Duval County, Florida

Duval County
Duval County
Consolidated city-county
	City of Jacksonville and Duval County
	Duval County Courthouse
	Location within the U.S. state of Florida
	Florida's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 30°20′N 81°39′W / 30.33°N 81.65°W
Country	United States
State	Florida
Founded	August 12, 1822
Named for	William Pope Duval
Seat	Jacksonville
Largest city	Jacksonville
Government
• Mayor	Donna Deegan
Area
• Total	918 sq mi (2,380 km2)
• Land	762 sq mi (1,970 km2)
• Water	156 sq mi (400 km2) 17.0%
Population (2022)
• Total	1,016,536
• Density	1,231/sq mi (475/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	4th, 5th
Website	coj.net

Duval County (/djuːˈvɔːl/ dew-VAWL) is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of July 2022, the population was 1,016,536, up from 864,263 in 2010. It is Florida's sixth-most populous county.^[2] Its county seat is Jacksonville, with which the Duval County government has been consolidated since 1968.^[3] Duval County was established in 1822, and is named for William Pope Duval, Governor of Florida Territory from 1822 to 1834. Duval County is the central county of the Jacksonville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

This area had been settled by varying cultures of indigenous peoples for thousands of years before European contact. Within the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in Jacksonville, archeologists have excavated remains of some of the oldest pottery in the United States, dating to 2500 BCE. Prior to European contact, the area was inhabited by the Mocama, a Timucuan-speaking group who lived throughout the coastal areas of northern Florida.^[4] At the time Europeans arrived, much of what is now Duval County was controlled by the Saturiwa, one of the region's most powerful tribes. The area that became Duval County was home to the 16th-century French colony of Fort Caroline, and saw increased European settlement in the 18th century with the establishment of Cowford, later renamed Jacksonville.

Duval County was created in 1822 from St. Johns County. It was named for William Pope Duval, Governor of Florida Territory from 1822 to 1834.^[5] When Duval County was created, it covered a massive area, from the Suwannee River on the west to the Atlantic Ocean on the east, north of a line from the mouth of the Suwannee River to Jacksonville on the St. Johns River. Alachua and Nassau counties were created out of parts of Duval County in 1824. Clay County was created from part of Duval County in 1858. Part of St. Johns County south and east of the lower reaches of the St. Johns River was transferred to Duval County in the 1840s.^[6]

Portrait of William Pope Duval
Duval County Courthouse in 1894
Jacksonville in 1909
Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse in 2008.
Jacksonville Beach in 2018.

Government

On October 1, 1968, the government of Duval County was consolidated with the government of the city of Jacksonville. The Duval County cities of Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach, and Neptune Beach, and the town of Baldwin are not included in the corporate limits of Jacksonville and maintain their own municipal governments. The city of Jacksonville provides all services that a county government would normally provide. The Mayor of Jacksonville serves as the chief administrator over all of Duval County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 918 square miles (2,380 km²), of which 762 square miles (1,970 km²) is land and 156 square miles (400 km²) (17.0%) is water.^[7] The topography is coastal plain; however there are some rolling hills.

National protected areas

Adjacent counties

Nassau County - north and northwest
St. Johns County - southeast
Clay County - southwest
Baker County - west

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1830	1,970		—
1840	4,156		111.0%
1850	4,539		9.2%
1860	5,074		11.8%
1870	11,921		134.9%
1880	19,431		63.0%
1890	26,800		37.9%
1900	39,733		48.3%
1910	75,163		89.2%
1920	113,540		51.1%
1930	155,503		37.0%
1940	210,143		35.1%
1950	304,029		44.7%
1960	455,411		49.8%
1970	528,865		16.1%
1980	571,003		8.0%
1990	672,971		17.9%
2000	778,879		15.7%
2010	864,263		11.0%
2020	995,567		15.2%
2023 (est.)	1,030,822	^[8]	3.5%
U.S. Decennial Census^[2]^{[failed verification]}

**Duval County racial composition as of 2020**
(NH = Non-Hispanic)^[a]
Race	Pop 2010^[10]	Pop 2020^[11]	% 2010	% 2020
White (NH)	488,826	492,039	56.56%	49.42%
Black or African American (NH)	250,063	286,344	28.93%	28.76%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	2,816	2,306	0.33%	0.23%
Asian (NH)	35,381	48,652	4.09%	4.89%
Pacific Islander (NH)	688	960	0.08%	0.1%
Some Other Race (NH)	2,006	6,837	0.23%	0.69%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	19,085	45,740	2.21%	4.59%
Hispanic or Latino	65,398	112,689	7.57%	11.32%
Total	864,263	995,567

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 995,567 people, 369,704 households, and 225,060 families residing in the county.

2010 Census

U.S. Census Bureau 2010 Ethnic/Race Demographics:^[12]^[13]

White (non-Hispanic) (60.9% when including White Hispanics): 56.6% (10.7% German, 10.6% Irish, 9.2% English, 4.1% Italian, 2.3% French, 2.1% Scottish, 2.1% Scotch-Irish, 1.8% Polish, 1.2% Dutch, 0.6% Russian, 0.6% Swedish, 0.6% Norwegian, 0.5% Welsh, 0.5% French Canadian)^[12]
Black (non-Hispanic) (29.5% when including Black Hispanics): 28.9% (1.7% Subsaharan African, 1.4% West Indian/Afro-Caribbean American [0.5% Haitian, 0.4% Jamaican, 0.1% Other or Unspecified West Indian, 0.1% Bahamian])^[12]^[14]
Hispanic or Latino of any race: 7.6% (2.5% Puerto Rican, 1.7% Mexican, 0.8% Cuban)^[12]^[15]
Asian: 4.2% (1.7% Filipino, 0.8% Indian, 0.6% Other Asian, 0.4% Vietnamese, 0.3% Chinese, 0.2% Korean, 0.1% Japanese)^[12]^[13]
Two or more races: 2.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.1%^[12]^[13]
Other Races: 2.1% (0.9% Arab)^[12]

In 2010, 6.7% of the population considered themselves to be of only "American" ancestry (regardless of race or ethnicity.)^[12]

Of the 342,450 households 28.68% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.92% were married couples living together, 16.74% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.27% were non-families. 24.85% of households were one person and 8.05% (2.29% male and 5.76% female) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.04.^[13]^[16]

The age distribution was 23.5% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% 65 or older. The median age was 35.8 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.^[16]

The median household income was $49,463 and the median family income was $60,114. Males had a median income of $42,752 versus $34,512 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,854. About 10.4% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.3% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those aged 65 or over.^[17]

In 2010, 9.0% of the county's population was foreign born, with 49.5% being naturalized American citizens. Of foreign-born residents, 38.2% were born in Latin America, 35.6% born in Asia, 17.9% were born in Europe, 5.8% born in Africa, 2.0% in North America, and 0.5% were born in Oceania.^[12]

2000 Census

The racial makeup of the county was 65.80% White (63.6% were Non-Hispanic White,)^[18] 27.83% African American or Black, 0.33% Native American, 2.71% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.31% from other races, and 1.96% from two or more races. 4.10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 303,747 households 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.50% were married couples living together, 15.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.60% were non-families. 26.50% of households were one person and 7.80% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.06.

The age distribution was 26.30% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 32.40% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 10.50% 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.90 males.

The median household income was $40,703 and the median family income was $47,689. Males had a median income of $32,954 versus $26,015 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,753. 11.90% of the population and 9.20% of families were below the poverty line, including 16.40% of those under the age of 18 and 11.60% of those age 65 or older.

Languages

As of 2010, 87.36% of all residents spoke English as their first language, while 5.74% spoke Spanish, 1.18% Tagalog, 0.53% Arabic, 0.48% Serbo-Croatian, 0.47% Vietnamese, and 0.46% of the population spoke French Creole (mostly Haitian Creole) as their mother language.^[19] In total, 12.64% of the population spoke languages other than English as their primary language.^[19]

Politics

Voter registration

According to the Secretary of State's office, Democrats comprise a plurality of registered voters in Duval County.

Duval County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of March 31, 2024^[20]
Political Party		Total Voters	Percentage
	Democratic	248,542	38.61%
	Republican	231,320	35.93%
	Independent	146,544	22.76%
	Third Parties	17,394	2.70%
Total		643,800	100.00%

Statewide and national elections

Duval County is somewhat conservative for an urban county, and it began moving away from the Democratic Party sooner than the majority of Florida counties. Despite the small Democratic plurality in registration, the county's Democrats are nowhere near as liberal as their counterparts in other large Florida counties, such as Miami-Dade and Orange. The county has only supported a Democrat for president three times since 1952, in 1960, 1976, and 2020.

However, the Republican edge in Duval has lessened somewhat in recent years. It swung from a 16-point win for George W. Bush in 2004 to only a three-point win for John McCain in 2008. Mitt Romney won an equally narrow margin in 2012 and in 2016, Donald Trump only won the county by fewer than 6,000 votes even as he narrowly carried Florida. In 2020, Joe Biden, despite losing statewide, broke the 44-year Democratic drought in Duval County, winning by less than four points.

In 2018, Andrew Gillum, despite losing the election, won Duval by four points, the first time a Democrat had won the county in a gubernatorial election since Steve Pajcic's losing bid in 1986. Four years later, however, Duval rebounded to vote for Ron DeSantis by over 10 points. In the Senate elections, Bill Nelson only failed to carry the county in his first bid in 2000, and Lawton Chiles and Bob Graham carried the county in all three of their respective bids.

United States presidential election results for Duval County, Florida^[21]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	233,762	47.30%	252,556	51.11%	7,843	1.59%
2016	211,672	48.48%	205,704	47.12%	19,197	4.40%
2012	211,615	51.27%	196,737	47.67%	4,381	1.06%
2008	210,537	50.53%	202,618	48.63%	3,538	0.85%
2004	220,190	57.78%	158,610	41.62%	2,261	0.59%
2000	152,460	57.49%	108,039	40.74%	4,682	1.77%
1996	126,959	49.96%	112,328	44.20%	14,836	5.84%
1992	123,631	49.47%	92,098	36.85%	34,197	13.68%
1988	128,081	62.79%	74,894	36.72%	1,004	0.49%
1984	128,724	62.41%	77,488	37.57%	37	0.02%
1980	98,664	50.45%	90,466	46.26%	6,424	3.29%
1976	74,997	41.08%	105,912	58.01%	1,652	0.90%
1972	122,154	72.19%	46,530	27.50%	520	0.31%
1968	51,585	30.89%	54,834	32.84%	60,559	36.27%
1964	81,116	50.55%	79,365	49.45%	0	0.00%
1960	59,073	45.73%	70,091	54.27%	0	0.00%
1956	53,481	50.17%	53,127	49.83%	0	0.00%
1952	50,346	48.27%	53,949	51.73%	0	0.00%
1948	15,379	25.76%	28,567	47.85%	15,749	26.38%
1944	12,220	24.89%	36,867	75.11%	0	0.00%
1940	9,177	18.29%	41,003	81.71%	0	0.00%
1936	5,368	17.12%	25,989	82.88%	0	0.00%
1932	6,096	24.25%	19,038	75.75%	0	0.00%
1928	16,919	63.39%	9,316	34.91%	454	1.70%
1924	3,291	28.93%	5,908	51.93%	2,177	19.14%
1920	6,628	31.18%	13,650	64.21%	979	4.61%
1916	1,339	16.83%	5,456	68.57%	1,162	14.60%
1912	243	5.20%	3,514	75.26%	912	19.53%
1908	641	18.00%	2,381	66.84%	540	15.16%
1904	671	21.91%	2,011	65.65%	381	12.44%
1900	773	27.73%	1,857	66.61%	158	5.67%
1896	1,462	39.58%	1,903	51.52%	329	8.91%
1892	0	0.00%	1,442	95.18%	73	4.82%

**Gubernatorial election results**
Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
2022	55.44% 182,569	43.68% 143,837	0.88% 2,913
2018	47.35% 179,869	51.74% 196,537	0.90% 3,431
2014	54.22% 146,407	41.49% 112,026	4.29% 11,600
2010	51.60% 135,074	45.88% 120,097	2.52% 6,614
2006	58.86% 132,607	38.93% 87,718	2.21% 4,972
2002	61.35% 148,923	38.01% 92,263	0.64% 1,556
1998	60.15% 111,716	39.85% 74,016	0.00% 4
1994	57.22% 108,900	42.53% 80,945	0.25% 471

Education

Duval County Public Schools operates public schools in the county.

Duval County is served by the Jacksonville Public Library.

Communities


Rank	Municipality	Type	Pop. (2020)
1	Jacksonville	City	949,611
2	Jacksonville Beach	City	28,830
3	Atlantic Beach	City	13,513
4	Neptune Beach	City	7,217
5	Baldwin	Town	1,396

2020 Census population ^[22]

Transportation

Public transportation

Public transportation is provided by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority.

Major highways

Airports

Notes

^ Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.^[9]