For the first time in decades, Henry County is blue versus red (Kemp won only 42% of the vote). That hasn’t happened since the Ralph Reed led state-wide conversion of Dixiecrats to Republicans many years ago. But, get accustomed to it; that move towards the Democrats is not a quirk, or the only major change Henry has experienced over the years.

Per a recently issued ARC (Atlanta Regional Commission) report, Henry’s population has also increased dramatically over the last few decades. When I visited a friend in Henry back in 1970, there were only 28,000 residents. Now, we have 235,000. In just the last year, Henry added 5,800 people.

According to the ARC 2018 diversity index, Henry is now one of the more diverse counties in metro Atlanta. In 2000, Henry was 81% white per the Census. Over the years, Henry has become more African-American, with Black residents now representing 45% of the county’s residents, per a 7-1-17 Census Bureau estimate. Only 49% are white and the remaining 6% is Asian or multi-racial. Nearly 7% is Hispanic (overlapping with other racial groups). These demographic changes are one key reason why the Democrats won the County.

It is also one of the more affluent counties. Income in Henry has gone up. Income in 2015 was $60,000, significantly above the state average as well as the 20 County metro average of $56,000. Income is another key factor in moving the County towards the Democrats. College educated people make more money than average and are more likely to vote Democrat.

Likewise, the county poverty rate is lower, 13% in Henry versus 16% in the 20-county area. The uninsured healthcare percentage is also lower at 14% for Henry versus 17% for the 20-county area.

Of course, there are problems in Henry, as there are elsewhere. Per a 2018 ARC Metro Talks survey, Henry County residents view its biggest problems as: crime (23%); transportation (23%); education (10%); the economy (9%); human services (7%); race (6%); taxes (4%) and public health (4%).

Of the 13 counties surveyed, surprisingly, Henry residents were more pessimistic about the future of living conditions in the metro area (3-4 years) versus any other county. 37% of Henry County residents were pessimistic versus only 21% in Fulton, the most optimistic County.

Henry residents were also more dissatisfied with their neighborhood than any county except Douglas. Likewise, Henry citizens were more dissatisfied with cultural and art opportunities. When asked, 36% of Henry residents stated that they would like to move out of the Atlanta metro area entirely versus only 26% for the area as a whole.

There is much more in the ARC report which can be found at https://cdn.atlantaregional.org/wp-content/uploads/mas-2018-full-report-ksu.pdf

One thing is certain for Henry County, there is more change to come. Whether changes are positive or negative will largely depend on its citizens and their elected representatives.