Bleckley County
Community
Profile
147th in order of
county creation
November 5, 1912
Prepared for Bleckley County Cooperative Extension
by the Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development
The University of Georgia • Athens, GA
Total Population
Bleckley County
2015 CAED Trend
13,505
12,889
12,683
11,666
10,430
10,767
10,291
9,642
9,218
2010 CAED Trend
2008 Estimate
2000
1990
1980
1970
1960
1950
9,655
9,133
1940
1930
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
Primary data sources: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial censuses & estimate; CAED TREND revised 3/09
(Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development).
Population Composition by Age
Bleckley County
100%
65 +
45-64
20-44
5-19
<5
5.0
6.5
7.8
14.5
16.0
17.5
35.3
34.3
32.6
32.8
30.7
32.9
9.3
11.5
13.4
19.3
19.3
19.9
22.1
35.5
33.0
24.3
25.0
28.6
34.8
33.3
29.1
13.6
10.9
12.2
11.2
8.0
6.8
6.8
6.4
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
0%
2008 Estimated Median Age
Primary data source: U.S. Census Bureau
Bleckley Co. = 31.9 yrs.
Change in
proportion
1990-2000
+ 0.2
+ 2.2
- 2.5
+ 0.7
-0.4
GA = 34.9 yrs.
2008 County Population Comparisons
Total
Total
Rank
Density
per sq.mi.
land area
% Chg.
2000-08
Rank of
% Chg.
BLECKLEY
12,683
113
58.3
8.7
73
DODGE
20,116
90
40.2
4.9
100
HOUSTON
133,161
14
353.4
20.2
32
LAURENS
47,848
41
58.9
6.6
86
PULASKI
9,787
130
39.6
2.1
112
TWIGGS
10,257
127
28.5
-3.1
142
WILKINSON
10,026
129
22.5
-1.9
136
County
Primary data source: U. S. Census Bureau (3/09)
Population Change: 1930-2000
30
Percentage Change
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5
-10
1930-40
1940-50
U.S.
1950-60
1960-70
Georgia
Primary data source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses
1970-80
1980-90
1990-2000
Bleckley Co.
Components of Population Change
Natural Increase & Net Migration*
2000-2008
Numerical
Change*
2000-2008
# Natural
Increase
(Births-Deaths)
2000-2008
# Net
Migration
2007-08
1-yr Natural
Increase
Rate
2007-08
1 yr Net
Migration
Rate
1,017
200
908
3.1
2.3
945
366
699
3.2
2.9
HOUSTON
22,396
8,232
14,524
8.2
8.3
LAURENS
2,974
1,726
1,473
4.6
4.9
PULASKI
199
79
178
3.0
-4.3
TWIGGS
-333
168
-454
1.4
-2.0
WILKINSON
-194
455
-611
6.9
-11.0
Avg. County
9,427
3,806
4,941
5.3
5.9
1,498,932
605,129
785,691
8.3
8.7
Area
BLECKLEY
DODGE
GEORGIA
Primary data source:
U. S. Census Bureau (3/09)
* Numerical change includes “residual” not represented in either NI or NM.
Population Change: 2000-2008
LOSS
0 – 7.2%
7.2 – 18.3%
18.3 – 36%
36 – 70.8%
Avg. GA
County = 11.2%
GA = 18.3%
US = 7.2%
Primary data source: U.S. Census Bureau (3/09)
Selected Vital Statistics
2007 Rates
14.1
Total births per 1,000 pop
15.8
47.7
Unwed per 100 total births
43.8
Teen pregnancy per 1,000
females age 10-19
Deaths per 1,000 pop
Induced terminations per
1,000 females age 15-44
Low birth weight per 100
births
Infant deaths per 1,000 births
36.5
35.3
9.5
7.1
5.4
14.9
11.1
9.1
Bleckley Co.
7.8
Georgia
8.4
10-yr. rates 1998-2007
2007 Bleckley Co. Natality Data
174 total births, 83 unwed births
15 induced terminations
38 teen pregnancies
25 low birth weight babies
2007 Bleckley Co. Mortality Data
117 total deaths
1 infant deaths
Primary data source: GA Dept. Public Health, OASIS
Highest Level of Educational Attainment: 2000
4.9
Grad or Prof Degree
8.3
7.6
Bachelor's degree
16.0
7.1
Associate degree
5.2
16.4
Some college, no degree
20.4
35.8
HS Grad
28.7
15.4
13.8
9th-12th no diploma
Bleckley Co.
Georgia
12.9
< 9th grade
7.6
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Percent of Persons Age 25+
Bleckley Co.
Not completing HS = 28.3%
With a bachelor’s + degree = 12.5%
Primary data source: U.S. Census Bureau
Selected Public School Statistics
School Year 2006-07
57.0
56.3
Teachers w/adv degrees
40.3
College prep certif
27.9
HOPE Eligible
75.0
38.1
72.1
72.3
Class '07 Grad Rate
3.3
Gifted
8.7
17.1
Special Ed
11.7
53.3
50.0
Econ Disadvantaged
2.7
4.3
Retained in grade
Bleckley Co.
Georgia
9.0
10.0
Absent >15 days
4.4
4.1
HS Dropout rate
0
10
Primary data source:
Governor’s Office of Student Achievement
20
30
40
50
Percentage
60
70
80
Bleckley Co.
K12 enrollment = 2,331
HS dropouts = 34
General Fund Expenditures per FTE = $7,249
Per Capita Income: 2002-2007
$40,000
$35,000
$30,000
$25,000
$20,000
$15,000
$10,000
$5,000
$0
2002
2003
2004
Bleckley Co.
2007 PCI
Bleckley Co. = $25,472
Primary data source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (5/09)
2005
2006
Georgia
Georgia = $33,499
US = $38,615
2007
US
Per Capita Income: 2002-2007
Percentage Change
8
Percentage
6
4
2
0
-2
2002-2003
2003-2004
2004-2005
Bleckley Co.
Primary data source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (5/09)
2005-2006
Georgia
2006-2007
US
Per Capita Income: 2007
PCI
Rank of
PCI
% PCI of
GA Total
% Change
in PCI
2002-2007
BLECKLEY
$25,472
77
76.0
7.8
DODGE
$21,718
136
64.8
15.3
HOUSTON
$30,572
26
91.3
15.6
LAURENS
$26,487
60
79.1
17.2
PULASKI
$27,305
50
81.5
13.5
TWIGGS
$23,432
109
69.9
21.3
WILKINSON
$23,491
107
70.1
13.7
GA Avg. Co.
$26,299
--
78.5
17.1
County
Primary data source: U. S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (5/09)
Median Household Income
2007 Model-Based Estimates
US
$50,740
GEORGIA
$49,080
GA Avg. Co.
$40,170
$38,711
BLECKLEY
$32,393
DODGE
HOUSTON
$52,911
LAURENS
$36,092
$39,076
PULASKI
TWIGGS
$36,096
WILKINSON
$35,367
$0
$10,000
$20,000
Primary data source: U. S. Census Bureau (12/08)
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
Transfer Receipts: 2007
Bleckley Co. Total = $79,017,000
29.9
Retirement/Disab
35.3
26.7
Medicare
23.2
16.6
16.6
Pub Med Assist
Supp Sec Inc
2.6
2.4
Family Assist
0.6
0.5
2.3
2.6
Food Stamps
Bleckley Co.
Georgia
Bleckley Co.
$6,250 per capita
transfer receipts
6.5
7.0
Other Inc Maint
1.2
1.6
2.5
3.4
Unemp
Veteran Benefit
24.5% of total personal income
5.9% change in total 2006-2007
11.4
All Other
7.3
0
5
10
15
20
Percentage
Primary data source: Bureau of Economic Analysis (5/09)
25
30
35
40
Persons Living Below Poverty Level
2007 Model-Based Estimates
# of
Persons
% of all
Persons
Rank
of %
BLECKLEY
1,996
18.0
75
DODGE
3,972
21.8
110
HOUSTON
14,497
11.3
22
LAURENS
10,565
23.0
119
PULASKI
1,576
18.3
81
TWIGGS
1,965
19.5
88
WILKINSON
GA Avg. Co.
1,783
8,359
17.9
18.6
73
--
County
Primary data source: U. S. Census Bureau (12/08)
Persons Living Below the Poverty Level
2007 Model-Based Estimates
5.2 – 12.2%
12.2 – 16.9%
16.9 – 20.6%
20.6 – 24.0%
24.0 – 36.2%
Weighted
average poverty
threshold for a
family of 4
persons in 2007
= $21,203
Primary data source: U.S. Census Bureau (12/08)
Georgia
1,329,161
persons
14.3%
------------US = 13.0%
Unemployment Rates
Bleckley Co.
8
Georgia
U. S.
Rate per 100 in Labor Force
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1999
2000
2008 Rates
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Bleckley Co. = 6.9
GA = 6.2
Avg. GA County = 6.9
Primary data source: GA Dept. of Labor
2007
2008
US = 5.8
Business Establishments, Employment and Wages
Bleckley Co. 2008 Annual Averages, % of Total
Estab
Emp
Wages
Goods Producing
Agriculture, Mining,
Construction,
Manufacturing
Service Providing
Government
Retail-Wholesale Trade, Transportation-Warehousing,
Information, Finance-Insurance-Real Estate,
Professional-SciTech Serv., Admin-Waste Serv., HealthSocial Serv., Accommodation-Food Serv., & others
# Establishments = 213
Federal,
State,
Local
2008 Averages
Monthly Employment = 3,611 Weekly Wage = $585
Primary data source: GA Dept. of Labor
Selected Employment Comparisons by Industry: 2008
Total GOODS
Producing
Agriculture
1.2
0.6
Construction
Manufacturing 0.0
Total SERVICE
Providing
Wholesale trade
1.1
16.0
4.9
5.1
10.1
5.4
Retail trade
Transp-warehouse 0.0 4.0
Information 0.02.7
Fin/Ins/RE
Prof-Sci-Tech
Adm-Waste svc
Health-Soc svc
Accomo-Food svc
RE-Rent-Lease
Total
GOVERNMENT
28.2
36.7
66.6
10.6
11.5
3.5
3.9
1.1
5.7
0.0
6.8
6.7
9.5
10.2
8.7
0.3
1.5
Bleckley Co.
Georgia
17.1
35.1
Primary data source: GA Dept. of Labor (zero may indicate no employment in sector, or undisclosed data.
Farm Gate Value by Commodity Group: 2008
Bleckley Co. Total Value = $30,323,648
Row-Forage
crops
51.0%
Poultry-Egg
8.0%
Other
11.8%
Ornamental
Horticulture
1.7%
Veges-FruitsNuts
0.4%
Forestry
13.0%
Livestock
14.2%
Primary data source: Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development, UGA (5/09)
Components of Gross Property Tax Digest: 2008
Bleckley Co. Gross Digest (40% Value) = $315,956,030
43.4
42.4
Residential
27.7
24.5
Ag/Pref/Environ
8.2
11.5
12.6
Commercial
3.1
Industrial
Utility
Timber
6.9
6.7
2.9
4.8
3.2
9.1
7.1
6.3
Motor Vehicle
Mobile Home
20.3
1.8
1.0
0.4
0.5
0.7
0.14
Primary data source: GA Dept. of Revenue (preliminary avg. and total)
Bleckley Co.
GA Avg. Co.
GA Total
54.8
County Property Tax Digest Comparisons: 2008
County
BLECKLEY
DODGE
HOUSTON
LAURENS
PULASKI
TWIGGS
WILKINSON
GEORGIA
Avg. GA Co.
% Resi- % Agri- % Comdential cultural mercial
43.4
34.4
59.2
35.0
43.8
30.3
16.8
54.9
42.4
27.7
34.2
5.4
16.2
25.1
27.0
24.0
6.8
23.8
% Industrial
% Mo%
%
% UtilMotor bile
Timity
Veh Home ber
11.5 3.1 2.9
11.1 3.7 4.3
21.0 3.4 2.4
18.4 16.9 3.1
14.2 4.6 3.1
6.7 15.9 7.8
4.9 37.3 5.7
22.2 6.3 3.2
12.7 7.0 5.0
Primary data source: GA Dept. of Revenue (preliminary avg. and total)
9.1
8.4
8.1
8.3
8.1
8.8
8.2
6.0
7.2
1.8
2.4
0.4
0.8
0.7
1.9
1.2
0.4
1.1
0.51
1.48
0.05
0.88
0.39
1.54
1.87
0.2
0.9
Millage Rates, Taxes Levied, & Sales Tax Rate
County
’08 County’08 School
wide
Millage*
Millage*
’07 Taxes
Levied*
($000)
Sales Tax
Rate
LOST
Type*
as of 7/09
as of 7/09
BLECKLEY
31.45
11.50
$6,648
3
LSE
DODGE
24.28
9.70
$7,664
3
LSE
HOUSTON
24.56
12.47
$95,534
3
LSE
LAURENS
22.68
11.94
$27,561
3
LSE
PULASKI
28.49
12.35
$6,748
3
LSE
TWIGGS
39.60
20.00
$6,916
3
LSE
WILKINSON
34.76
19.32
$11,639
3
LSE
*Countywide Includes .250 state millage. School includes bonds, if any. Taxes
levied, but not necessarily collected. L=Local Option Sales Tax, S=Special
Purpose, E=Educational
Primary data source: GA Dept. of Revenue
Retail Sales Analysis: 2008
Bleckley Co. Total Retail Sales = $112,739,000
0.45
Total Retail Sales
Health-Personal Care
0.08
Bldg Mat-garden equip-supplies
0.10
Gas stations
0.75
0.09
Motor Vehicle-parts
Furniture-Home Furn-Appliance
1.78
0.00
Clothing & Accessories
General Merchandise
0.02
Food Services-Drinking Places
0.17
Food-Beverage Stores
0.98
0
1
2
Pull Factor
A “pull factor” of 1.0 means that the county’s sales are what would be expected
based upon the number of residents and their relative wealth.
Primary data sources: “Demographics USA, County Edition, 2008;” pull factor calculations by Center for
Agribusiness and Economic Development.
Commuting to Work: 2000
Percentage of:
Residents working in
county
47.6
Residents working
out of county
52.4
Workers coming into
county
44.3
Residents driving to
work alone
77.6
Residents carpooling
Residents working at
home
17.0
1.4
Resident workers 16+ = 4,699
Residents working in county = 2,583
Residents working out of county = 2,116
Total working in county = 3,891
Workers commuting into county = 1,308
Bleckley County
Mean travel time to work = 26.1 min.
Ratio of IN to OUT = 0.62
Primary data source: U.S. Census Bureau
This study was developed to assist
community leadership with their
future planning and decision making.
Special Area Report
# 0920
August 2009
Prepared for Bleckley County Cooperative Extension
by Susan R. Boatright
Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia • Athens, GA
Georgia Cooperative Extension
706-542-0760 • 706-542-8938
To learn more about your county, click on
“Georgia Statistics System” at our website:
www.caed.uga.edu