Pearson, Georgia


Pearson is a city in Atkinson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,117 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Atkinson County.

History

Pearson was founded in 1875 as a depot on the Brunswick and Western Railroad. It was incorporated as a town in 1890 and in 1916 as a city. The community was named after Benajah Pearson, a veteran of the Second Seminole War.

Geography

Pearson is located at .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which, or 0.28%, is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,805 people, 635 households, and 417 families residing in the city. The population density was 624.1 people per square mile. There were 742 housing units at an average density of 256.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 38.73% White, 38.45% African American, 1.05% Native American, 21.61% from other races, and 0.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28.20% of the population.
There were 635 households out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.8% were married couples living together, 21.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.43.
In the city, the population was spread out with 31.5% under the age of 18, 14.4% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $22,188, and the median income for a family was $26,830. Males had a median income of $22,313 versus $15,700 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,311. About 23.7% of families and 30.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.4% of those under age 18 and 31.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Atkinson County students in K-12 grades are in the Atkinson County School District, which consists of a two elementary schools and a high school. The district has 102 full-time teachers and over 1,648 students.