If the populations of Fayette and Coweta counties seem to be growing in recent years, estimates for 2014 by the U.S. Census Bureau suggest that such a perception is accurate.
The July 2014 estimate for Coweta County shows 135,571 residents. That compares to a population of 127,317 in 2010, a 6.5 percent rate of growth for the four-year period.
In Fayette County, the July 2014 estimate shows a population of 109,664, up from 106,567 in 2010. The change represents a 2.9 percent increase during the four-year period.
Census information, according to 2013 estimates, states that 26.2 percent of Coweta’s residents are 18 years of age or younger, just slightly above the Georgia average of 24.9 percent. In Fayette, 24.3 percent of the population is 18 years of age or younger.
When it comes to seniors in the 2013 estimate, those age 65 or older, Fayette is well above the state average with 15.4 percent compared to the 12 percent figure statewide. Coweta’s seniors account for 12 percent of its population.
It is often stated by some in both counties that they appreciate the “rural character” of their respective counties.
Coweta County, with a large land mass of 441 square miles, had 289 people per square mile in 2010 while Fayette, with a land mass of 194 square miles, had 548 people per square mile in 2010.
By way of comparison, Meriwether County, situated immediately to the south of Fayette and Coweta, has a land mass of 501 square miles and 44 people per square mile in 2010.
When it comes to the state, Georgia’s estimated 2014 population stood at 10,097,343, up from 9.69 million in 2010.
The 2014 estimate ranks Georgia as the nation’s 8th most populous state. Georgia was ranked no. 9 in population in 2010, but passed Michigan to move to the no. 8 spot a couple of years ago.
Fayette and Coweta counties are joined at the hip with metro Atlanta and have been impacted by Atlanta’s growth for decades and will likely continue to be.
