County profile

Ware County

Georgia · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

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

Total population
35,976
Median household income
$47,448
People below poverty
21.5%
Median home value
$109,500

Income

The median income of households in Ware County, Georgia was $47,448. An estimated 7% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 2.4% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Ware County, Georgia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 7
$10,000 to $14,999 9.8
$15,000 to $24,999 13.6
$25,000 to $34,999 7.1
$35,000 to $49,999 14.7
$50,000 to $74,999 20.4
$75,000 to $99,999 13.2
$100,000 to $149,999 8.7
$150,000 to $199,999 3.2
$200,000 or more 2.4

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

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Dollars
Male 45116
Female 36714

An estimated 65.3% of households received earnings. An estimated 39.3% of households received Social Security and an estimated 19.5 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $21,326. 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 Ware County, Georgia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 65.3
Social Security 39.3
Retirement income 19.5
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 8.3
Cash public assistance income 1.8

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 21.5 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 30% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 17.8% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 18.8% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Ware County, Georgia in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 21.5
Children under 18 years below poverty 30
People 65 years old and over below poverty 17.8
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 18.8

In 2020-2024, 21.9 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 38.3% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 45.1% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 36.9% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Ware County, Georgia in 2020-2024, 83.2% had health insurance coverage and 16.8% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 48.1% and public coverage was 44.4%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 3.7%.


In 2020-2024, Ware County, Georgia had a total population of 35,976 - 18,009 (50.1%) females and 17,967 (49.9%) males. The median age was 37.9 years. An estimated 24.8% of the population was under 18 years, 31.9% was 19 to 44 years, 23.8% was 45 to 64 years, and 17.1 % was 65 years and older.

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

Male Female
Under 5 1212 1028
5 to 9 1867 905
10 to 14 821 1545
15 to 19 1178 1189
20 to 24 1036 976
25 to 29 1422 1108
30 to 34 1143 983
35 to 39 1225 1424
40 to 44 1282 902
45 to 49 994 1050
50 to 54 1108 1080
55 to 59 1035 1096
60 to 64 1057 1143
65 to 69 1018 1183
70 to 74 628 815
75 to 79 412 637
80 to 84 268 465
85 and over 261 480

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 61.7% were White; 30.2% were Black or African American; 15.5% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 1.3% were Asian; 7.5% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 5% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 5.1% of the people in Ware County, Georgia were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 61.2% of the people in Ware County, Georgia were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 12,957 households in Ware County, Georgia. The average household size was 2.59 people.

Married-couple households made up 37.1% of the households in Ware County, Georgia while cohabiting couple households made up 2.8% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 38.2% of all households, while 21.9% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 16.2% of households were male householders living alone, and 19.4% were female householders living alone, for a total of 35.6% of all households.

In Ware County, Georgia, 29.5% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 34.9% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

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

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Percent
Married-couple households 37.1
Cohabiting Couples 2.8
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
21.9
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
38.2

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 37.7% of males and 36.8% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 42.6 31.2
Now married, except separated 37.7 36.8
Separated 2.2 3.6
Widowed 4.3 13.6
Divorced 13.2 14.9

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Ware County, Georgia, 764 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 50.3% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 96.3% of the people living in Ware County, Georgia were U.S. natives. 73.7% of the Ware County, Georgia population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 3.7% of Ware County, Georgia residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 23.3% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 58.5 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Ware 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 Ware County, Georgia.

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

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Percent
Latin America 42.8
Asia 28.6
Europe 4.6
Africa 19.4
Northern America 4.6
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Ware County, Georgia in 2020-2024, 5.1 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 3.7% of people at least five years old; 2.8% 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 Ware County, Georgia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 3.7
Other Indo-European languages 0.8
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.6
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 91.5 % of the people at least one year old living in Ware County, Georgia were living in the same house one year earlier.

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

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Percent
Same house 91.5
Different house, same county 3.9
Different county, same state 2.8
Different state 1.3
Abroad 0.4

Education

In 2020-2024, 82.9 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 14.4% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 17.1% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Ware County, Georgia was 8,430 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 501 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 6,682. College or graduate school enrollment was 1,247.

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

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 17.1
High school diploma or equivalency 41.6
Some college, no degree 20.4
Associate's degree 6.5
Bachelor's degree 8.6
Graduate or professional degree 5.8

Disability

In Ware County, Georgia, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 15.8 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 2.4% of people under 18 years old, to 14.6% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 40.3% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Ware County, Georgia, 47 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 50.1% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 76.9% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 17.3% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 5.6 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 10,088 76.9
Federal, state, or local government workers 2,276 17.3
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 737 5.6

Industries

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

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

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 2.4
Construction 6
Manufacturing 11.2
Wholesale trade 2.7
Retail trade 13.5
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 6.5
Information 1.7
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 2.7
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 8.9
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 23.7
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 8.6
Other Services, except public administration 5.7
Public administration 6.4

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 3,740 28.5
Service occupations 2,619 20
Sales and office occupations 2,316 17.6
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 1,599 12.2
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 2,851 21.7

Commuting to Work

An estimated 84.6% of Ware County, Georgia workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 20.6 minutes to get to work.

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

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 84.6
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.2
Walked 0.4
Other means 2.2
Worked from home 4.5

In 2020-2024, Ware County, Georgia had a total of 15,943 housing units. Of these housing units, 65.8% 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"). 13.9% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 20% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

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

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Percent
Single-family houses 65.8
Apartments in multi-unit structures 13.9
Mobile homes 20
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.3

7.7% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 4.3% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Ware County, Georgia was 5.9 rooms, and of these housing units 68.3% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Ware County, Georgia had 12,957 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 2,986 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 63.1% while renters occupied 36.9%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.68 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.44.

1.7% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 14.5% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 16% and another 16.6% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

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

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Percent
Gas 9.8
Electricity 88.2
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0
All other fuels 0.6
No fuel used 1.5

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Ware County, Georgia was $109,500.

Of the owner-occupied households, 43.4 % had a mortgage. 56.6% 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 $1,138 and for owners without a mortgage it was $405.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Ware County, Georgia was $789. 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.