Sumter County is a county in Georgia, United States, in the west-central part of the state. It had a population of 29,616 at the 2020 census and covers 493 square miles (1,280 km2) centred near 32°02′N 84°12′W.
Americus is the county seat, and its postal code is 31709. The county has five incorporated cities plus a scatter of small unincorporated communities, sits in the Eastern time zone, and anchors the Americus micropolitan statistical area.
Towns & Villages in Sumter County
Sumter County has 24 named places on record: five incorporated cities and 19 unincorporated communities and crossroads. Most of the unincorporated places are farm crossroads with no current population count; the table below marks those cells with a dash rather than guess at a figure.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Americus | City · seat | 16,230 | 31709 |
| Plains | City | 573 | 31780 |
| Andersonville | City | 237 | 31711 |
| Leslie | City | 344 | 31764 |
| De Soto | City | 124 | 31743 |
| Cobb | Unincorp. | — | 31735 |
| Arles | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bottsford | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Concord | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Croxton Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Flintside | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Friendship | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gatewood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Huntington | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lamar | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Maddox | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Methvins | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Era | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Point | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Northside Homes | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pennington | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Shiloh | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sumter | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sumter Homes | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Thalean | Unincorp. | — | — |
The old list also carried a separate “DeSoto” entry alongside “De Soto” — those are the same city (De Soto, incorporated 1908), so the duplicate was dropped rather than published twice.
ZIP Codes
- 31709 — Americus (also serves nearby unincorporated Sumter County addresses)
- 31780 — Plains
- 31711 — Andersonville, including the Andersonville National Historic Site
- 31764 — Leslie
- 31743 — De Soto
- 31735 — Cobb
The remaining unincorporated crossroads use the ZIP of their nearest post office town, most commonly Americus or Plains.
Geography
Sumter County lies in Georgia’s upper coastal plain, gently rolling with elevations mostly between 300 and 450 feet. Creeks in the county drain generally east and southeast toward the Flint River basin. The terrain shifts from mixed pine-and-hardwood woodland in the north to broad row-crop farmland around Americus and Plains in the south.
Sumter County is bordered by Schley County to the north, Macon County to the northeast, Dooly County to the east, Crisp County to the southeast, Lee County to the south, Terrell County to the southwest, Webster County to the west, and Marion County to the northwest.
Demographics
Sumter County had 29,616 residents at the 2020 census, a density of about 61 people per square mile of land. Americus (16,230) and Plains (573) are the two largest communities. Household income in the county runs well below the Georgia median of $74,632, in line with most rural counties across the southwest Georgia coastal plain.
Economy & Local Life
Education and health care anchor the local economy: Georgia Southwestern State University and South Georgia Technical College are both based in Americus, alongside Phoebe Sumter Medical Center. Americus is also the international headquarters of Habitat for Humanity International, founded there in 1976. Outside the cities, agriculture — peanuts, cotton, pecans and cattle — remains the county’s dominant land use. Plains hosts an annual Plains Peanut Festival drawing visitors to the small town each fall.
History
Sumter County was created on December 26, 1831, named for General Thomas Sumter of South Carolina, a Revolutionary War cavalry commander nicknamed the “Gamecock.” During the Civil War, the Confederacy built Camp Sumter — better known as Andersonville prison — just north of present-day Andersonville; it became the deadliest prisoner-of-war camp of the war, and the site is now preserved as Andersonville National Historic Site and the National Prisoner of War Museum. In the 20th century, Sumter County gained a different kind of national attention as the home of Jimmy Carter, who was born in Americus, raised in Plains, and returned to live in Plains after his presidency.
Getting There
US Highways 19 and 280 cross at Americus, along with Georgia state routes 45, 49 and 118.
- Albany — 40 miles south
- Columbus — 60 miles west
- Macon — 90 miles northeast
- Atlanta — 140 miles north
Jimmy Carter Regional Airport in Americus handles general aviation; the nearest commercial service is Southwest Georgia Regional Airport in Albany.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Sumter County, Georgia?
It sits in the west-central part of the state, roughly 40 miles north of Albany and 140 miles south of Atlanta.
What is the population of Sumter County?
29,616 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Sumter County?
493 square miles (1,280 km2), of which 483 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Sumter County?
Americus is the county seat.
How many towns and cities are in Sumter County?
Five incorporated cities — Americus, Andersonville, De Soto, Leslie and Plains — plus about 19 smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Sumter County?
Americus (31709), Plains (31780), Andersonville (31711), Leslie (31764), De Soto (31743) and Cobb (31735) are the main ones.
What is Sumter County known for?
It’s the home county of Jimmy Carter — born in Americus, raised and buried in Plains — and of the Andersonville Civil War prison site, now a national historic park.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Georgia.