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Wilcox County
Wilcox County
County
	Wilcox County Courthouse in Camden, Alabama
	Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
	Alabama's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 31°59′06″N 87°18′39″W / 31.985°N 87.310833333333°W
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Founded	December 13, 1819
Named for	Joseph M. Wilcox
Seat	Camden
Largest city	Camden
Area
• Total	907 sq mi (2,350 km2)
• Land	888 sq mi (2,300 km2)
• Water	19 sq mi (50 km2) 2.1%
Population (2020)
• Total	10,600
• Estimate (2023)	9,944
• Density	12/sq mi (4.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	7th
	County Number 66 on Alabama Licence Plates;

Wilcox County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,600.^[1] Its county seat is Camden.^[2]

History

Wilcox County was established on December 13, 1819. The county was named after Joseph M. Wilcox, a United States Army lieutenant who was killed in Alabama during the Creek War.^[3]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 907 square miles (2,350 km²), of which 888 square miles (2,300 km²) is land and 19 square miles (49 km²) (2.1%) is water.^[4]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Dallas County (northeast)
Lowndes County (east-northeast)
Butler County (east-southeast)
Monroe County (south)
Clarke County (southwest)
Marengo County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1820	2,917		—
1830	9,548		227.3%
1840	15,278		60.0%
1850	17,352		13.6%
1860	24,618		41.9%
1870	28,377		15.3%
1880	31,828		12.2%
1890	30,816		−3.2%
1900	35,631		15.6%
1910	33,810		−5.1%
1920	31,080		−8.1%
1930	24,880		−19.9%
1940	26,279		5.6%
1950	23,476		−10.7%
1960	18,739		−20.2%
1970	16,303		−13.0%
1980	14,755		−9.5%
1990	13,568		−8.0%
2000	13,183		−2.8%
2010	11,670		−11.5%
2020	10,600		−9.2%
2023 (est.)	9,944	^[5]	−6.2%
U.S. Decennial Census^[6] 1790–1960^[7] 1900–1990^[8] 1990–2000^[9] 2010–2020^[1]

2020 Census

**Wilcox County, Alabama – 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 2000^[10]	Pop 2010^[11]	Pop 2020^[12]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	3,611	3,110	2,866	27.39%	26.65%	27.04%
Black or African American alone (NH)	9,423	8,420	7,425	71.48%	72.15%	70.05%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	19	14	11	0.14%	0.12%	0.10%
Asian alone (NH)	8	4	7	0.06%	0.03%	0.07%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	2	1	5	0.02%	0.01%	0.05%
Other race alone (NH)	0	2	16	0.00%	0.02%	0.15%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	23	47	158	0.17%	0.40%	1.49%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	97	72	112	0.74%	0.62%	1.06%
Total	13,183	11,670	10,600	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 10,600 people, 3,854 households, and 2,284 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 11,670 people living in the county. 72.5% were Black or African American, 26.8% White, 0.1% Native American, 0.1% of some other race and 0.4% of two or more races. 0.6% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

2000 census

As of the census^[13] of 2000, there were 13,183 people, 4,776 households, and 3,376 families living in the county. The population density was 15 people per square mile (5.8 people/km²). There were 6,183 housing units at an average density of 7 units per square mile (2.7 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 71.90% Black or African American, 27.51% White, 0.14% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 0.19% from two or more races. Nearly 0.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,776 households, out of which 36.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.80% were married couples living together, 26.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. Nearly 27.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70, and the average family size was 3.31.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 30.70% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 25.50% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $16,646, and the median income for a family was $22,200. Males had a median income of $26,216 versus $17,274 for females. The per capita income for the county was $10,903. About 36.10% of families and 39.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.40% of those under age 18 and 32.10% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Wilcox County leans heavily towards the Democratic Party. The only Republican to carry the county since 1900 has been Barry Goldwater in 1964 – when little to none of the county's black majority had voted for over seven decades and opposition by the voting white minority to Civil Rights meant that national Democrat Lyndon Johnson was not allowed on the ballot. Even after the Voting Rights Act of 1965, black registration was so slow that segregationist George Wallace comfortably carried the county in 1968, but since then the Democratic presidential candidate has carried Wilcox in every election. It was one of only six Wallace counties^[a] to vote for George McGovern against Richard Nixon's 3,000-plus-county landslide of 1972.

United States presidential election results for Wilcox County, Alabama^[14]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	1,793	34.07%	3,449	65.53%	21	0.40%
2020	1,833	31.05%	4,048	68.58%	22	0.37%
2016	1,742	28.45%	4,339	70.86%	42	0.69%
2012	1,679	25.61%	4,868	74.26%	8	0.12%
2008	1,868	28.77%	4,612	71.02%	14	0.22%
2004	1,834	32.28%	3,838	67.55%	10	0.18%
2000	1,661	32.40%	3,444	67.19%	21	0.41%
1996	1,454	30.00%	3,303	68.15%	90	1.86%
1992	1,671	31.50%	3,439	64.84%	194	3.66%
1988	1,739	33.98%	3,369	65.83%	10	0.20%
1984	2,337	38.81%	3,663	60.83%	22	0.37%
1980	2,280	31.40%	4,951	68.19%	30	0.41%
1976	1,824	32.78%	3,723	66.90%	18	0.32%
1972	2,641	44.42%	3,254	54.74%	50	0.84%
1968	237	5.34%	1,658	37.38%	2,540	57.27%
1964	1,789	91.93%	0	0.00%	157	8.07%
1960	513	36.00%	905	63.51%	7	0.49%
1956	499	33.85%	778	52.78%	197	13.36%
1952	725	42.30%	988	57.64%	1	0.06%
1948	14	1.19%	0	0.00%	1,162	98.81%
1944	30	2.42%	1,209	97.42%	2	0.16%
1940	20	1.29%	1,534	98.71%	0	0.00%
1936	11	0.80%	1,365	99.13%	1	0.07%
1932	23	1.67%	1,358	98.33%	0	0.00%
1928	266	21.35%	979	78.57%	1	0.08%
1924	6	0.63%	938	97.81%	15	1.56%
1920	2	0.18%	1,099	99.73%	1	0.09%
1916	1	0.12%	866	99.88%	0	0.00%
1912	7	0.78%	878	97.77%	13	1.45%
1908	2	0.19%	1,027	99.81%	0	0.00%
1904	2	0.22%	912	98.92%	8	0.87%
1900	30	1.44%	2,031	97.46%	23	1.10%
1896	45	1.48%	2,956	96.95%	48	1.57%
1892	215	3.96%	4,687	86.25%	532	9.79%
1888	607	11.20%	4,811	88.80%	0	0.00%
1884	1,541	38.82%	2,429	61.18%	0	0.00%
1880	1,264	40.46%	1,860	59.54%	0	0.00%
1876	3,599	70.72%	1,490	29.28%	0	0.00%
1872	3,958	75.77%	1,266	24.23%	0	0.00%
1868	3,396	69.59%	1,484	30.41%	0	0.00%
1860	0	0.00%	113	8.69%	1,188	91.31%
1856	0	0.00%	813	64.58%	446	35.42%
1852	286	34.42%	398	47.89%	147	17.69%
1848	639	57.16%	479	42.84%	0	0.00%
1844	585	48.19%	629	51.81%	0	0.00%
1840	778	64.09%	436	35.91%	0	0.00%
1836	607	71.50%	242	28.50%	0	0.00%
1832	0	0.00%	642	100.00%	0	0.00%

Religion

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives at Pennsylvania State University, religious affiliation in Wilcox County in 2010 was as follows:^[15]

African Methodist Episcopal Church (2443 adherents)
Southern Baptist Convention (2177)
Nondenominational Protestant (477)
The United Methodist Church (463)
Pentecostalism (320)
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (262)
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (251)
Churches of Christ (206)

Education

All public schools in the county are operated by the Wilcox County School District, which covers the entire county.^[16] The schools include:^[17] and Camden School of Arts and Technology and Wilcox Central Academy. The community is also served by one private school, Wilcox Academy, founded in 1970 as a segregation academy.^[18] The public schools are effectively all-Black.

Economy

Major industries in the county include a paper mill operated by International Paper, based in Memphis, Tennessee, on the Alabama River near Pine Hill that employs roughly 400 people, and a copper tubing plant owned by Golden Dragon Copper Group of Xinxiang, China in Sunny South that opened in 2014; it employs approximately 300.^[19]^[20]^[21]

Communities

City

Camden (county seat)

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Places of interest

Wilcox County is home to Roland Cooper State Park, Lake Dannelly, and Bridgeport Beach.

Notable people

William Q. Atwood, former slave who became a lumber baron based in Saginaw, Michigan
Judy L. Bonner, 28th President of The University of Alabama
Fred Cone, former running back in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys
James Crawford (basketball), former professional basketball player who played in the Australian National Basketball League
Laurance L. Cross, Presbyterian minister and Mayor of Berkeley, California
Marie Foster, leader in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement
Kenneth R. Giddens, Broadcaster and Voice of America executive
John Cooper Godbold, United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Kay Ivey, 54th governor of Alabama
Philemon T. Herbert, former U.S. Representative from California
Bill Lee (musician), American musician
Noah Purifoy, visual artist and sculptor
Benjamin M. Miller, 39th governor of Alabama
Lucy Mingo, American quilt maker and member of the Gee's Bend Collective
Estella Payton, co-star on the Woman's World cooking show that aired on WKRG-TV in Mobile, Alabama
Joseph Smitherman, mayor of Selma, Alabama
William J. Vaughn, American university professor, school principal, librarian and book collector
Rosa Young, Lutheran educator from Rosebud

References

^ ^a ^b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ "Joseph M. Wilcox • Cullum's Register • 72".
^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
^ "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Wilcox County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau.
^ "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Wilcox County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau.
^ "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Wilcox County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved November 21, 2016.
^ "Wilcox County, Alabama". The Association of Religion. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Wilcox County, AL" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 26, 2024. - Text list
^ "Schools". Wilcox County Schools. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
^ Carla Crowder (October 27, 2002). "Private white academies struggle in changing world". Birmingham News. Archived from the original on November 15, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
^ Mitchell, Ellen (September 11, 2012). "International Paper Co. plans $27 million maintenance project for Pine Hill mill". Press-Register. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
^ McDonald, George. "Crews Clearing Site of Golden Dragon Copper Plant in Wilcox Co". WAKA CBS 8. Bahakel Communications, Ltd. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
^ "Wilcox County Demographics". March 14, 2014.

Notes

^ The others were the fellow Alabama counties of Bullock and Lowndes with similarly delayed black registration after 1965, and the white majority, historically secessionist Middle Tennessee trio of Houston County, Perry County and Stewart County.