Baker County, Florida

Baker County is a county in Florida, United States, about 28 miles west of Jacksonville. It had a
population of 28,259 at the 2020 census, an estimated 28,430 by 2024, and covers 585.23 square
miles (1,515.7 km2) centred near 30°19′N 82°16′W.

Macclenny is the county seat and the county’s only incorporated city; its postal code is 32063.
The county holds 1 city, 1 incorporated town and 8 unincorporated communities, and it runs on
Eastern Time.

Towns & Villages in Baker County

Baker County has 10 named places on record: 2 incorporated municipalities and 8 unincorporated
communities with no local government of their own. Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural
communities with no formal boundary.

Florida has no civil township layer, so places here are grouped only by incorporation status, not
by township. Several smaller names from older lists — trailer-park addresses such as Claudes
MH Park and Davis Park MH Park, and single-family hamlets such as Kenny, LaBuena, Manns Spur,
McPherson, Pine Top, Sapp, Sargent and Steckert — are dropped here for lack of a verifiable
census or postal source; they may be individual addresses or defunct rail sidings rather than
communities.

ZIP Codes

• 32063 — Macclenny (the county seat and its most populous ZIP)
• 32040 — Glen St. Mary
• 32087 — Sanderson

Olustee, Baxter, Cuyler, Margaretta, Manning, Macedonia and Taylor have no ZIP code of their
own; mail there is delivered under Macclenny’s or Sanderson’s code depending on location.

Geography

Baker County sits in Florida’s far northeast, in the Middle Florida flatwoods region between
the coastal plain and the Okefenokee Swamp basin. Pine flatwoods and cypress swamp cover most of
the land; the extreme northern part of the county lies inside the Okefenokee Swamp and its
protected buffer. Of the county’s 589 square miles, 585.23 are land and 3.74 are water, a very
low share reflecting the absence of any large natural lake. The St. Marys River forms the
county’s northeastern boundary with Georgia, and Osceola National Forest covers a large block of
the southeastern part of the county.

Columbia County lies to the west, Union and Bradford counties to the southwest and south, Clay
County to the southeast, Duval County to the east, and Nassau County to the northeast, with
Charlton, Ware and Clinch counties in Georgia forming the northern line. Duval County and Clay County both have live posts on
this site; Union County does too.
Nassau, Bradford and Columbia counties’ Florida pages are not yet live here.

Demographics

Baker County had a population of 28,259 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the
county near 28,430 residents in 2024. Macclenny and Glen St. Mary are the county’s only two
incorporated places, with Macclenny alone holding roughly a quarter of the county’s total
population. Median household income runs $79,836 as of 2024, above Florida’s statewide 2023 ACS
figure of $73,311. Population density works out to about 48 people per square mile of land, low
for northeast Florida and typical of a county with no large urbanized core.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance is the county’s largest employment sector at 1,892 workers,
followed by public administration at 1,551 and construction at 1,378, out of a workforce of about
12,200. A Walmart distribution center near Macclenny is one of the county’s largest private
employers, alongside a medical cannabis cultivation facility operated by Acreage Holdings and
several state and federal correctional facilities. Lumber and turpentine were the county’s
historic industries and timber remains a significant land use across its pine flatwoods. The
county’s biggest annual event is the Battle of Olustee reenactment, held each February at
Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park.

History

The Florida legislature created Baker County on 8 February 1861, naming it for James McNair
Baker, a circuit judge who went on to serve as a Confederate senator. Macclenny, originally
platted as Darbyville, was renamed for Carr Bowers McClenny, a landowner who built lumber
businesses there in the late 1800s; it incorporated in 1939.

On 20 February 1864, Confederate forces under Brigadier General Joseph Finegan defeated a Union
column led by Brigadier General Truman Seymour near Ocean Pond, in what became the largest battle
fought in Florida during the Civil War. Union casualties totalled about 1,861, against roughly 946
for the Confederates. The 54th Massachusetts, a Black Union regiment, helped cover the Union
retreat. The defeat led Northern commanders to scale back further military operations in Florida.
The site is preserved today as Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park.

Getting There

Interstate 10 crosses the southern part of the county, with exits serving Macclenny and Glen St.
Mary. US Route 90 runs through Macclenny’s town center, and Florida State Roads 2, 121 and 228
connect the county’s smaller communities.

• Jacksonville — about 28 miles east
• Lake City — about 25 miles west
• Starke — about 25 miles south
• Waycross, Georgia — about 35 miles north

Jacksonville International Airport, roughly 30 miles east of Macclenny, is the nearest major
commercial airport. Amtrak does not serve Baker County directly; the closest station is in
Jacksonville.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Baker County located?
It sits in far northeast Florida, about 28 miles west of Jacksonville, bordered by Columbia,
Union, Bradford, Clay, Duval and Nassau counties in Florida and Charlton, Ware and Clinch counties
in Georgia.

What is the population of Baker County?
28,259 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 28,430.

How big is Baker County?
585.23 square miles (1,515.7 km2) of land plus 3.74 square miles of water.

What is the county seat of Baker County?
Macclenny is the county seat and the county’s only incorporated city.

How many towns and cities are in Baker County?
Two incorporated places — Macclenny and Glen St. Mary — plus eight unincorporated
communities: Sanderson, Olustee, Baxter, Cuyler, Margaretta, Manning, Macedonia and Taylor.

What ZIP codes does Baker County use?
32063 for Macclenny, 32040 for Glen St. Mary and 32087 for Sanderson.

What is Baker County known for?
The Battle of Olustee, Florida’s largest Civil War engagement, fought there on 20 February
1864 and reenacted each year at Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Florida.