Butts County is a county in Georgia, United States, roughly 45 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta. It had a population of 25,434 at the 2020 census and covers 188 square miles (490 km2) centred near 33°17′N 83°58′W.
Jackson is the county seat, and its postal code is 30233. The county has three incorporated cities and several unincorporated communities, and it sits in the Eastern time zone.
Towns & Villages in Butts County
Butts County has three incorporated cities — Jackson, Flovilla, and Jenkinsburg — plus a handful of unincorporated communities and crossroads. Georgia has no civil townships, so the table below omits that column. Population figures are the 2020 census count where verified; unincorporated places carry no official census tally.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | City · seat | 5,557 | 30233 |
| Flovilla | City | 643 | 30216 |
| Jenkinsburg | City | — | 30234 |
| Indian Springs | Unincorp. | — | 30233 |
| Stark | Unincorp. | — | 30233 |
| Worthville | Unincorp. | — | 30233 |
| Cork | Unincorp. | — | 30233 |
| Fincherville | Unincorp. | — | 30234 |
| Pepperton | Unincorp. | — | 30233 |
| Sandy | Unincorp. | — | 30233 |
| Iron Springs Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | 30233 |
| McMichael Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | 30234 |
Pepperton and Sandy are historic mill-village names now folded into greater Jackson; both are kept here as locally recognised place names rather than separate settlements.
ZIP Codes
- 30233 — Jackson (also serves Indian Springs, Stark, Worthville, Pepperton, Sandy, and Iron Springs Crossroads)
- 30216 — Flovilla
- 30234 — Jenkinsburg (also serves Fincherville and McMichael Crossroads)
The county’s three ZIP codes cover an estimated 30,126 residents across roughly 203 square miles of carrier routes, per USPS ZIP boundary data.
Geography
Butts County lies in the west-central part of Georgia, on the fall line between the Piedmont and the upper coastal plain. The Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin drains the entire county, and Jackson Lake — a reservoir formed in 1910 by the Lloyd Shoals Dam on the Ocmulgee — covers part of the county’s southern and eastern edge. Indian Springs State Park, one of the oldest state parks in the United States, sits along the county’s mineral-spring belt near the community of Indian Springs.
Butts County borders Newton County to the north, Jasper County to the east, Monroe County to the south, Lamar County to the southwest, Spalding County to the west, and Henry County to the northwest.
Demographics
Butts County had 25,434 residents at the 2020 census, up from 23,655 in 2010. Jackson, the county seat, is by far the largest community with 5,557 people; Flovilla is the second-largest incorporated place at 643. Median household income in the county runs below the Georgia median of $74,632, reflecting a mostly rural, small-town economic base outside the Atlanta commuter belt. Population density works out to roughly 138 people per square mile of land area.
Economy & Local Life
The Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison, a maximum-security facility that houses the state’s death row and execution chamber, sits just outside Jackson and is one of the county’s largest employers. Beyond the prison, the local economy runs on manufacturing, retail serving the wider county, agriculture, and recreation tied to Jackson Lake, a popular boating and fishing destination for the greater Atlanta area. Jackson’s compact downtown — used as the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, in Netflix’s Stranger Things — also draws location-scouting and tourist interest.
History
Butts County was created on December 24, 1825, from parts of Henry and Monroe counties, becoming Georgia’s 64th county. The Georgia General Assembly named it for Samuel Butts, an officer killed in the Creek War in 1814. Indian Springs, on the county’s eastern edge, was a documented mineral-spring meeting ground and treaty site well before the county’s formal organization, and it remained a resort destination through the 19th century. Jackson Lake, completed in 1910, reshaped the county’s southern landscape and remains its defining recreational feature.
Getting There
Interstate 75 crosses the county’s western edge, with US Route 23 and State Routes 16, 36, 42, and 87 serving Jackson and the smaller communities.
- Atlanta — 45 miles northwest
- Macon — 35 miles south
- McDonough — 20 miles northwest
- Griffin — 20 miles west
The nearest commercial airport is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, about an hour’s drive from Jackson.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Butts County?
It is in west-central Georgia, about 45 miles southeast of Atlanta, centred near 33°17′N 83°58′W.
What is the population of Butts County?
25,434 at the 2020 census.
How big is Butts County?
188 square miles (490 km2), of which 184 square miles are land and 3.6 square miles are water.
What is the county seat of Butts County?
Jackson is the county seat.
How many towns are in Butts County?
Three incorporated cities — Jackson, Flovilla, and Jenkinsburg — plus several unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Butts County?
30233 (Jackson), 30216 (Flovilla), and 30234 (Jenkinsburg).
Is Jackson Lake in Butts County?
Part of it. Jackson Lake, formed by the Lloyd Shoals Dam on the Ocmulgee River, sits along the county’s southern and eastern edge.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Georgia.