| County: | Gadsden County |
| State: | Florida |
| Seal: | Seal of Gadsden County, Florida.png |
| Seal Size: | 150px |
| Founded Year: | 1823 |
| Founded Date: | June 24 |
| Seat Wl: | Quincy |
| Largest City Wl: | Quincy |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 529 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 516 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 12 |
| Area Percentage: | 2.3% |
| Census Yr: | 2020 |
| Pop: | 43826 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2021 |
| Density Sq Mi: | 83 |
| Web: | www.gadsdengov.net |
| Ex Image: | Gadsden County Courthouse (South face).jpg |
| Ex Image Cap: | Gadsden County Courthouse |
| District: | 2nd |
| Time Zone: | Eastern |
| Named For: | James Gadsden |
Gadsden County is a county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,826.[1] Its county seat is Quincy.[2] Gadsden County is included in the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area. Gadsden County is the only majority African-American county in Florida.
Gadsden County was created in 1823.[3] It was named for James Gadsden[4] of South Carolina, who served as Andrew Jackson's aide-de-camp in Florida in 1818. Gadsden County is historically known for its tobacco crop which is obsolete today.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (2.3%) is water.[5]
Gadsden County is part of the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area. Gadsden County is in the Eastern Time Zone. Its western border with Jackson County forms the boundary in this area between the Eastern and Central Time Zones.
| White alone (NH) | 16,174 | 15,335 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 14,093 | 35.87% | 33.06% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 32.16% | |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 25,632 | 25,881 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 23,326 | 56.85% | 55.79% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 53.22% | |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 87 | 93 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 71 | 0.19% | 0.20% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 0.16% | |
| Asian alone (NH) | 105 | 221 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 147 | 0.23% | 0.48% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 0.34% | |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 9 | 7 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 4 | 0.02% | 0.02% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 0.01% | |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 24 | 39 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 120 | 0.05% | 0.08% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 0.27% | |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 274 | 394 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 972 | 0.61% | 0.85% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 2.22% | |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2,782 | 4,419 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 5,093 | 6.17% | 9.53% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 11.62% | |
| Total | 45,087 | 46,389 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 43,826 | 100.00% | 100.00% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 100.00% |
Gadsden County is unique in Florida in that it is the state's only county with an African American majority population.
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 46,389 people living in the county. 56.0% were Black or African American, 35.9% White, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 5.9% of some other race and 1.3% of two or more races. 9.5% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).
As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 45,087 people, 15,867 households, and 11,424 families living in the county. The population density was 87sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 17,703 housing units at an average density of 34/mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 57.14% Black or African American, 38.70% White, 0.23% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.76% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. 6.17% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 15,867 households, out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.50% were married couples living together, 22.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 23.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.40% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 12.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,248, and the median income for a family was $36,238. Males had a median income of $27,159 versus $21,721 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,499. About 16.40% of families and 19.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.50% of those under age 18 and 16.90% of those age 65 or over.
Rosenwald schools were established in Gadsden County.
The Gadsden County School District, the only school district,[10] operates public schools.
Gadsden County is home to one public high school, Gadsden County High School (formerly East Gadsden High School), formed in 2017 by the merger of East Gadsden High and the high school portion of West Gadsden High School; the West Gadsden High building was converted to West Gadsden Middle.[11] [12] West Gadsden was formed by the merger of the former Chattahoochee High and Greensboro High and was located on the western outskirts of Quincy near Greensboro. East Gadsden, formed by the merger of James A. Shanks High and Havana Northside High, was located on Hwy. 90 east of Quincy.
Robert F. Munroe Day School and Tallavanna Christian School are private schools in the county that were founded as segregation academies.[13]
The Gadsden County Public Library System has 3 branches.
Due to its majority-black population, Gadsden County is one of the most reliably Democratic counties in Florida.[14] In the 2022 gubernatorial election, it was one of only five counties in the state to vote for Democratic nominee Charlie Crist over incumbent Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, and it was the only one to give Crist more than 60% of the vote.
According to the Secretary of State's office, Democrats maintain a massive majority of registered voters in Gadsden County. As of May 23, 2022, the county has the highest percentage of registered Democrats of all counties in Florida. The last Republican to win a majority in the county was Richard Nixon in his landslide 1972 victory,[15] and Gadsden was the solitary Florida county to vote against Reagan in 1984[16] and George Bush in 1988.
| Gadsden County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of May 31, 2024[17] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political Party | Total Voters | Percentage | ||||
| Democratic | align = center | 17,904 | align = center | 67.56% | ||
| Republican | align = center | 5,457 | align = center | 20.59% | ||
| Independent | align = center | 2,775 | align = center | 10.47% | ||
| Third Parties | align = center | 365 | align = center | 1.38% | ||
| Total | align = center | 26,501 | align = center | 100.00% | ||
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third parties | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 37.36% 6,511 | 62.00% 10,805 | 0.64% 110 | |
| 2018 | 30.91% 6,200 | 68.36% 13,712 | 0.72% 146 | |
| 2014 | 27.27% 4,798 | 70.62% 12,425 | 2.11% 371 | |
| 2010 | 25.90% 4,324 | 72.27% 12,067 | 1.83% 307 | |
| 2006 | 32.45% 4,557 | 66.25% 9,303 | 1.29% 182 | |
| 2002 | 25.83% 3,948 | 73.46% 11,228 | 0.71% 109 | |
| 1998 | 35.66% 4,028 | 64.34% 7,269 | ||
| 1994 | 30.63% 3,422 | 69.37% 7,751 |
Local Elected Officials
See also: List of county roads in Gadsden County, Florida.
Gadsden County has at least four existing railroad lines, three of which are owned by CSX. The first two CSX lines being P&A Subdivision, a line formerly owned by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, and the other is the Tallahassee Subdivision, a former Seaboard Air Line Railroad line. These two lines meet in Chatahoochee and served Amtrak's Sunset Limited until it was truncated to New Orleans in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina. A third line is the Apalachicola Northern Railroad, a line that spans as far south as Port St. Joe. The line enters from Liberty County, then crosses SR 12 in Greensboro, runs under I-10, follows CR 268 in Hardaway, and then turns west into Chatahoochee. The fourth line is the third CSX Line, the Bainbridge Subdivision, which runs along the west side of US 27 from Leon County by way of a bridge over the Ochlockonee River to the Georgia State Line. While some spurs still exist, other lines within the county were abandoned.
Public Transportation is provided by Big Bend Transit, which operates 3 bus routes in the county.[19]