Pierce County, Georgia

Pierce County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,716. The county seat is Blackshear. Pierce County is part of the Waycross, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Pierce County is named for Franklin Pierce, fourteenth president of the United States. It was created December 18, 1857, from Appling and Ware counties.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 343 square miles (890 km²), of which 316 square miles (820 km²) is land and 27 square miles (70 km²) (7.8%) is water.

The northeastern third of Pierce County, bordered by a line from just west of Mershon to just south of Bristol, then south to just north of Blackshear, and then heading due east, is located in the Little Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys River-Satilla River basin. The southern two-thirds of the county is located in the Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla River basin.

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 19,716, 7,506 households, and 5,319 families residing in the county.

The median age was 40.5 years, 24.4% of residents were under the age of 18, and 18.0% were 65 years of age or older; for every 100 females there were 96.3 males and 93.5 males age 18 and over. 1.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 98.7% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 84.5% White, 8.1% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.8% from some other race, and 3.7% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.1% of the population.

Of those households, 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present; about 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.