Richmond County is located in the stateofGeorgia in the U.S. As of the 2020 census, the population was 206,607.[2] It is one of the original counties of Georgia, created on February 5, 1777. Following an election in 1995, Augusta (the county seat) consolidated governments with Richmond County. The consolidated entity is known as Augusta-Richmond County, or simply Augusta. Exempt are the cities of Hephzibah and Blythe, in southern Richmond County, which voted to remain separate. Richmond County is included in the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metropolitan statistical area.
Richmond County
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| Augusta-Richmond County | |
Augusta-Richmond County Municipal Building
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Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
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Georgia's location within the U.S.
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| Coordinates: 33°22′N 82°04′W / 33.36°N 82.07°W / 33.36; -82.07 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | February 5, 1777; 247 years ago (1777)[1] |
| Named for | Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond |
| Seat | Augusta |
| Largest city | Augusta |
| Area | |
| • Total | 329 sq mi (850 km2) |
| • Land | 324 sq mi (840 km2) |
| • Water | 4.3 sq mi (11 km2) 1.3% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 206,607 |
| • Density | 638/sq mi (246/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 12th |
| Website | augustaga.gov |
The county is named for Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond, a British politician and office-holder sympathetic to the cause of the American colonies.[3] Richmond was also a first cousin to King George III.
Richmond County was established in 1777 by the first Constitution of the (newly independent) State of Georgia. As such, it is one of the original counties of the state. It was formed from a portion of the colonial Parish of St. Paul after the Revolution disestablished the Church of England in the (former) Royal Province of Georgia.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 329 square miles (850 km2), of which 324 square miles (840 km2) is land and 4.3 square miles (11 km2) (1.3%) is water.[4]
The vast majority of Richmond County is located in the Middle Savannah River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin, with just the southwestern corner of the county, from a line running north from Blythe through the middle of Fort Eisenhower, located in the Brier Creek sub-basin of the Savannah River basin.[5]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 11,317 | — | |
| 1800 | 5,475 | −51.6% | |
| 1810 | 6,189 | 13.0% | |
| 1820 | 8,608 | 39.1% | |
| 1830 | 11,644 | 35.3% | |
| 1840 | 11,932 | 2.5% | |
| 1850 | 16,246 | 36.2% | |
| 1860 | 21,284 | 31.0% | |
| 1870 | 25,724 | 20.9% | |
| 1880 | 34,665 | 34.8% | |
| 1890 | 45,194 | 30.4% | |
| 1900 | 53,735 | 18.9% | |
| 1910 | 58,886 | 9.6% | |
| 1920 | 63,692 | 8.2% | |
| 1930 | 72,990 | 14.6% | |
| 1940 | 81,863 | 12.2% | |
| 1950 | 108,876 | 33.0% | |
| 1960 | 135,601 | 24.5% | |
| 1970 | 162,437 | 19.8% | |
| 1980 | 181,629 | 11.8% | |
| 1990 | 189,719 | 4.5% | |
| 2000 | 199,775 | 5.3% | |
| 2010 | 200,549 | 0.4% | |
| 2020 | 206,607 | 3.0% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 205,414 | [6] | −0.6% |
| 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] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[17] | Pop 2010[15] | Pop 2020[16] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 88,660 | 76,236 | 68,397 | 44.38% | 38.01% | 33.10% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 98,584 | 107,365 | 112,947 | 49.35% | 53.54% | 54.67% |
| Native AmericanorAlaska Native alone (NH) | 506 | 570 | 511 | 0.25% | 0.28% | 0.25% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 2,949 | 3,278 | 3,907 | 1.48% | 1.63% | 1.89% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 228 | 374 | 391 | 0.11% | 0.19% | 0.19% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 361 | 310 | 905 | 0.18% | 0.15% | 0.44% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 2,942 | 4,209 | 8,100 | 1.47% | 2.10% | 3.92% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 5,545 | 8,207 | 11,449 | 2.78% | 4.09% | 5.54% |
| Total | 199,775 | 200,549 | 206,607 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 206,607 people, 68,361 households, and 42,363 families residing in the county.
Similar to most urban counties in the state with majority African American populations, Richmond County has backed the Democratic Party candidate by increasing margins since 1992. However, in every presidential election from 1952 to 1988 which did not have Georgian Jimmy Carter on the ballot, the county backed the Republican candidate for president. Prior to 1952, the county voted like a typical Solid South county, voting for Democratic presidential candidates by landslide margins until backing Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond in 1948. 1928 was an exception to this rule with Herbert Hoover beating Al Smith handily due to anti-Catholic sentiment.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 26,780 | 30.75% | 59,119 | 67.89% | 1,178 | 1.35% |
| 2016 | 24,461 | 32.17% | 48,814 | 64.21% | 2,750 | 3.62% |
| 2012 | 25,845 | 32.64% | 52,560 | 66.39% | 769 | 0.97% |
| 2008 | 26,842 | 33.80% | 52,100 | 65.60% | 480 | 0.60% |
| 2004 | 29,764 | 42.90% | 39,262 | 56.59% | 350 | 0.50% |
| 2000 | 25,485 | 44.29% | 31,413 | 54.60% | 640 | 1.11% |
| 1996 | 23,670 | 41.62% | 30,738 | 54.05% | 2,461 | 4.33% |
| 1992 | 24,227 | 40.70% | 28,910 | 48.57% | 6,386 | 10.73% |
| 1988 | 27,566 | 57.12% | 20,489 | 42.46% | 203 | 0.42% |
| 1984 | 29,869 | 58.48% | 21,208 | 41.52% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 19,619 | 43.72% | 24,104 | 53.72% | 1,148 | 2.56% |
| 1976 | 17,893 | 42.67% | 24,042 | 57.33% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1972 | 24,362 | 72.55% | 9,219 | 27.45% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 14,993 | 41.30% | 11,777 | 32.44% | 9,532 | 26.26% |
| 1964 | 21,481 | 61.32% | 13,545 | 38.67% | 3 | 0.01% |
| 1960 | 11,978 | 54.83% | 9,868 | 45.17% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 10,251 | 60.05% | 6,819 | 39.95% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 9,347 | 52.13% | 8,584 | 47.87% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 1,528 | 11.89% | 2,450 | 19.07% | 8,868 | 69.03% |
| 1944 | 1,152 | 14.28% | 6,918 | 85.72% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 641 | 9.85% | 5,855 | 89.97% | 12 | 0.18% |
| 1936 | 551 | 7.06% | 7,239 | 92.69% | 20 | 0.26% |
| 1932 | 738 | 12.96% | 4,873 | 85.58% | 83 | 1.46% |
| 1928 | 5,104 | 70.99% | 2,086 | 29.01% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 1,296 | 33.71% | 2,169 | 56.43% | 379 | 9.86% |
| 1920 | 511 | 16.14% | 2,656 | 83.86% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 238 | 6.86% | 2,708 | 78.04% | 524 | 15.10% |
| 1912 | 177 | 7.76% | 1,871 | 81.99% | 234 | 10.25% |
| 1908 | 267 | 10.91% | 1,727 | 70.55% | 454 | 18.55% |
| 1904 | 174 | 6.31% | 1,816 | 65.82% | 769 | 27.87% |
| 1900 | 215 | 9.34% | 2,045 | 88.84% | 42 | 1.82% |
| 1896 | 1,698 | 30.06% | 3,716 | 65.78% | 235 | 4.16% |
| 1892 | 3,224 | 25.59% | 8,301 | 65.89% | 1,073 | 8.52% |
| 1888 | 113 | 11.91% | 808 | 85.14% | 28 | 2.95% |
| 1884 | 1,945 | 37.13% | 3,293 | 62.87% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1880 | 1,497 | 38.12% | 2,430 | 61.88% | 0 | 0.00% |
Interstate 520
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 25
U.S. Route 25 Business
U.S. Route 78
U.S. Route 278
State Route 4
State Route 10
State Route 28
State Route 56
State Route 88
State Route 104
State Route 104 Connector
State Route 121
State Route 223
State Route 232
State Route 383
State Route 402 (unsigned designation for I-20)
State Route 415 (unsigned designation for I-520)
State Route 540 (Fall Line Freeway)
State Route 555 & 565 (Savannah River Parkway)
