Lafayette County, Florida

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Lafayette County is a county located in the north central portion of the state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,226,<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> making it the second-least populous county in Florida. The county seat is Mayo.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Lafayette County is a prohibition or partially dry county, allowing retail sales of beer.

History

Lafayette County was created on December 23, 1856, from part of Madison County on the same day as Taylor County was also split off from Madison County. At the time it comprised all the area of present-day Lafayette and Dixie counties. The county was named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, the French general who rendered assistance to the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The famed Suwannee River forms the entire eastern boundary. The county courts first met at the home of Ariel Jones near Fayetteville. The county seat was New Troy until the court house burned down on New Year's Eve, 1892. It was moved to Mayo in 1893, and Mayo is currently Lafayette's only incorporated town. The moving of the courthouse was the end for New Troy. The Gainesville Sun states that houses were dismantled for their timber and bricks, hardwoods replaced the fields, steamboat traffic ended in 1899, and the ferry closed in 1917. In 1921 the lower part of the county was removed to create Dixie County.

Historic sites

Historic sites in Lafayette County include:

The Hal W. Adams Bridge built in 1947 across the Suwannee River Template:Convert north of Mayo. It was Florida's first suspension bridge.
The (second) Old Lafayette County Courthouse, built in 1893–1894, now an inn.
The current Lafayette County Courthouse built in 1908.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.8%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Adjacent counties

Suwannee County - east
Gilchrist County - southeast
Dixie County - south
Taylor County - west
Madison County - northwest

Demographics

Template:US Census population

**Lafayette County racial composition as of 2020**
(NH = Non-Hispanic)Template:Efn
Race	Pop 2010<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2020<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2010	% 2020
White (NH)	6,266	6,074	70.64%	73.84%
Black or African American (NH)	1,396	1,024	15.74%	12.45%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	20	16	0.23%	0.19%
Asian (NH)	13	10	0.15%	0.12%
Pacific Islander (NH)	2	1	0.02%	0.01%
Some Other Race (NH)	7	18	0.08%	0.22%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	90	145	1.01%	1.76%
Hispanic or Latino	1,076	938	12.13%	11.4%
Total	8,870	8,226	100.00%	100.00%

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 8,226 people, 2,727 households, and 1,891 families in Lafayette County, Florida.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=:0 /> The population density was 15.1 per square mile (5.8/kmTemplate:Sup). There were 3,284 housing units at an average density of 6.0 per square mile (2.3/kmTemplate:Sup).<ref name=:0>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup was 77.35% (6,363) white or European American (73.84% non-Hispanic white), 12.7% (1,045) black or African-American, 0.29% (24) Native American or Alaska Native, 0.12% (10) Asian, 0.07% (6) Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, 5.13% (422) from other races, and 4.33% (356) from two or more races.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hispanic or Latino of any race was 11.4% (938) of the population.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 2,727 households, 28.7% had children under the age of 18; 53.4% were married couples living together; 22.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 25.4% of households consisted of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.<ref name=:0 /> The average household size was 3.1 and the average family size was 3.8.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 8.7% of the population.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

17.1% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 72.8 males.<ref name=:0 /> For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 67.7 males.<ref name=:0 />

The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $51,734 (with a margin of error of +/- $6,662). The median family income was $53,625 (+/- $15,651).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Males had a median income of $37,939 (+/- $8,513) versus $25,085 (+/- $8,177) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $35,009 (+/- $11,623).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Approximately, 16.7% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.9% of those under the age of 18 and 19.5% of those ages 65 or over.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2000 census

As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 7,022 people, 2,142 households and 1,591 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 2,660 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 79.27% White, 14.37% Black or African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 4.30% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 9.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In terms of ancestry, 41.1% were English, 8.0% were Irish, 7.1% were American, and 5.3% were German.

There were 2,142 households, out of which 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.70% were non-families. 22.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.70% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 34.00% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 148.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 157.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,651, and the median income for a family was $35,020. Males had a median income of $25,030 versus $22,007 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,087. About 12.90% of families and 17.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.70% of those under age 18 and 17.30% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

A very rural and landlocked county, Lafayette historically supported the Democratic Party. It has voted Republican for decades now, and recently by wide margins. In the 2024 presidential election, it was the second-most Republican county in Florida.<ref>https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/</ref>