Clayton County, Georgia

Clayton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The county was erected in 1858 and was named in honor of Augustin Smith Clayton (1783-1839), who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1832 till 1835. As of 2000, the population was 236,517. The county's explosive growth is evident with a population of 267,966 according to the 2005 U.S. Census Estimate. The county seat is Jonesboro, Georgia ⁶.

This county is a part of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 374 km² (144 mi²). 369 km² (143 mi²) of it is land and 4 km² (2 mi²) of it (1.15%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 236,517 people, 82,243 households, and 59,214 families residing in the county. The population density was 640/km² (1,658/mi²). There were 86,461 housing units at an average density of 234/km² (606/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 37.94% White, 51.55% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 4.49% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 3.55% from other races, and 2.08% from two or more races. 7.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 82,243 households out of which 40.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.70% were married couples living together, 20.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 21.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.30.

In the county the population was spread out with 30.00% under the age of 18, 10.40% from 18 to 24, 35.40% from 25 to 44, 18.40% from 45 to 64, and 5.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 94.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,697, and the median income for a family was $46,782. Males had a median income of $32,118 versus $26,926 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,079. About 8.20% of families and 10.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.20% of those under age 18 and 8.90% of those age 65 or over.