Chatham County Demographics

A map of Chatham County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	136,324	139,433	45.3%	47.2%
Black	115,398	108,011	38.4%	36.6%
Hispanic	24,958	23,790	8.3%	8.1%
Multiracial	11,728	10,963	3.9%	3.7%
Asian	9,097	10,620	3.0%	3.6%
Native American/Other	3,374	2,474	1.1%	0.8%

Chatham County, Georgia has an estimated population of 300,879, a slight increase from the 295,291 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 45.3% White, 38.4% Black, 8.3% Hispanic, 3.9% Multiracial, 3.0% Asian, and 1.1% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Chatham County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Chatham is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is less diverse than Georgia overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Chatham County, that probability was 63.4% in 2020 and 63.8% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Chatham County is ranked the 5th most populous county in Georgia, out of 159 counties. Chatham County was ranked the 6th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Chatham County's White Population

136,324 residents of Chatham County, or 45.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Chatham County is slightly lower than in Georgia overall, where 49.1% of the population is White. Chatham County ranks 129th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 159 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Chatham County's White population has declined by an estimated 2.2%. White residents' share of Chatham County's population has decreased from 47.2% to 45.3%.

Chatham County is more White than neighboring Liberty County (36.5% White). Chatham County is less White than neighboring Bryan County (69.7% White), Jasper County (46.2% White), Effingham County (72.9% White), and Beaufort County (67.3% White).

Chatham County's Black Population

115,398 residents of Chatham County, or 38.4% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Chatham County is higher than in Georgia overall, where 30.7% of the population is Black. Chatham County ranks 46th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 159 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Chatham County's Black population has grown by an estimated 6.8%. Black residents' share of Chatham County's population has increased from 36.6% to 38.4%.

Chatham County is more Black than neighboring Bryan County (13.2% Black), Jasper County (32.8% Black), Effingham County (14.4% Black), and Beaufort County (15.5% Black). Chatham County is less Black than neighboring Liberty County (40.8% Black).

Chatham County's Asian Population

9,097 residents of Chatham County, or 3.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Chatham County is comparable to the share in Georgia overall, where 4.5% of the population is Asian. Chatham County ranks 12th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 159 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Chatham County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 14.3%. Asian residents' share of Chatham County's population has decreased from 3.6% to 3.0%.

Chatham County is more Asian than neighboring Bryan County (2.6% Asian), Liberty County (1.7% Asian), Jasper County (0.6% Asian), Effingham County (1% Asian), and Beaufort County (1.1% Asian).

Chatham County's Hispanic Population

24,958 residents of Chatham County, or 8.3% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Chatham County is slightly lower than in Georgia overall, where 11% of the population is Hispanic. Chatham County ranks 42nd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 159 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Chatham County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 4.9%. Hispanic residents' share of Chatham County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 8.3%.

Chatham County is more Hispanic than neighboring Bryan County (8.2% Hispanic), and Effingham County (6.6% Hispanic). Chatham County is less Hispanic than neighboring Liberty County (12.7% Hispanic), Jasper County (17.6% Hispanic), and Beaufort County (12.4% Hispanic).

Chatham County's Native American/Other Population

3,374 residents of Chatham County, or 1.1% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Chatham County is comparable to the share in Georgia overall, where 0.7% of the population is Native American/Other. Chatham County ranks 22nd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 159 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Chatham County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 36.4%. Native American/Other residents' share of Chatham County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.1%.

Chatham County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Bryan County (0.3% Native American/Other), Jasper County (0.1% Native American/Other), Effingham County (0.7% Native American/Other), and Beaufort County (0.6% Native American/Other). Chatham County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Liberty County (1.4% Native American/Other).

Chatham County's Multiracial Population

11,728 residents of Chatham County, or 3.9% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Chatham County is comparable to the share in Georgia overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Chatham County ranks 41st statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 159 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Chatham County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 7.0%. Multiracial residents' share of Chatham County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.9%.

Chatham County is more Multiracial than neighboring Jasper County (2.6% Multiracial), and Beaufort County (3.2% Multiracial). Chatham County is less Multiracial than neighboring Bryan County (6% Multiracial), Liberty County (6.9% Multiracial), and Effingham County (4.5% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.