Jesup is a city in Wayne County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,809 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Wayne County. History By February 1869, Willis Clary had begun building a two-story hotel near the junction of Macon and Brunswick Railroad and the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad and four stores had sprung up in the area. Clary became a driving force for the establishment of what would become Jesup and was its first mayor. By September 1869, the town included five stores, a sawmill, and a railroad eating house in addition to Clary's hotel. By December 1869 the community had become known as Jesup. Jesup was named for Thomas Jesup, a general during the Second Seminole War. The area was then part of Appling County, Georgia. On August 27, 1872, eastern sections of Appling land districts 3 and 4 were added to Wayne County. In 1873, the seat of Wayne County was transferred to Jesup from Waynesville. Geography Jesup is located at (31.601866, -81.885070). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (0.30%) is water. It is 35 miles west of Hinesville and 12 Miles Southwest of Ludowici, GA Demographics 2020 census As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,809 people, 3,754 households, and 2,365 families residing in the city. 2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 10,214 people, 2,921 households, and 2,015 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,469 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 49.1% White, 39.6% Black, 0.3% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.9% Pacific Islander, 0.0% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.2% of the population. There were 2,921 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples living together, 21.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.09. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18,