Cook County, Georgia Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Cook County is located in Georgia with a total population of 17,532. It is the 101st most populous county out of 159 in Georgia. The county encompasses 4 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Cook County is 37.5 years. This is about the same as the state median of 37.6 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Cook County is $53,651. This is 31% lower than the state median of $77,353. It is also 34% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 17.7%. This is 32% higher than the state poverty rate of 13.4%. The unemployment rate is 3.6%. This is 29% lower than the state rate of 5.1%. The median home value is $157,500. Housing costs are 48% lower than the state median of $303,300. With a home-value-to-income ratio of just 2.9x, Cook County is one of the most affordable housing markets in the area. 66.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Cook County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 60.6% of the population. Black or African American residents account for 27.6%. The Asian population (0.4%) is well below the state average of 4.5%.

Education

17.9% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 49% lower than the state rate of 34.9%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 83.6%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Cook County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, with comparisons drawn against Georgia and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.