Wayne County Demographics

A map of Wayne County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	21,743	21,301	70.3%	70.7%
Black	6,036	5,877	19.5%	19.5%
Hispanic	1,937	1,732	6.3%	5.7%
Multiracial	769	870	2.5%	2.9%
Asian	402	174	1.3%	0.6%
Native American/Other	62	190	0.2%	0.6%

Wayne County, Georgia has an estimated population of 30,949, a slight increase from the 30,144 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 70.3% White, 19.5% Black, 6.3% Hispanic, 2.5% Multiracial, 1.3% Asian, and 0.2% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Wayne County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Wayne has become slightly more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably 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 Wayne County, that probability was 45.8% in 2020 and 46.4% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Wayne County is ranked the 61st most populous county in Georgia, out of 159 counties. Wayne County was ranked the 59th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Wayne County's White Population

21,743 residents of Wayne County, or 70.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Wayne County is significantly higher than in Georgia overall, where 49.1% of the population is White. Wayne County ranks 44th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 159 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's White population has grown by an estimated 2.1%. White residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 70.3%.

Wayne County is more White than neighboring Long County (53% White), Appling County (67.5% White), and Tattnall County (57.3% White). Wayne County is less White than neighboring Pierce County (82% White), and Brantley County (90.8% White).

Wayne County's Black Population

6,036 residents of Wayne County, or 19.5% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Wayne County is considerably lower than in Georgia overall, where 30.7% of the population is Black. Wayne County ranks 102nd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 159 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Black population has grown by an estimated 2.7%. Black residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 19.5%.

Wayne County is more Black than neighboring Pierce County (9.9% Black), Brantley County (3.2% Black), and Appling County (18.1% Black). Wayne County is less Black than neighboring Long County (22.9% Black), and Tattnall County (26.7% Black).

Wayne County's Asian Population

402 residents of Wayne County, or 1.3% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Wayne County is slightly lower than in Georgia overall, where 4.5% of the population is Asian. Wayne County ranks 92nd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 159 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 131.0%. Asian residents' share of Wayne County's population has increased from 0.6% to 1.3%.

Wayne County is more Asian than neighboring Long County (0.7% Asian), Pierce County (0% Asian), Brantley County (0.5% Asian), Appling County (0.4% Asian), and Tattnall County (0.8% Asian).

Wayne County's Hispanic Population

1,937 residents of Wayne County, or 6.3% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Wayne County is slightly lower than in Georgia overall, where 11% of the population is Hispanic. Wayne County ranks 74th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 159 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 11.8%. Hispanic residents' share of Wayne County's population has increased from 5.7% to 6.3%.

Wayne County is more Hispanic than neighboring Pierce County (5.3% Hispanic), and Brantley County (3.1% Hispanic). Wayne County is less Hispanic than neighboring Long County (13.1% Hispanic), Appling County (10.8% Hispanic), and Tattnall County (10.7% Hispanic).

Wayne County's Native American/Other Population

62 residents of Wayne County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Wayne County is comparable to the share in Georgia overall, where 0.7% of the population is Native American/Other. Wayne County ranks 50th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 159 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 67.4%. Native American/Other residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Wayne County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Brantley County (0% Native American/Other), and Appling County (0.1% Native American/Other). Wayne County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Long County (1.6% Native American/Other), Pierce County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Tattnall County (1.1% Native American/Other).

Wayne County's Multiracial Population

769 residents of Wayne County, or 2.5% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Wayne County is comparable to the share in Georgia overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Wayne County ranks 89th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 159 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 11.6%. Multiracial residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.5%.

Wayne County is more Multiracial than neighboring Pierce County (2.4% Multiracial), and Brantley County (2.3% Multiracial). Wayne County is less Multiracial than neighboring Long County (8.6% Multiracial), Appling County (3.1% Multiracial), and Tattnall County (3.4% 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.