What percentage of Georgia is black?

Census data released on Thursday shows that Georgia, a state where white supremacy was for decades enshrined in law and custom, has seen a dramatic boom in ethnic and racial diversity in the last decade, a trend that is already having a profound effect on the politics of both the state and the nation.

Previous census data suggested that whites were on their way to minority status in Georgia sometime in the next few years. But they are not quite there — yet. The new data shows white people currently make up 51.9 percent of the population, down from 59.7 percent in 2010.

African Americans’ share of the overall population increased from 31.5 percent to 33 percent in the last decades, while Hispanics went from 8.8 percent to 10.5 percent of the population. And the number of Asians in the state jumped by more than 200,000 people, a 54.8 percent increase. Asians now make up 5.8 percent of the state population.

Longtime Georgians have felt the change in the flavors of everyday life for years now, taking for granted the fact that good tlayudas can be had in Jonesboro, and serious bibimbap in Columbus.

But most close watchers of Georgia politics also believe these demographic shifts also help explain the new competitiveness the Democratic Party now exhibits in Georgia, where Joe Biden narrowly defeated former President Donald J. Trump in November, and where two Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate, Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock, scored stunning upset victories over their Republican rivals shortly thereafter.

As Georgia Republicans have sought to rally their base by raising concerns about illegal immigration and noncitizen voting, Democrats have been seeking to build a multicultural coalition that takes advantage of populous and diversifying areas like suburban Gwinnett County, which earlier boomed as whites fled the Atlanta city core.

But the promise of good schools and ample housing stock eventually became a lure to people of all races as overt racial hostility declined in places like Gwinnett. The county, which was more than 90 percent white in 1970, is now 35.5 percent white.

And the county, for decades one of Georgia’s great Republican strongholds, went for Hillary Clinton, in 2016, and Mr. Biden in 2020.

10,916,760

This value is based on the most recent Census estimates. The last confirmed population for Georgia was recorded during the last nationwide census, which took place in 2010. When the survey was completed, the results revealed that 9,687,653 people were living within the state.

The recorded population in 2010 of 9,687,653 represented a rise of 18.3% on the numbers in 2000, which reached 8,186,453. An estimate released in July 2015 suggested that the population of Georgia had risen to 10,214,860. With the 10th fastest growth rate of 1.19%, the population of Georgia first surpassed 10 million residents in 2013.

Georgia Population Density and Area

Situated in the southeastern corner of the United States, Georgia is the 24th largest US state when it comes to sheer land mass. The total surface area is 59,425 square miles (or 153,909 square kilometers) and for every square mile of Georgian territory, there is an average of 168.4 people.

Georgia ranks 18th in the United States in population density.

The largest city in Georgia by population is Columbus. The county with the highest population in Georgia is Fulton county, with over 1 million residents.

Georgia Gender and Religion Statistics

The median age in Georgia is 36.2 years of age, with a gender difference of 51.3% females and 48.7% males across the state.

In religious terms, Georgia shows a 79% affiliation with any Christian based faith, a 3% preference to non-Christian based faiths, and 18% ambivalence or non-preference toward religion over the entire state.

Georgia Boundary, Census and Statehood History

Georgia was one of the 13 original States, obtaining statehood in 1788). At the close of the Revolution it included most of present-day Alabama and Mississippi, an area which finally became Mississippi Territory in 1802. In that year Georgia reached essentially its present boundaries, although survey uncertainties resulted in continuing disputes with bordering States over subsequent decades.

Census coverage in 1790 and 1800 was limited to the eastern portions of the present State near the Savannah River and the Atlantic coast; there was no coverage of present-day Alabama or Mississippi. The population for 1810 excludes 1,026 persons in (old) Walton County, reported as a Georgia county but later determined to be in North Carolina. Census coverage of the State was relatively complete by 1840.

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Georgiawas:

• White: 57.25%
• Black or African American: 31.57%
• Asian: 4.13%
• Two or more races: 3.74%
• Other race: 2.92%
• Native American: 0.33%
• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.07%

It may be something of a generalization, but it’s fair to say that as far as population history is concerned, the western and eastern halves of the United States tend to follow two distinct patterns.

In the east, where the first settlers arrived in the 18th century, numbers were healthy from the very start, but in the west they were sparse to start with -- barely over a thousand at the first recorded censuses in some cases.

Georgia tends to reflect this generalization. In 1790, recorded figures show that 82,548 people were living within the state. However, unlike other eastern states where population growth remained steady, Georgia’s increases were quite phenomenal, and just ten years later, the population had almost doubled to 162,686.

That rise proved to be the biggest spike in Georgia’s history but further, substantial growth was to follow, and by 1860, the numbers in the state had comfortably exceeded one million.

Georgia Population Growth

Further increases have now taken those confirmed statistics past 10 million total citizens.

Like most US states, Georgia has never seen a decline in its decennial census counts, although from 1920 to 1930, the population only increased by 13,000 people.

Georgia Population Projections

As for the present and the future, continued population growth is expected. Georgia continues to grow at greater than 1% per year, which makes it one of the faster growing states in the country (12th).

According to a projection released in 2010 by the state of Georgia, the population was expected to reach 14.7 million by 2030. These projections seem to contradict the US Census projections, and may have overstated the potential growth of the state.

Before the Civil War, approximately half of Georgia's population was made up of Afrian Americans. This number was significantly reduced following the Great Migration that ran through 1970. While the African American population has gone down, a significant percentage still reside in the state. In fact, when looking at the percentages, Georgia has the third highest percentage of African Americans in the United States. The state is also third in terms of numerical African American population.

Georgia has also had the second-highest growth in Asians during the period between 2000 and 2010. During this time period, the population of Asians almost doubled, and recent estimates show that 4% of the total population identifies as Asian. The number of Hispanics in the state -- particularly Puerto Ricans -- has increased in recent years, and Hispanic, Caribbean, Sub-Saharan African and Asians have settled in Georgia, particularly in the metro Atlanta area.

Georgia also has a high number of illegal immigrants and ranks 6th in the nation. In 1990, there were 35,000 undocumented immigrants. This number increased to almost half a million by 2009, doubling between 2000 and 2009.