Diversity

Georgia has a large, growing, diverse population that is heavily concentrated in a few geographic areas. Historically it has been primarily a black and white state.

According to the latest Census data (2005), Georgia’s population was 66.1 percent (6,000,614) white (Map - White 2005); 29.8 percent (2,699,790) black (Map - Black 2005); and 2.7 percent (243,906) Asian (Map - Asian 2005). Hispanics, who can be of any race, represented 7.1 percent (646,568) of Georgia’s total population (Map - Hispanic 2005)

The Black Population in Georgia

From 1880 to 1970, the percentage of Georgia’s population that was black steadily declined from 48 percent to 26 percent. But by the 1970s, black Georgians were no longer leaving the state for social, economic, and educational opportunities so the population began to increase. And as Georgia’s economy began to grow in the 1980’s, blacks started moving to Georgia for job opportunities and have continued to do so.

In 2005, blacks represented 29.8 percent (2,699,790) of Georgia’s total population — 5th highest in number and 4th highest percentage in the nation. The U.S. average is 12.8 percent (34,962,569).

South Georgia has a higher percentage black population than north Georgia due to its history of plantation cotton agriculture, which was dependent upon slave labor. In north Georgia, small, subsistence-based farms did not use, or could not afford, slave labor. As a result, there has never been a large black presence in rural north Georgia with the exception of Elbert County, which has a relatively large black population (30.2 percent, 6,290), because of the job opportunities in the granite quarries.

In terms of numbers, 53 percent of Georgia’s black population lives in seven counties: Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Cobb, Gwinnett, Richmond, and Chatham.
(Map - Black Concentration 2005)

The Hispanic Population in Georgia

Georgia has a relatively large and growing Hispanic population. Hispanics are classified by the Census Bureau not as a racial group, but as an ethnic group. Thus a Hispanic person can be of any race. In 2005, an estimated 646,568 Hispanics lived in Georgia, which represents 7.1 percent of Georgia’s population.

Although a large percentage of Hispanics are classified as illegal immigrants, a large number of Hispanics in Georgia are second, third, and fourth generation American citizens who have come to Georgia from other states in search of job opportunities. Their parents and grandparents were from Mexico and elsewhere, but they are American citizens.

The Hispanic population is extremely diverse. Of the 625,028 officially recognized Hispanics in Georgia (in 2005), those of Mexican origin comprise the largest group in Georgia (66.8 percent), followed Americans of Puerto Rican (7.4 percent) and Cuban decent, (3.0 percent). The remaining 22.8 percent were from countries in Central America, South America, Spain, and some unidentified regions.

Georgia Source: 2005 American Community Survey    Estimate Total: 8,821,142   Not Hispanic or Latino 8,196,114 Hispanic or Latino: 625,028   Mexican 417,452   Puerto Rican 46,128   Cuban 19,049   Dominican (Dominican Republic) 4,290   Central American: 61,775   Costa Rican 2,491   Guatemalan 17,370   Honduran 11,081   Nicaraguan 2,867   Panamanian 6,093   Salvadoran 20,892   Other Central American 981 South American: 42,369   Argentinean 5,122   Bolivian 434   Chilean 1,273   Colombian 19,571   Ecuadorian 2,957   Paraguayan 112   Peruvian 6,166   Uruguayan 1,754   Venezuelan 3,732   Other South American 1,248 Other Hispanic or Latino: 33,965   Spaniard 3,199   Spanish 7,076   Spanish American 296   All other Hispanic or Latino 23,394

Many Hispanics have migrated to Georgia for job opportunities in Georgia’s agriculture, carpet, construction, landscaping, and poultry industries, as well as the service economy.Similar to Georgia’s black population, Hispanics live close to certain job opportunities in concentrated geographic areas. For example, because Whitfield County (Dalton) has numerous jobs in the carpet industry it also has the highest percentage of Hispanics of any county in Georgia (28.2 percent, 25,614).

Many Hispanics live in areas dependent on the poultry processing industry, such as Hall County (Gainesville), and Colquitt County (Moultrie). The onion producing region of south Georgia and the apple orchards in Gilmer County have also attracted a large number of Hispanics.

The Atlanta Metropolitan Area has relatively large concentrations of Hispanics who work in the state’s construction, landscaping, and carpet industries, and in the service economy.

In terms of numbers, 55 percent of Georgia’s Hispanic or Latino population live in five counties: Gwinnett, Cobb, Fulton, DeKalb, and Hall counties.

(Map - Hispanic Concentration 2005)

The Asian Population in Georgia

Georgia has a small but increasing Asian population, which numbered 240,842 in 2005, and represented 2.68 percent of the total state population. India was the country of origin for the largest number of Asians (46,132), followed by people from Vietnam, Korea, and mainland Chinese.

2005 American Community Survey

Estimate Total: 240,832 Asian Indian 79,169 Bangladeshi 1,761 Cambodian 4,562 Chinese, except Taiwanese 32,744 Filipino 13,997 Hmong 3,324 Indonesian 1,187 Japanese 8,161 Korean 37,900 Laotian 5,546 Malaysian 93 Pakistani 3,814 Sri Lankan 265 Taiwanese 2,353 Thai 2,216 Vietnamese 37,159 Other Asian 2,854 Other Asian, not specified 3,727

More than half (54 percent) of Georgia’s Asian population lives in three counties: Gwinnett, Fulton and DeKalb.
(Map - Asian Concentration 2005)

Asians have the highest educational attainment and income level in Georgia and in the nation.

Related UGA Research, Outreach, and Teaching

This section is under construction.