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Covington County, Alabama facts for kids

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Covington County
The Covington County Courthouse in Andalusia
The Covington County Courthouse in Andalusia
Map of Alabama highlighting Covington County
Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
Map of the United States highlighting Alabama
Alabama's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Alabama
Founded December 17, 1821
Named for Leonard Covington
Seat Andalusia
Largest city Andalusia
Area
 • Total 1,044 sq mi (2,700 km2)
 • Land 1,030 sq mi (2,700 km2)
 • Water 13 sq mi (30 km2)  1.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 37,570
 • Estimate 
(2023)
37,952 Increase
 • Density 35.987/sq mi (13.895/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 2nd
  • County Number 23 on Alabama Licence Plates

Covington County (briefly Jones County) is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the population was 37,570. Its county seat is Andalusia. Its name is in honor of Brigadier General Leonard Covington of Maryland and Mississippi, who died in the War of 1812.

History

Covington County was established on December 17, 1821. The Alabama state legislature changed the name to Jones County on August 6, 1868. Two months later on October 10, 1868, the original name was restored.

The county was declared a disaster area in September 1979 due to damage from Hurricane Frederic and again in October 1995 due to Hurricane Opal.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,044 square miles (2,700 km2), of which 1,030 square miles (2,700 km2) is land and 13 square miles (34 km2) (1.3%) is water. The county is located in the Gulf Coastal Plain region of the state. It is drained by the Conecuh and Yellow rivers.

Major highways

  • US 29.svg U.S. Highway 29
  • US 84.svg U.S. Highway 84
  • US 331.svg U.S. Highway 331
  • Alabama 52.svg State Route 52
  • Alabama 54.svg State Route 54
  • Alabama 55.svg State Route 55
  • Alabama 100.svg State Route 100
  • Alabama 134.svg State Route 134
  • Alabama 137.svg State Route 137

Transit

  • Covington Area Transit System (CATS) provides demand-response service.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

  • Conecuh National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1830 1,522
1840 2,435 60.0%
1850 3,645 49.7%
1860 6,469 77.5%
1870 4,868 −24.7%
1880 5,639 15.8%
1890 7,536 33.6%
1900 15,346 103.6%
1910 32,124 109.3%
1920 38,103 18.6%
1930 41,356 8.5%
1940 42,417 2.6%
1950 40,373 −4.8%
1960 35,631 −11.7%
1970 34,079 −4.4%
1980 36,850 8.1%
1990 36,478 −1.0%
2000 37,631 3.2%
2010 37,765 0.4%
2020 37,570 −0.5%
2023 (est.) 37,952 0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2020

2020 census

Covington County, Alabama – Racial and Ethnic Composition
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000 Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 32,247 31,751 30,657 85.69% 84.08% 81.60%
Black or African American alone (NH) 4,618 4,685 4,563 12.27% 12.41% 12.15%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 180 196 140 0.48% 0.52% 0.37%
Asian alone (NH) 64 148 240 0.17% 0.39% 0.64%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 3 1 0 0.01% 0.00% 0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 11 13 71 0.03% 0.03% 0.19%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 216 488 1,245 0.57% 1.29% 3.31%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 292 483 654 0.78% 1.28% 1.74%
Total 37,631 37,765 37,570 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the census of 2020, there were 37,570 people, 14,852 households, and 9,924 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 37,765 people, 15,531 households, and 10,791 families living in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile (14 people/km2). There were 18,829 housing units at an average density of 18 units per square mile (6.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 84.8% White, 12.5% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. 1.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,531 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.4 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,852, and the median income for a family was $43,468. Males had a median income of $32,463 versus $26,241 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,822. About 15.7% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.3% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2012 the largest self-reported European ancestry group in Covington County is English with 41.2% of people in Covington County citing that they were of English descent. They were followed by people who wrote that they were of "American" ancestry, who made up 16.0% of Covington county. Irish was the third largest self-reported European ancestry with 14.5% of people in the county writing that they were of Irish descent.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Covington (Alabama) para niños

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