Pearson is a city in Atkinson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,821 in 2020. The city is the county seat of Atkinson County.

History

Pearson was founded in 1875 as a depot on the Brunswick and Western Railroad. It was incorporated as a town in 1890 and in 1916 as a city. The community was named after Benajah Pearson, a veteran of the Second Seminole War.

Geography

Pearson is located at 31°17′54″N 82°51′10″W / 31.29833°N 82.85278°W / 31.29833; -82.85278 (31.298368, -82.852827), within Southeast Georgia. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.4 square miles (8.7 km), of which 0.0077 square miles (0.02 km), or 0.28%, is water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	336		—
1910	558		66.1%
1920	792		41.9%
1930	712		−10.1%
1940	1,057		48.5%
1950	1,402		32.6%
1960	1,615		15.2%
1970	1,700		5.3%
1980	1,827		7.5%
1990	1,714		−6.2%
2000	1,805		5.3%
2010	2,117		17.3%
2020	1,821		−14.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

Pearson racial composition as of 2020

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	533	29.27%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	553	30.37%
Native American	4	0.22%
Asian	8	0.44%
Pacific Islander	2	0.11%
Other/Mixed	40	2.2%
Hispanic or Latino	681	37.4%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,821 people, 674 households, and 426 families residing in the city.

Education

Atkinson County students in K-12 grades are in the Atkinson County School District, which consists of two elementary schools (each includes a pre-school program) and a high school. The district has 102 full-time teachers and over 1,648 students as of 2010.

• Pearson Elementary School
• Willacoochee Elementary School
• Atkinson County Middle School
• Atkinson County High School

Media

• WPNG Radio Shine 101.9

Notable people

• Tyreek Hill, NFL player, raised in Pearson