Houston County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. The estimated 2019 population is 157,863. Its county seat is Perry, although the city ofWarner Robins is substantially larger in both area and population. The county was created on May 15, 1821, as one of five counties in the state, and later reduced in size with the formation of Bibb, Crawford, Pike, Macon, and Peach counties. It was named after Georgia governor John Houstoun, with the spelling being a common 19th-century variation that later evolved to "Houston". The pronunciation, however, remains to this day "howston." The geographic center of the county was given the name Wattsville, which was later changed to Perry. Houston County is included in the Warner Robins, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is included in the Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley Combined Statistical Area. Flat Creek Public Fishing Area is in Houston County, south west of Perry.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The county is located in the upper Atlantic coastal plain region of the state. The vast majority of Houston County is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The very northern edge of the county, north of Centerville and Warner Robins, is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin. The very southwestern corner of Houston County, well west of Interstate 75, is located in the MiddleFlint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin.
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 139,900 people, 53,051 households, and 37,874 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 58,325 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 63.3% white, 28.6% black or African American, 2.4% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 2.4% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 12.9% were American, 10.3% were German, 10.0% were English, and 9.1% were Irish. Of the 53,051 households, 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.6% were non-families, and 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.09. The median age was 34.5 years. The median income for a household in the county was $55,098 and the median income for a family was $67,227. Males had a median income of $47,557 versus $34,239 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,206. About 10.3% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.7% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
