Rockdale County, Georgia

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Rockdale County, Georgia
County
Rockdale County Courthouse in Conyers
Rockdale County Courthouse in Conyers
Flag of Rockdale County, Georgia
Flag
Official seal of Rockdale County, Georgia
Seal
Map of Georgia highlighting Rockdale County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Coordinates: 33°39′N 84°02′W / 33.65°N 84.03°W / 33.65; -84.03
Country United States
State Georgia
FoundedOctober 18, 1870 (1870-10-18)
Named forRockdale Baptist Church
SeatConyers
Largest cityConyers
Government
 • Chair & Chief Executive OfficerJaNice Van Ness (D)
Area
 • Total
132 sq mi (340 km2)
 • Land130 sq mi (340 km2)
 • Water2.3 sq mi (6.0 km2)  1.7%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
93,570
 • Estimate 
(2025)
98,416 Increase
 • Density720/sq mi (280/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district13th
Websiterockdalecountyga.gov

Rockdale County is a county located in the North Central portion in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 93,570 up from 85,215 in 2010.[1][2] The county seat and only incorporated city in the county is Conyers.[3] Rockdale County is included in Metro Atlanta area and is located approximately 25 miles east of downtown Atlanta.

Founded in 1870, the county developed historically as a largely rural community but experienced substantial population growth and suburbanization during the late 20th and early 21st centuries as the Atlanta metropolitan area expanded eastward.

History

Rockdale Baptist Church

Rockdale County was formed on October 18, 1870[4][5] and received its name from Rockdale Baptist Church (est. May 29, 1847), which was named after the granite strata that rests under the county's red clay top soil.[6] A bill introduced by John F. Hardin and John Harris carved Rockdale out of the northern portion of Newton County; parts of Rockdale County also came from neighboring Henry, Walton, Gwinnett, and DeKalb counties. Conyers, Rockdale's only incorporated town and urban center, became the county seat.

Prior to Rockdale becoming a county, the land had been inhabited by the Creek and Cherokee; the boundary between the two native nations, the Hightower Trail, ran directly through the area. Burial remains have been discovered in the Honey Creek and Hi-Roc areas. Whites began migrating to the area in the early 19th century and initial white settlers suffered from Indian raids. Early white settlements developed along Big Haynes Creek in the northern part of the county, the Yellow River in the middle portion of the county, and Honey Creek in the south.

Communities formed around grist mills and newly formed churches such as Haralson Mill, Costleys Mill, Dial Mill, Zacharys Mill, McElroys Mill, Union Grove Baptist Church, Ebenezer Methodist Church, Philadelphia Methodist Church, Salem Baptist Church, Smyrna Presbyterian Church, Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Bethel Christian Church, Honey Creek Baptist Church, and Whites Chapel Methodist Church. Other communities included Magnet and Zingara. These settlers were largely subsistence farmers.

During the American Civil War, General William Tecumseh Sherman marched the Union Army north of Conyers on his way to Covington from Lithonia. Seizure and destruction of property accompanied his army's march through the area. Many of the residents of Conyers, fearing Sherman would raze the city, fled to nearby Social Circle in Walton County, since Conyers was an important stop on the Georgia Railroad, but Conyers remained unscathed by the war.

The city is a fine example of residential and commercial architecture of the 19th century. According to a historical marker on U.S. Highway 278 west of Conyers, Major General Joseph Wheeler of the Confederate States Army and part of his staff were captured by Union troops pursuing Jefferson Davis on May 9, 1865. Wheeler was later released in Athens only to be recaptured again. He was wounded three times and had his horse shot out from under him sixteen times.

During Reconstruction, Conyers and Rockdale County experienced tremendous growth. According to the local newspaper, The Weekly Farmer, the population of Conyers increased from 300 to 2,000. The number of stores, businesses, schools, and churches of the county rapidly multiplied as well. Parts of the county were infamous for moonshining and the county became dry in 1882, prohibiting the sale and manufacture of liquor except by a licensed pharmacist as prescribed by a physician. The economy of the county was still based primarily on agriculture into the early 20th century. The PBS documentary The Lost Children of Rockdale County is about a syphilis outbreak which occurred in the county during the 1990s.

Rockdale County continued to be primarily rural in nature until the construction of I-20 in the 1960s, and it was added to Atlanta's metropolitan statistical area in the 1970 census. As late as 2000, the county had a white majority, but by 2020, whites only accounted for 27% of the county's population. This is partially attributed to the "new great migration", as the county's growth has coincided with strong growth in its black population. The county became majority-black in 2013.[7]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 132 square miles (340 km2), of which 130 square miles (340 km2) is land and 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2) (1.7%) is water.[8] It is the second-smallest county in Georgia by area, ahead of Clarke County.

The entirety of Rockdale County is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.[9]

Adjacent counties

Communities

City

Census-designated places

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18806,838—
18906,813−0.4%
19007,51510.3%
19108,91618.6%
19209,5216.8%
19307,247−23.9%
19407,7246.6%
19508,4649.6%
196010,57224.9%
197018,15271.7%
198036,747102.4%
199054,09147.2%
200070,11129.6%
201085,21521.5%
202093,5709.8%
2025 (est.)98,416[10] Increase5.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
1790-1880[12] 1890-1910[13]
1920-1930[14] 1930-1940[15]
1940-1950[16] 1960-1980[17]
1980-2000[18] 2010[19] 2020[20]

Racial and ethnic composition

Rockdale County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
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 (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1980[21] Pop 1990[22] Pop 2000[23] Pop 2010[19] Pop 2020[20] % 1980 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 33,050 48,539 50,967 34,826 24,500 89.94% 89.74% 72.69% 40.87% 26.18%
Black or African American alone (NH) 3,145 4,330 12,670 38,996 53,785 8.56% 8.01% 18.07% 45.76% 57.48%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 181 111 166 179 168 0.49% 0.21% 0.24% 0.21% 0.18%
Asian alone (NH) 112 505 1,339 1,498 1,532 0.30% 0.93% 1.91% 1.76% 1.64%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x [24] x [25] 36 52 72 x x 0.05% 0.06% 0.08%
Other race alone (NH) 8 12 100 230 617 0.02% 0.02% 0.14% 0.27% 0.66%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x [26] x [27] 651 1,371 3,356 x x 0.93% 1.61% 3.59%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 251 594 4,182 8,063 9,540 0.68% 1.10% 5.96% 9.46% 10.20%
Total 36,747 54,091 70,111 85,215 93,570 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 93,570 people, 33,114 households, and 23,533 families residing in the county.[28]

The median age was 39.7 years; 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18, and 15.5% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.6 males age 18 and over.[28]

Eighty-six point three percent of residents lived in urban areas, while 13.7% lived in rural areas.[29]

The racial makeup of the county was 27.4% White, 58.1% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.7% from some other race, and 6.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 10.2% of the population.[30]

Of the 33,114 households, 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 32.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[28]

There were 35,427 housing units, of which 6.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.9% were owner-occupied and 32.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.3%.[28]

2010 census

In 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $53,599, and the median income for a family was $60,065. Males had a median income of $41,087 versus $29,189 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,300. About 5.70% of families and 8.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.00% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Government and politics

A former Republican stronghold, Rockdale County has undergone a massive shift towards the Democratic Party in recent decades, primarily due to large growth of the African-American population. In 2000, Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush won 62.64% of the county's vote, defeating Democrat Al Gore by 29 percentage points. However, just 20 years later, Democratic nominee Joe Biden won 69.88% of the county's vote, defeating Republican incumbent Donald Trump by nearly 41 percentage points.

Contrary to national and statewide trends, Rockdale County delivered a larger margin for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in 2024, who defeated Republican nominee Donald Trump by 48 percentage points even as Trump flipped the state of Georgia back to the GOP column. Rockdale County is one of nine counties that shifted more than 25 percentage points to the left from 2012 to 2024.[31]

United States presidential election results for Rockdale County, Georgia[32][33]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
1912 51 10.32% 432 87.45% 11 2.23%
1916 56 9.05% 490 79.16% 73 11.79%
1920 201 29.17% 488 70.83% 0 0.00%
1924 24 5.53% 382 88.02% 28 6.45%
1928 156 24.84% 472 75.16% 0 0.00%
1932 18 3.73% 461 95.45% 4 0.83%
1936 73 8.01% 837 91.88% 1 0.11%
1940 86 6.23% 1,291 93.55% 3 0.22%
1944 96 9.21% 946 90.79% 0 0.00%
1948 146 9.86% 1,209 81.63% 126 8.51%
1952 321 16.16% 1,665 83.84% 0 0.00%
1956 484 21.39% 1,779 78.61% 0 0.00%
1960 496 21.94% 1,765 78.06% 0 0.00%
1964 1,503 43.25% 1,972 56.75% 0 0.00%
1968 1,195 25.85% 1,213 26.24% 2,215 47.91%
1972 3,560 81.82% 791 18.18% 0 0.00%
1976 2,974 39.06% 4,640 60.94% 0 0.00%
1980 5,300 52.65% 4,395 43.66% 372 3.70%
1984 10,121 75.46% 3,291 24.54% 0 0.00%
1988 12,413 73.77% 4,330 25.73% 83 0.49%
1992 11,945 52.64% 7,003 30.86% 3,742 16.49%
1996 13,006 57.31% 7,656 33.73% 2,034 8.96%
2000 15,440 62.64% 8,295 33.65% 914 3.71%
2004 18,856 60.42% 12,136 38.89% 214 0.69%
2008 16,921 44.78% 20,526 54.32% 337 0.89%
2012 15,716 41.19% 22,023 57.72% 417 1.09%
2016 13,478 35.39% 23,255 61.06% 1,354 3.56%
2020 13,014 29.11% 31,237 69.88% 448 1.00%
2024 11,711 25.93% 33,165 73.44% 284 0.63%
United States Senate election results for Rockdale County, Georgia2
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
2020 12,716 28.73% 30,641 69.22% 906 2.05%
2020 11,244 27.62% 29,463 72.38% 0 0.00%

[34]

United States Senate election results for Rockdale County, Georgia3
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
2020 7,323 16.56% 21,942 49.63% 14,947 33.81%
2020 13,012 29.40% 31,244 70.60% 0 0.00%
2022 8,722 25.08% 25,478 73.27% 574 1.65%
2022 7,752 24.51% 23,877 75.49% 0 0.00%

County Government

Rockdale County is governed by the Rockdale County Board of Commissioners, which serves as the county's legislative and governing body. The board consists of a Chair and two Commissioners, designated Post I and Post II, with all three positions elected at large. The chair also serves as the county's chief executive officer and oversees the day-to-day operations of county government.[35]

The Board of Commissioners is responsible for adopting county ordinances and policies, approving the county budget, establishing county departments and services, and exercising other powers granted to counties under Georgia law.[35]

Current County Commissioners as of January 2025:

District Name Political Party Assumed Office
  Chair JaNice Van Ness Democratic 2025
  Post I Tuwanya Smith Democratic 2025
  Post II Doreen Williams Democratic 2015

JaNice Van Ness, is the incumbent chair of the Board of Commissioners and the first woman to serve as Chair. She previously served as Post II Commissioner from 2007 to 2015 as a member of the Republican Party. Following her defeat to Dr. Doreen Williams in 2014, Van Ness was elected to the Georgia State Senate in a special election in 2015, serving until 2017.[36]

Richard Oden, who served as Chairman from 2009 to 2017, was the first African American Chair of the board and the first Democrat elected to the seat in several years.[37]

Rockdale has a long history of sitting Commissioners being defeated in primaries. In 2004, Roy Middlebrooks, a captain in the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office, defeated incumbent Chairman Norman Wheeler in the Republican primary. In 2024, former Commissioner JaNice Van Ness registered as a Democrat and defeated two-term incumbent Chairman Osborn "Oz" Nesbitt Sr. in the Democrat primary. Tuwanya Smith also defeated two-term incumbent Post I Commissioner Sherri Washington in the Democrat primary. In 2026, Melisa T. Mims defeated three-term incumbent Post II Commissioner Dr. Doreen Williams in the Democrat primary. None of the Democratic nominees mentioned faced a Republican opponent in the general election.[38]

Georgia Gubernatorial election results for Rockdale County
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
2022 9,938 28.47% 24,756 70.92% 214 0.61%

The first Commissioner was T. G Callaway, elected in 1920. In 1977, the Georgia General Assembly passed legislation creating the Board of Commissioners, replacing the sole Commissioner system. The office of the sole Commissioner became the office of the Chair of the newly established board. The first Board of Commissioners of Rockdale County consisted of Chairman Heyward L. Woodward, Post I Commissioner Ray Magnusson, and Post II Commissioner Herman L. Francis.

Rockdale County Sheriff

The Sheriff's Office provides police patrol to the county areas other than in Conyers which has a municipal police department. The Sheriff also protects the court, maintains the county prison, and provides administration services. The current Sheriff is Sheriff Eric J. Levett, who was first elected in 2008. Levett is the first African American to serve as sheriff of Rockdale County.

United States Congress

Seantors Name Party Assumed office Level
  Senate Class 2 Jon Ossoff Democratic 2021 Senior Senator
  Senate Class 3 Raphael Warnock Democratic 2021 Junior Senator
Representative Name Party Assumed office
  District 13 Everton Blair Democratic 2026

Georgia General Assembly

Georgia State Senate

District Name Party Assumed office
  43 Tonya Anderson Democratic 2017

Georgia House of Representatives

District Name Party Assumed office
  91 Angela Moore Democratic 2021
  92 Rhonda Taylor Democratic 2021
  93 Doreen Carter Democratic 2015

Recreation

Transportation

Major highways

Pedestrians and cycling

Notable people

See also

Sources

  • Margaret G. Barksdale, E. L. Cowan, Francis A. King, eds. A History of Rockdale County (Conyers, Ga., 1978).
  • The Heritage of Rockdale County, Georgia (Waynesville, N.C., 1998).

References

  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 3, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  2. US Census Bureau, 2020 Report, Rockdale County, Georgia
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. "History of Rockdale County". Rockdale County. Archived from the original on June 25, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
  5. "Rockdale County". Georgia.gov. Retrieved June 28, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  6. Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 191. ISBN 0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2003.
  7. Garner, Betsie (2017). ""Perfectly Positioned": The Blurring of Urban, Suburban, and Rural Boundaries in a Southern Community". The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 672: 46–63. ISSN 0002-7162.
  8. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  9. "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  10. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2025". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  11. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
  12. "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
  13. "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2024.
  14. "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
  15. "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
  16. "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
  17. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
  18. "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
  19. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Rockdale County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  20. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Rockdale County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  21. "1980 Census of Population - General Social and Economic Characteristics - Georgia - Table 58 - Race by Sex: 1980 and Table 59 - Persons by Spanish Origin, Race, and Sex: 1980" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. p. 12-52. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 18, 2026 – via Wayback Machine.
  22. "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia: Table 6 - Race and Hispanic Origin" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. p. 15-65. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 1, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  23. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Rockdale County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  24. included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
  25. included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
  26. not an option in the 1980 Census
  27. not an option in the 1990 Census
  28. "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  29. "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  30. "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  31. Goldmacher, Shane (May 25, 2025). "How Donald Trump Has Remade America's Political Landscape". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2025. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  32. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  33. Raffensperger, Brad (November 5, 2024). "President of the US". Georgia Secretary of State. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  34. "2022 Senate Election (Official Returns)". Commonwealth of Georgia by county. November 5, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  35. "Rockdale Board of Commissioners". Rockdale County - Georgia. Retrieved October 19, 2026.
  36. "JaNice Van Ness". Rockdale County - Georgia. Retrieved October 19, 2026.
  37. News, On Common Ground (December 15, 2016). "Rockdale bids Chairman Richard Oden farewell - On Common Ground News - 24/7 local news". Retrieved October 19, 2026. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  38. Archive (May 29, 2009). "BOC chair to run for 2nd term". Rockdale Citizen. Retrieved October 19, 2026.
  39. The Conyers (2023). "Georgia International Horse Park". Georgia International Horse Park. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  40. "Monastery of the Holy Spirit |". www.trappist.net. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  41. "Salem Campground website". Archived from the original on May 28, 2005. Retrieved July 29, 2005.
  42. "Soccer | Georgia Revolution | Mcdonough". Georgia Revolution. Retrieved February 17, 2024.

33°39′N 84°02′W / 33.65°N 84.03°W / 33.65; -84.03