Atkinson County, Georgia

Atkinson County
Atkinson County
County
	Atkinson County Courthouse in Pearson
	Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
	Georgia's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 31°17′N 82°52′W / 31.29°N 82.87°W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	August 15, 1917
Named for	William Yates Atkinson
Seat	Pearson
Largest city	Pearson
Area
• Total	345 sq mi (890 km2)
• Land	339 sq mi (880 km2)
• Water	5.2 sq mi (13 km2) 1.5%
Population (2020)
• Total	8,286
• Density	24/sq mi (9/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	8th
Website	atkinsoncounty.org

Atkinson County is a county located in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 8,286.^[1] The county seat is Pearson.^[2] The county was formed in 1917 from parts of Coffee and Clinch counties. It is named for William Yates Atkinson, Democratic governor of Georgia from 1894 to 1898.^[3] In 2003, it had the highest illiteracy rate of any U.S. county at 36%.^[4]

^ "Census - Geography Profile: Atkinson County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 8. ISBN 0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 14, 2004.
^ "State and County Literacy Estimates - State Estimates". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved March 18, 2018.