These Are The 10 Dumbest Cities In Georgia


We used science and data to determine which of Georgia’s cities are dumb as rocks.

This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out.

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Georgia is a pretty great state with some wonderfully friendly and hospitable people.

But when it comes to brains, Georgia is behind the rest of the nation. In fact, a recent Washington Post study found it to be the 13th dumbest state in America, with the 11th lowest average IQ.

That doesn’t mean every single place in Georgia is filled to the brim with blockheads. But, by looking at the data, we can see which Georgian cities are contributing to the state’s intelligence deficit the most.

After crunching the numbers, we came up with this list of the ten dumbest cities in the Peach State:

  1. Cedartown (Photos)
  2. Cairo (Photos)
  3. Chamblee (Photos)
  4. Dalton (Photos)
  5. Griffin (Photos)
  6. Rome (Photos)
  7. Sylvester (Photos)
  8. Calhoun (Photos)
  9. Doraville (Photos)
  10. Norcross (Photos)

But you don’t have to be dumb — you can always live in one of the best places in Georgia. Or continue on to learn why these places aren’t the brightest peaches that Georgia has to offer.

For more Georgia reading, check out:

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How we determined the dumbest cities in the Peach State

We realize that formal education isn’t everything when it comes to being smart, but on the other hand not knowing the difference between they’re, their, and there is always going to make you look pretty stupid.

So we narrowed down our criteria to focus both on a city’s educational opportunities and what percentage of the population takes advantage of those opportunities.

In short, we came up with these criteria to determine the dumbest cities in Georgia:

  • % of city’s population with less than a high school education (Age 25+)
  • % of high school dropouts (Ages 16-19)

Note: We only looked at cities with populations greater than 5,000, leaving us 127 cities in Georgia to rank. We also looked at the graduation rates of the entire population, not the current rates for high schoolers.

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1. Cedartown

Dumbest Georgia

Population: 9,760
Adults Without High School Diploma: 38.7%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 15.2%

Located in northwestern Georgia, Cedartown ranks as the dumbest city in the state, with both a large undereducated adult population and a youth population that doesn’t think school is very cool either.

Cedartown has the second highest proportion of adults without high school degrees in the state, with nearly 4 in 10 residents over the age of 25 having never completed basic education.

Cedartown’s high school dropout rate of 15.2% is also more than double the state average for cities with populations greater than 5,000.

With so many uneducated adults and an incredibly high rate of teenage dropouts, Cedartown seems secure in its position as the dumbest city in Georgia.

2. Cairo

Dumbest Georgia

Population: 9,750
Adults Without High School Diploma: 31.3%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 22.2%

Cairo ranks as the second dumbest city in Georgia with incredibly bad scores in both categories.

31.3% of Cairo’s adult population never completed high school, which, in not-so-bright Georgia, only ranks as the 8th worst in the state for cities with populations above 5,000.

However, the real stupidity problem ailing Cairo is the super high rate of teenage high school dropouts (the second highest in the state), with 22 out of every 100 students dropping out each year.

In fairness, with a football team called “the Syrupmakers,” dropping out seems a bit more understandable.

3. Chamblee

Dumbest Georgia

Source: Public domain

Population: 15,835
Adults Without High School Diploma: 27.1%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 41.8%

Located just northeast of Atlanta, Chamblee’s motto is “A City on the Right Track,” which is a throwback to its status as a 20th century railroad community.

The motto is a lie in terms of education though, since Chamblee has the highest rate of high school dropouts in all of Georgia, with a whopping 41.8% of students dropping out of basic education.

To be fair, 25% of people under the age of 18 live below the poverty line, so school may not be a priority, but either way, the next generation isn’t positioning itself to improve its economic situation by leaving school so young.

4. Dalton

Dumbest Georgia

Source: Public domain

Population: 33,336
Adults Without High School Diploma: 36.3%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 12.7%

Located in northwestern Georgia (like many cities on this list), Dalton is the fourth dumbest city in Georgia.

A staggeringly high 36.3% of Dalton’s adult population doesn’t have a GED, which is the fourth highest rate in Georgia and more than twice as high as the state’s average.

On top of that, the dropout rate is nearly double the state average for cities with populations over 5,000, so Dalton seems like it’s going to continue to be dumber than its Georgian peers.

5. Griffin

Dumbest Georgia

Population: 23,425
Adults Without High School Diploma: 26.0%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 16.8%

A southern suburb of Atlanta, Griffin ranks as the fifth dumbest city in Georgia with the fifth highest rate of teenage high school dropouts in the state.

About 17 students drop out for every 100, which is about three times higher than the state average. That means a large portion of the upcoming generation will be unqualified for a number of jobs.

Add to that the fact that more than a quarter of adults in Griffin never completed high school, and you’ve got yourself one of the dumbest cities in Georgia.

6. Rome

Dumbest Georgia

Source: Public domain

Population: 36,099
Adults Without High School Diploma: 27.4%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 12.1%

Located at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Rome is the largest city in northwestern Georgia, the apparent epicenter of the state’s stupidity.

27.4% of Rome’s adult residents never earned a high school diploma, which is a full 10% higher than the average for Georgian cities with populations over 5,000.

While Rome is home to four colleges, 12.1% of the city’s high school students drop out each year, meaning they won’t be able to take advantage of these educational opportunities.

7. Sylvester

Dumbest Georgia

Population: 6,180
Adults Without High School Diploma: 28.3%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 10.9%

Sylvester’s motto is “Small Town. Big Heart.” An alteration to that might read: “Small Town. Big Heart. Small Brain.”

Sylvester is indeed the smallest city to make the dumb-cut, with 28.3% of the city’s adult population having never earned their GED.

The dropout rate of 10.9% is also much worse than the state’s average, leaving us to see Sylvester in a dim light.

8. Calhoun

Dumbest Georgia

Source: Public domain

Population: 15,837
Adults Without High School Diploma: 33.3%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 8.6%

Another northwest Georgian city, Calhoun has one of the highest education-less adult populations in the state.

For every three adults you meet in Calhoun, one of them never completed high school, meaning it isn’t the best city to get a book club started in.

Adding to Calhoun’s stupid-points is the fact that 17 out of every 200 students drop out of high school.

9. Doraville

Dumbest Georgia

Source: Public domain

Population: 10,513
Adults Without High School Diploma: 39.5%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 7.0%

A northeastern suburb of Atlanta, Doraville has the highest rate of adults without GEDs in all of Georgia.

An incredibly high 39.5% of Doraville’s population over the age of 25 never completed the basic education offered in high school, which is well over twice as high as the state’s average.

On the “bright” side, the dropout rate in Doraville is only 0.6% higher than the state average for cities with populations over 5,000, so in years to come, Doraville’s stupidity might be phased out.

10. Norcross

Dumbest Georgia

Source: Public domain

Population: 15,799
Adults Without High School Diploma: 29.4%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 8.9%

Located just northeast of Doraville, Norcross is the last place to make the list of dumbest cities in Georgia.

Nearly 3 in 10 adults in Norcross never completed high school, which is the ninth highest rate in the state.

On top of that, 9 out of every 100 teenage high school students drops out each year, which means Norcross isn’t poised to climb out of the stupid hole any time soon.

Putting a dunce cap on our analysis

If you’re measuring the locations in Georgia where there are a high number of teenage dropouts and adults who never received a formal education, this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious, the five smartest cities in Georgia with populations greater than 5,000 are, in order: Pooler, Alpharetta, Suwanee, Kennesaw, St. Mary’s.

Alpharetta, Suwanee, and Kennesaw are all suburbs north of Atlanta, while Pooler and St. Mary’s are located in the southeastern part of the Georgia.

Other notable cities: Atlanta ranked as the 36th smartest city out of the 127 cities we looked at data for, with a dropout rate of 4.8% and only 11.6% of adults not having a GED.

Savannah is in the middle of the pack in terms of intelligence, ranking as the 62nd dumbest city in Georgia with a dropout rate of 8.5% and 14.4% of adults not having a GED.

We also wrote about the 10 drunkest cities in Georgia if you want another interesting read. Click here to read it.

Detailed List Of Dumbest Cities In Georgia

City Rank Population Adults Without High School Diploma Teenage High School Drop Outs
Cedartown 1 9,760 38.7% 15.2%
Cairo 2 9,750 31.3% 22.2%
Chamblee 3 15,835 27.1% 41.8%
Dalton 4 33,336 36.3% 12.7%
Griffin 5 23,425 26.0% 16.8%
Rome 6 36,099 27.4% 12.1%
Sylvester 7 6,180 28.3% 10.9%
Calhoun 8 15,837 33.3% 8.6%
Doraville 9 10,513 39.5% 7.0%
Norcross 10 15,799 29.4% 8.9%
Gainesville 11 34,938 27.5% 10.0%
Locust Grove 12 5,573 23.5% 16.1%
Moultrie 13 14,467 27.7% 9.9%
Covington 14 13,342 28.4% 8.5%
Commerce 15 6,535 25.4% 10.8%
Canton 16 23,841 23.4% 13.0%
Buford 17 12,864 23.5% 12.6%
Swainsboro 18 7,431 26.4% 8.7%
Adel 19 5,294 25.4% 9.5%
College Park 20 14,019 21.7% 13.0%
Cordele 21 11,177 26.3% 8.0%
Camilla 22 5,078 25.0% 8.7%
Bremen 23 6,204 18.2% 19.1%
LaGrange 24 30,138 20.5% 12.8%
Waynesboro 25 5,820 24.0% 8.8%
Bainbridge 26 12,600 22.3% 10.2%
Thomaston 27 9,068 27.0% 5.9%
Jesup 28 10,275 18.7% 13.1%
Cartersville 29 19,858 18.0% 14.9%
Thomson 30 6,682 31.7% 2.9%
Fairburn 31 13,520 17.6% 14.0%
Toccoa 32 8,327 15.9% 17.0%
Clarkston 33 7,717 37.0% 1.0%
Forest Park 34 18,783 33.2% 1.4%
Albany 35 76,946 21.6% 8.0%
Austell 36 6,944 16.9% 12.8%
Brunswick 37 15,648 22.5% 6.5%
Thomasville 38 18,558 19.3% 8.9%
Hapeville 39 6,611 22.4% 6.6%
Dublin 40 16,200 16.5% 11.4%
Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance) 41 196,551 16.4% 11.0%
Marietta 42 58,436 15.0% 12.5%
Lawrenceville 43 29,364 19.3% 7.8%
Vidalia 44 10,596 17.2% 9.5%
Garden City 45 8,924 20.2% 6.2%
Morrow 46 6,837 23.3% 4.0%
Douglas 47 11,738 24.1% 3.1%
Monroe 48 13,427 24.8% 2.7%
Lilburn 49 12,162 19.5% 6.0%
Winder 50 14,495 22.8% 3.3%
Eastman 51 5,442 20.5% 5.5%
Milledgeville 52 18,840 20.2% 5.6%
Fort Valley 53 9,448 24.4% 1.2%
Glennville 54 5,166 22.5% 3.0%
Americus 55 16,557 22.5% 2.8%
Perry 56 14,714 13.8% 9.1%
Richmond Hill 57 10,334 8.3% 12.8%
Waycross 58 14,363 21.0% 3.5%
East Point 59 35,070 16.5% 7.1%
Loganville 60 10,711 18.4% 5.4%
Tifton 61 16,589 25.1% 0.2%
Savannah 62 141,298 14.4% 8.5%
Conyers 63 15,456 17.6% 5.7%
Smyrna 64 52,922 9.7% 10.8%
Eatonton 65 6,489 24.1% 0.6%
Dallas 66 12,129 15.4% 7.1%
Union City 67 20,200 15.4% 6.9%
Fayetteville 68 16,323 6.9% 11.7%
Hawkinsville 69 5,588 21.1% 1.5%
Sandersville 70 5,839 19.7% 2.8%
Valdosta 71 56,324 17.2% 5.3%
Lovejoy 72 6,433 12.9% 7.1%
Carrollton 73 25,138 21.9% 0.7%
Hampton 74 7,092 17.9% 4.0%
Fort Oglethorpe 75 9,368 17.9% 3.3%
Snellville 76 18,939 7.0% 9.3%
Fitzgerald 77 9,054 19.8% 1.3%
Warner Robins 78 71,359 12.0% 6.2%
Newnan 79 34,457 14.4% 5.6%
Columbus 80 198,247 14.5% 5.3%
McRae 81 5,762 21.2% 0.0%
Stockbridge 82 26,992 11.5% 6.0%
Brookhaven 83 50,181 12.6% 5.6%
Cusseta-Chattahoochee County unified government 84 11,846 7.0% 8.2%
Auburn 85 7,388 17.4% 2.1%
Sandy Springs 86 98,480 5.5% 8.9%
Cumming 87 5,538 17.9% 1.6%
LaFayette 88 7,105 18.2% 1.1%
McDonough 89 22,560 9.6% 5.8%
Folkston 90 5,233 17.9% 1.1%
Villa Rica 91 14,266 14.3% 3.7%
Atlanta 92 440,641 11.6% 4.8%
Peachtree Corners 93 39,381 6.5% 7.3%
Grovetown 94 12,179 18.5% 0.0%
Riverdale 95 15,496 18.2% 0.0%
Sugar Hill 96 19,688 10.6% 5.0%
Woodstock 97 25,672 4.9% 6.7%
Hinesville 98 34,253 8.8% 4.6%
Statesboro 99 29,630 14.1% 1.8%
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) 100 118,514 14.5% 1.1%
Acworth 101 21,169 9.9% 3.2%
Flowery Branch 102 6,012 4.5% 5.9%
Peachtree City 103 34,701 5.2% 5.7%
Tyrone 104 7,028 6.6% 5.2%
Powder Springs 105 14,271 12.3% 1.6%
Douglasville 106 31,573 10.4% 2.0%
Kingsland 107 16,147 7.1% 3.2%
Barnesville 108 6,617 14.5% 0.0%
Holly Springs 109 9,678 5.6% 4.6%
Jefferson 110 9,630 12.9% 0.0%
Roswell 111 92,364 6.7% 3.1%
Milton 112 34,874 2.0% 4.6%
Stone Mountain 113 5,924 11.4% 0.0%
Dahlonega 114 5,884 10.5% 0.3%
Centerville 115 7,468 10.5% 0.0%
Port Wentworth 116 6,189 9.7% 0.0%
Braselton 117 8,212 9.3% 0.0%
Dunwoody 118 47,182 6.1% 1.4%
Duluth 119 27,821 8.6% 0.4%
Rincon 120 9,273 9.0% 0.0%
Decatur 121 19,888 4.7% 1.8%
Johns Creek 122 80,979 4.1% 1.9%
St. Marys 123 17,555 7.1% 0.0%
Kennesaw 124 31,358 5.5% 0.9%
Suwanee 125 16,648 6.3% 0.0%
Alpharetta 126 60,903 3.2% 0.6%
Pooler 127 20,646 5.3% 0.0%