We’re 75,000-plus!

For the first time, according to government counters, Oconee County’s population has exceeded 75,000 inhabitants. 75,192 people made Oconee their home in 2014, according to the latest estimate from the Census Bureau. The number is an increase of 279 from the 2013 estimate. The next official nationwide census will take place in five years, but from year to year in between the government tries to keep track of changing trends. The county remains predominantly white at 89.5%. The black or African-American population is estimated at 7.8%. Hispanic or Latino population, 4.8%.   Other factoids gleaned from the Census report include: 83% of Oconeeans are high school graduates or graduates of higher education. For those of us working, our mean travel time to work is 24.3 minutes. The county’s population of those below the poverty level is 19.1%—one percentage point higher than the state’s.