Wilcox County was formed on December 22, 1857 from parts of Irwin, Pulaski, and Dooly counties. The county was named for General Mark Wilcox, a Georgia state legislator and one of the founders of the Georgia Supreme Court. The first county courthouse was built in 1858; the present courthouse dates from 1903.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The northern and eastern three-quarters of Wilcox County, from State Route 215 southeast to Rochelle, then due south, are located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The southwestern portion of the county, west of Rochelle, and roughly centered on Pitts, is located in the Alapaha River sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin.
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,577 people, 2,785 households, and 1,977 families living in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile. There were 3,320 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 62.61% White, 36.21% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 0.43% from two or more races. 1.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 2,785 households out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.10% were married couplesliving together, 15.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 26.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.09. In the county, the population was spread out with 22.80% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 31.20% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 123.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 131.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $27,483, and the median income for a family was $34,968. Males had a median income of $27,171 versus $20,366 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,014. About 16.80% of families and 21.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.80% of those under age 18 and 21.30% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 9,255 people, 2,891 households, and 2,027 families living in the county. The population density was. There were 3,510 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 61.7% white, 35.1% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 11.1% were American, 10.1% were Irish, 9.2% were English, and 6.1% were German. Of the 2,891 households, 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.9% were non-families, and 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age was 39.7 years. The median income for a household in the county was $30,784 and the median income for a family was $40,552. Males had a median income of $30,755 versus $26,641 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,692. About 18.4% of families and 25.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.6% of those under age 18 and 24.9% of those age 65 or over.
