County profile

Burke County

Georgia · ACS 2020–2024

Download data

Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
24,470
Median household income
$53,014
People below poverty
18.3%
Median home value
$151,600

Income

The median income of households in Burke County, Georgia was $53,014. An estimated 7.7% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 7.7% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Burke County, Georgia in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Less than $10,000 7.7
$10,000 to $14,999 9.2
$15,000 to $24,999 8.2
$25,000 to $34,999 9
$35,000 to $49,999 12.7
$50,000 to $74,999 17.1
$75,000 to $99,999 10
$100,000 to $149,999 13.3
$150,000 to $199,999 5.2
$200,000 or more 7.7

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Burke County, Georgia in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Dollars
Male 53270
Female 42656

An estimated 71.6% of households received earnings. An estimated 39.6% of households received Social Security and an estimated 21.1 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $20,858. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Burke County, Georgia in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Earnings 71.6
Social Security 39.6
Retirement income 21.1
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 7.3
Cash public assistance income 1.7

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 18.3 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 21.2% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 17.8% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 17.3% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Burke County, Georgia in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
People in poverty 18.3
Children under 18 years below poverty 21.2
People 65 years old and over below poverty 17.8
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 17.3

In 2020-2024, 18.9 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 44.5% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 41.6% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 39.6% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Burke County, Georgia in 2020-2024, 86.2% had health insurance coverage and 13.8% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 58.5% and public coverage was 41.4%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 5%.


In 2020-2024, Burke County, Georgia had a total population of 24,470 - 12,859 (52.6%) females and 11,611 (47.4%) males. The median age was 38.3 years. An estimated 24.5% of the population was under 18 years, 29.8% was 19 to 44 years, 25.7% was 45 to 64 years, and 17.7 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Burke County, Georgia in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 661 808
5 to 9 730 1024
10 to 14 917 814
15 to 19 951 660
20 to 24 1002 1012
25 to 29 446 590
30 to 34 471 784
35 to 39 900 1038
40 to 44 639 401
45 to 49 634 744
50 to 54 782 812
55 to 59 848 817
60 to 64 693 961
65 to 69 837 724
70 to 74 471 761
75 to 79 390 449
80 to 84 153 333
85 and over 86 127

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 50.4% were White; 45.3% were Black or African American; 9.5% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.5% were Asian; 9.8% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 3.4% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 3.6% of the people in Burke County, Georgia were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 48% of the people in Burke County, Georgia were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 9,184 households in Burke County, Georgia. The average household size was 2.64 people.

Married-couple households made up 43.3% of the households in Burke County, Georgia while cohabiting couple households made up 7.1% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 32% of all households, while 17.7% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 14.3% of households were male householders living alone, and 14.5% were female householders living alone, for a total of 28.8% of all households.

In Burke County, Georgia, 30.9% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 36.1% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Burke County, Georgia in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Married-couple households 43.3
Cohabiting Couples 7.1
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
17.7
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
32

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 49% of males and 47% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 34.8 30.2
Now married, except separated 49 47
Separated 2.5 1.1
Widowed 3.7 10.2
Divorced 10.1 11.4

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Burke County, Georgia, 798 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 62.7% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 98.3% of the people living in Burke County, Georgia were U.S. natives. 75.9% of the Burke County, Georgia population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 1.7% of Burke County, Georgia residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 59.4% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 94.2 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Burke County, Georgia come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Burke County, Georgia.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Burke County, Georgia in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Latin America 59.4
Asia 14.6
Europe 26
Africa 0
Northern America 0
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Burke County, Georgia in 2020-2024, 3.1 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 2.4% of people at least five years old; 1.2% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Burke County, Georgia in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Spanish 2.4
Other Indo-European languages 0.7
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 91.6 % of the people at least one year old living in Burke County, Georgia were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Burke County, Georgia in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Same house 91.6
Different house, same county 4.1
Different county, same state 3.4
Different state 0.9
Abroad 0

Education

In 2020-2024, 81.9 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 15.5% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 18.1% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Burke County, Georgia was 6,190 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 477 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 4,487. College or graduate school enrollment was 1,226.

Educational Attainment of People in Burke County, Georgia in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Less than high school diploma 18.1
High school diploma or equivalency 35.3
Some college, no degree 19.8
Associate's degree 11.4
Bachelor's degree 11.4
Graduate or professional degree 4.1

Disability

In Burke County, Georgia, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 16.3 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 10.8% of people under 18 years old, to 13.6% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 33.1% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Burke County, Georgia, 55.4 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 41.7% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 76.2% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 18.3% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 5 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 8,142 76.2
Federal, state, or local government workers 1,960 18.3
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 539 5

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Burke County, Georgia worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Burke County, Georgia in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 2.7
Construction 9.7
Manufacturing 13.2
Wholesale trade 0.9
Retail trade 9
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 11.3
Information 0.5
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 3.4
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 11.9
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 18.7
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 8.9
Other Services, except public administration 2.7
Public administration 7.1

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Burke County, Georgia in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 3,024 28.3
Service occupations 1,967 18.4
Sales and office occupations 2,153 20.1
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 1,244 11.6
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 2,300 21.5

Commuting to Work

An estimated 78.6% of Burke County, Georgia workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 9.8% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 28 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Burke County, Georgia in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 78.6
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 9.8
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.1
Walked 1.4
Other means 1.9
Worked from home 8.3

In 2020-2024, Burke County, Georgia had a total of 11,300 housing units. Of these housing units, 58.4% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 10.4% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 30% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Burke County, Georgia in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Single-family houses 58.4
Apartments in multi-unit structures 10.4
Mobile homes 30
Boat, RV, van, etc 1.2

15.6% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 8.1% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Burke County, Georgia was 5.8 rooms, and of these housing units 73.3% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Burke County, Georgia had 9,184 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 2,116 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 70% while renters occupied 30%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.72 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.45.

6.6% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 13.9% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 9% and another 31.6% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Burke County, Georgia:

House Heating Fuel Used in Burke County, Georgia in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Gas 21.7
Electricity 76.6
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.3
All other fuels 1.2
No fuel used 0.2

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Burke County, Georgia was $151,600.

Of the owner-occupied households, 42.1 % had a mortgage. 57.9% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,394 and for owners without a mortgage it was $435.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Burke County, Georgia was $758. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.