Wilkes County, GA

County

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2024 Population

9,549

US Senator

Jon Ossoff

Democratic Party

US Senator

Raphael Warnock

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

0.648% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

17.8%

4.92% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$52,043

0.95% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$122,700

16.9% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

3,688

3.71% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Wilkes County, GA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

97.8% of the residents in Wilkes County, GA are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Wilkes County, GA was $122,700, and the homeownership rate was 66.1%.

Most people in Wilkes County, GA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 32.6 minutes. The average car ownership in Wilkes County, GA was 2 cars per household.

Wilkes County, GA borders Elbert County, GA, Lincoln County, GA, McDuffie County, GA, Oglethorpe County, GA, Taliaferro County, GA, and Warren County, GA.

United States Georgia

Population & Diversity

Wilkes County, GA is home to a population of 9.55k people, from which 97.8% are citizens. As of 2024, 3.76% of Wilkes County, GA residents were born outside of the country (359 people).

In 2024, there were 1.31 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.93k people) in Wilkes County, GA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.76k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 356 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.8%

2024 Citizenship

97.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.8% of Wilkes County, GA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Wilkes County, GA was 97.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Wilkes County, GA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Wilkes County, GA

White (Non-Hispanic)
4.93k ± 61
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
3.76k ± 167
Other (Hispanic)
356 ± 133

4.85%

Hispanic Population

463 people

4.85% of the people in Wilkes County, GA are hispanic (463 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Wilkes County, GA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Georgia.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
229,616 ± 11,639 people
India
106,959 ± 7,990 people
Jamaica
51,506 ± 5,559 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Georgia was Mexico, the natal country of 229,616 Georgia residents, followed by India with 106,959 and Jamaica with 51,506.

Foreign-Born Population

3.76%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

359 people

2.63%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

251 people

As of 2024, 3.76% of Wilkes County, GA residents (359 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Wilkes County, GA was 2.63%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Wilkes County, GA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
127 ± 72
Gulf War (1990s)
126 ± 56
Vietnam
77 ± 46

Wilkes County, GA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.01 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Wilkes County, GA.

Economy

The economy of Wilkes County, GA employs 3.69k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Wilkes County, GA were Retail Trade (640 people), Manufacturing (605 people), and Educational Services (382 people), and the highest paying industries were Accommodation & Food Services ($77,737), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($71,364), and Finance & Insurance ($59,152).

Employment

Occupations

3.69k

2024 Value

± 427

−3.71%

1 Year decline

± 16.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Wilkes County, GA declined at a rate of −3.71%, from 3.83k employees to 3.69k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Wilkes County, GA, are Production Occupations (514 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (467 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (324 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Wilkes County, GA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Georgia.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Georgia (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

3.69k

2024 Value

± 427

−3.71%

1 Year decline

± 16.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Wilkes County, GA declined at a rate of −3.71%, from 3.83k employees to 3.69k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Wilkes County, GA, are Retail Trade (640 people), Manufacturing (605 people), and Educational Services (382 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Wilkes County, GA, though some of these residents may live in Wilkes County, GA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$41,968

Median earning men ± $4,393

$32,037

Median earning women ± $2,513

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodations & Food Services ($77,672), Manufacturing ($61,000), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($51,932).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($59,063), Manufacturing ($43,076), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($31,250).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Georgia.

Y-Axis

2.94%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.87M people employed in Georgia. This represents a 2.94% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 11.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Georgia.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

17
Retail Trade
16
Other Services (except Public Administration)
15
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$22.6k
Construction
$19.1k
Manufacturing
$12.6k
Health Care and Social Assistance

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Georgia went to Donald J. Trump with 50.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.5%), followed by Chase Oliver (0.394%).

Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are the senators currently representing the state of Georgia. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Georgia is currently represented by 14 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Wilkes County, GA. Showing the available data for Georgia.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (50.7%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (48.5%)
Democratic Party
Chase Oliver (0.394%)
Libertarian Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Georgia went to Donald J. Trump with 50.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.5%), followed by Chase Oliver (0.394%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Georgia for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Georgia

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Georgia.

Jon Ossoff

Senator from Georgia

Assumed office on January 20, 2021
Inauguration delayed as incumbent senator David Perdue's term expired on January 3, 2021, two days prior to the runoff election.

Raphael Warnock

Senator from Georgia

Assumed office on January 20, 2021
Elected to the seat to succeed Kelly Loeffler, who had been appointed to the seat following the resignation of Johnny Isakson.

Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are the senators currently representing Georgia.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Georgia over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Wilkes County, GA was $122,700 in 2024, which is 0.369 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $105,000 to $122,700, a 16.9% increase. The homeownership rate in Wilkes County, GA is 66.1%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Wilkes County, GA have an average commute time of 32.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Wilkes County, GA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 12.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Wilkes County, GA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 9.69%.

Housing

Property

$122,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$15,140

$2,731

Median Property Taxes

±$344

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Wilkes County, GA the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Wilkes County, GA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

66.1%

Homeownership

2024

65.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 66.1% of the housing units in Wilkes County, GA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 66.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Wilkes County, GA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$52,043

Median Household Income

± $3,195

4.13k

Number of Households

± 425

In 2024, the median household income of the 4.13k households in Wilkes County, GA declined from $52,043 from the previous year's value of $52,542.

The following chart displays the households in Wilkes County, GA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Wilkes County, GA is from Georgia.

0.471

2023 Wage GINI in Georgia

0.474

2022 Wage GINI in Georgia

In 2023, the income inequality in Georgia was 0.471 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.558% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Georgia was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Georgia in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Georgia across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (84%)
Carpooled (11.5%)
Worked At Home (2.94%)

In 2024, 84% of workers in Wilkes County, GA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.5%) and those who worked at home (2.94%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

32.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Wilkes County, GA have a longer commute time (32.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.46% of the workforce in Wilkes County, GA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Wilkes County, GA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Wilkes County, GA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Wilkes County, GA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 12.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Wilkes County, GA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 9.69%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

17.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Wilkes County, GA (1.68k out of 9.44k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 65 - 74, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Wilkes County, GA is Black, followed by White and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 32.3% of the children was living in poverty in Wilkes County, GA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5.2%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 308 in Wilkes County, GA. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 187 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

84.7% of the population of Wilkes County, GA has health coverage, with 34.3% on employee plans, 18% on Medicaid, 17.6% on Medicare, 13.2% on non-group plans, and 1.7% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Wilkes County, GA see 2,378 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,378 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 4800 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 4759 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.1% were men and 50.9% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,378 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Wilkes County, GA

Primary care physicians in Wilkes County, GA see an average of 2,378 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,378 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Wilkes County, GA in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.9% under 18 years, 16.7% between 18 and 34 years, 38.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 24% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.1% were men and 50.9% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

15.3%

Uninsured

34.3%

Employer Coverage

18%

Medicaid

17.6%

Medicare

13.2%

Non-Group

1.7%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Wilkes County, GA declined by 17.7% from 18.6% to 15.3%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Wilkes County, GA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.