%	3.87%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	15	28	17	0.03%	0.04%	0.02%
Other race alone (NH)	27	141	459	0.06%	0.20%	0.55%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	524	1,167	3,383	1.14%	1.68%	4.05%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1,460	6,037	10,560	3.16%	8.70%	12.65%
Total	46,144	69,367	83,505	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

At the 2020 United States census, there were 83,505 people,^[18] 27,765 households, and 20,948 families residing in the county. In 2010, there here were 69,367 people, 23,971 households, and 18,214 families living in the county.^[19] The population density was 432.7 inhabitants per square mile (167.1/km²). There were 26,400 housing units at an average density of 164.7 per square mile (63.6/km²).^[20]

In 2000, the racial makeup of the county was 84.84% White, 10.72% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 2.20% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.50% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. 3.16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Barrow County is considered a part of the Atlanta, GA combined statistical area despite its comparatively small population. In 2010, the racial and ethnic makeup of the county was 78.8% White, 11.4% Black or African American, 3.4% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.7% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.7% of the population.^[19] In terms of ancestry, 20.6% were American, 10.7% were Irish, 9.1% were German, and 8.5% were English.^[21] By the 2020 census, its racial and ethnic makeup was 66.56% non-Hispanic white, 12.14% Black or African American, 0.16% American Indian or Alaska Native; 0.16 % Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.55% some other race, 4.05% multiracial, and 12.65% Hispanic or Latino of any race.^[18]

In 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $48,958 and the median income for a family was $55,415. Males had a median income of $42,869 versus $33,175 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,882. About 9.4% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.^[22] According to the 2022 American Community Survey, its median household income was $78,216 with a per capita income of $30,903. Approximately 9.5% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.^[23]

Education

Barrow County Schools is the sole school district covering the county.^[24]

Winder-Barrow Cluster:

Winder-Barrow High School
Richard B. Russell Middle School
Winder-Barrow Middle School (1956-2013)
Bear Creek Middle School (WBMS replacement)
Holsenbeck Elementary School
Bramlett Elementary School
Statham Elementary School
County Line Elementary

Apalachee Cluster:

Apalachee High School
Westside Middle School
Haymon-Morris Middle School
Auburn Elementary School
Kennedy Elementary School
Bethlehem Elementary School
Yargo Elementary School
Barrow Arts & Sciences Academy

Transportation

Major highways

Interstate 85
U.S. Route 29
U.S. Route 29 Business
State Route 8
State Route 11
State Route 53
State Route 81
State Route 82
State Route 124
State Route 211
State Route 316
State Route 324
State Route 330
State Route 403 (unsigned designation for I-85)

Politics

United States presidential election results for Barrow County, Georgia^[25]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	26,804	70.64%	10,453	27.55%	689	1.82%
2016	21,108	72.35%	6,580	22.55%	1,486	5.09%
2012	18,725	74.10%	6,028	23.85%	517	2.05%
2008	17,625	71.55%	6,657	27.02%	351	1.42%
2004	13,520	76.17%	4,095	23.07%	135	0.76%
2000	7,925	65.49%	3,657	30.22%	520	4.30%
1996	5,342	51.65%	3,928	37.98%	1,072	10.37%
1992	4,328	43.36%	3,991	39.98%	1,663	16.66%
1988	4,738	65.64%	2,442	33.83%	38	0.53%
1984	4,123	63.53%	2,367	36.47%	0	0.00%
1980	2,284	36.20%	3,876	61.44%	149	2.36%
1976	1,364	22.29%	4,756	77.71%	0	0.00%
1972	3,423	79.79%	867	20.21%	0	0.00%
1968	1,372	26.52%	1,070	20.68%	2,731	52.79%
1964	2,316	50.42%	2,277	49.58%	0	0.00%
1960	577	17.30%	2,759	82.70%	0	0.00%
1956	442	16.32%	2,266	83.68%	0	0.00%
1952	236	9.07%	2,367	90.93%	0	0.00%
1948	155	7.55%	1,554	75.69%	344	16.76%
1944	257	14.52%	1,513	85.48%	0	0.00%
1940	219	11.91%	1,615	87.82%	5	0.27%
1936	172	12.69%	1,181	87.16%	2	0.15%
1932	23	2.01%	1,111	97.03%	11	0.96%
1928	684	58.81%	479	41.19%	0	0.00%
1924	88	11.55%	501	65.75%	173	22.70%
1920	412	36.05%	731	63.95%	0	0.00%
1916	102	10.60%	712	74.01%	148	15.38%