Black eligible voters in Georgia accept played a significant role in driving the growth of the land's electorate over the past ii decades. Between 2000 and 2019, Georgia's eligible voter population grew by 1.ix million, with well-nigh one-half of this increase attributed to growth in the state's Blackness voting population, according to a Pew Research Centre analysis of new demography information.

We undertook this demographic assay of Georgia'south eligible voters at a time when the state is in the political spotlight considering of Democrat Joe Biden'southward victory there in the 2020 presidential ballot, and the state'southward two upcoming U.S. Senate runoff elections that could determine party control of the chamber. (Eligible voters are defined as developed U.South. citizens.)

To do this, we drew on data from the Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey as well as data from the 2000 decennial census provided through Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) from the Academy of Minnesota.

Black eligible voters drove nearly half of Georgia's electorate growth since 2000 and grew the most as a share of the state's electorate

As an emerging battleground state in national elections, Georgia's changing balloter makeup has been the focus of renewed attending in the 2020 ballot cycle. This is specially true now given that the Jan. five runoff election for the state'south two U.S. Senate seats could determine which party controls that sleeping room.

Prominent public figures such every bit Democrat Stacey Abrams, a erstwhile lawmaker who lost a close race for governor in 2018, accept highlighted Georgia'due south racial and ethnic diversification equally a major driver backside Joe Biden'due south victory.

Biden won the land by a very narrow margin of simply 0.2%, with almost 12,000 votes more than Donald Trump. But information technology was the start fourth dimension a Democratic presidential candidate had won the land in nearly 3 decades.

In 2019, the Black voting population in Georgia reached a record high of two.v meg eligible voters, making up a third of the state's total electorate. As a share of eligible voters in the state overall, Blackness voters saw a 5 per centum betoken increment betwixt 2000 and 2019. This was the highest growth charge per unit of any racial or indigenous grouping in Georgia – and also the largest percentage point increase among Black voters in whatever country in the country.

Related: Black, Latino and Asian Americans have been key to Georgia's registered voter growth since 2016

The Hispanic and Asian American voting populations in Georgia have also grown significantly, more tripling in size between 2000 and 2019. However, these groups accounted for much smaller shares of the state's electorate, 5% and 3%, respectively. The number of White voters in the state also grew during this fourth dimension, but at a lower charge per unit than other major racial and ethnic groups. Equally a issue, the White share of Georgia's eligible voters declined by eleven points, though the group withal accounted for the majority (58%) of Georgia's electorate in 2019.

Demographics of Georgia eligible voters by race and ethnicity

Migration from outside Georgia a major source of growth for state's Blackness electorate

Growing share of Black eligible voters in Georgia were born out of state and among those who were born outside the state, New York is the top origin

The growth of Black eligible voters in Georgia has been largely driven by migration into the state from other parts of the country, as well as from outside the Us. Between 2000 and 2019, Black eligible voters who were born outside of Georgia accounted for a majority (58%) of the increase in the state's Blackness voting population. (Information technology is not possible to know from American Customs Survey data when these individuals relocated to the land of Georgia. Eligible voters include both U.S.-born individuals and naturalized immigrants.)

In 2019, 43% of Black eligible voters in Georgia were born outside of the state (1.1 1000000 out of 2.v one thousand thousand), upwardly from 34% in 2000 (532,000 out of i.6 one thousand thousand). Over the aforementioned menstruum, the number of Black voters who were born outside of Georgia doubled, while the number of Black voters built-in in the country increased by just 38%.

Georgia's Blackness eligible voters born exterior of the state take various origins. In 2019, amid those born in the U.S., about 116,000 are from New York, more than than double their number since 2000. They are followed by those born in Florida (100,000), Alabama (87,000), Southward Carolina (52,000) and Illinois (47,000).

These numbers have shifted in the past two decades. In 2000, those built-in in Alabama (66,000) and Florida (52,000) were the largest groups among Georgia's Black eligible voters built-in exterior of the state. New York (50,000), Due south Carolina (40,000) and North Carolina (24,000) rounded out the tiptop five. Black eligible voters who were born exterior the U.S. have also played a significant role in the growth of Georgia'due south Black electorate. In 2019, about 123,000 Blackness eligible voters in the country were built-in outside of the country, with virtually tracing their origins to nations in the Caribbean (60,000) and Africa (57,000). Among those born in the Caribbean, the top countries of origin were Jamaica, Haiti, and Trinidad and Tobago, while Nigeria, Republic of ghana and Federal democratic republic of ethiopia superlative the list amongst those who were built-in in Africa.

Demographics of Black eligible voters in Georgia

Meanwhile, naturalized citizens merely make upwards 5% of Georgia'south overall Black electorate, but their numbers take grown more than fourfold over the past two decades, from 26,000 in 2000 to 123,000 in 2019. During this time, the land overall has likewise seen a substantial increase in its immigrant electorate.

Immigrant eligible voters in Georgia make upwardly even larger shares of the Asian and Latino electorates than amongst the Black electorate. Most three-in-four (74%) Asian eligible voters and i-in-four (26%) Latino eligible voters are naturalized citizens in the state.

Black eligible voters who were built-in outside Georgia have demographic characteristics that differ from those who were born in the country.

Those born outside the state had higher levels of teaching overall. In 2019, they were over twice as likely to have at least a bachelor's degree or more education. Additionally, their median household income was 56% higher than that of the Georgia built-in ($58,100 vs. $38,200).

Poverty rates also differ betwixt the groups. Ane-fifth of Blackness eligible voters (20%) who were born in the country of Georgia lived in poverty, a higher share than among those born outside the state (11%). In improver, Black eligible voters who were built-in outside the state were more than likely to reside in the state'due south largest urban areas. The Atlanta metro area is home to 76% of Black eligible voters who were built-in exterior of the state, while merely 49% of Georgia's Blackness eligible voters born in the state resided in the metro.

Abby Budiman is a former research analyst focusing on race and ethnicity inquiry at Pew Research Center.

Luis Noe-Bustamante is a inquiry analyst who studies race and ethnicity, Hispanic trends and migration/immigration at Pew Inquiry Center.