Worst Small Towns In Georgia For 2020


Using science and data, we can tell you which teeny specks in GA are the pits.

Sam Sparkes, RoadSnacks
December 27, 2019 - 40,172 views
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Editor’s Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out we updated this article for 2020. This is our sixth time ranking the worst small places to live in Georgia.

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Most Americans have never been to Georgia. However, as the people who live there know, Georgia is an awesome state.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Georgia has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Peach State. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.

After analyzing more than 197 of Georgia's smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Georgia where you'd never want to live:

So what is the worst small town to call home in georgia for 2020? According to the most recent census data, Willacoochee is the worst small town to live in Georgia.

Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since Georgia has its stuff figured out.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Georgia or the worst places to live in Georgia.

If you're looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Georgia For 2020

1. Willacoochee

Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 1,461
Rank Last Year: 2 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $28,500 (2nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 12.6% (34th worst)
More on Willacoochee:  Data

2. Fort Gaines

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,010
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $56,800 (22nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 31.5% (1st worst)
More on Fort Gaines:  Data

3. Arlington

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,656
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 2)
Median Home Value: $38,300 (6th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 24.3% (4th worst)
More on Arlington:  Data

4. Franklin

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,001
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 3)
Median Home Value: $118,100 (139th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 25.5% (3rd worst)
More on Franklin:  Data

5. Homerville

Homerville, GA

Source: Wikipedia User Michael Rivera | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 2,442
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 5)
Median Home Value: $52,300 (14th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 9.5% (72nd worst)
More on Homerville:  Data | Photos

6. Folkston

Folkston, GA

Source: Wikipedia User Bubba73 (Jud Mc | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 4,951
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $84,700 (83rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 14.9% (19th worst)
More on Folkston:  Data | Photos

Folkston is a city in and the county seat of Charlton County, Georgia, United States. Folkston is in the Jacksonville Metropolitan Area. The population was 4,148 as of the 2010 census, up from 2,178 in 2000, largely due to the extension of the city boundary to include D. Ray James Prison.

7. Lumpkin

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,142
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $37,800 (5th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 26.4% (2nd worst)
More on Lumpkin:  Data

8. Lakeland

Lakeland, GA

Source: Wikipedia User Mjrmtg | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,271
Rank Last Year: 21 (Up 13)
Median Home Value: $52,600 (15th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.4% (44th worst)
More on Lakeland:  Data | Photos

9. Georgetown-Quitman County Unified Government

Source: Public Domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,276
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $65,900 (37th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.1% (53rd worst)
More on Georgetown-Quitman County Unified Government:  Data

10. Pearson

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,036
Rank Last Year: 16 (Up 6)
Median Home Value: $60,000 (27th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 8.2% (94th worst)
More on Pearson:  Data

How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?

In order to rank the worst small towns to live in Georgia, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn't a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.

So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.

How we determined the worst small towns to live in Georgia for 2020

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data and the Census's 2014-2018 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (The lower the worse)
  • Highest Unemployment Rates
  • Low housing costs (meaning there's no demand)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
  • Education (Number of high school dropouts)
  • High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which, there were a lot - 197 to be exact.

Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.

There You Have It - The Worst Small Towns In Georgia

If you're analyzing teeny places in the Peach State with the worst economic situations, where there's high crime and there's not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

If you're curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Georgia, according to science:

  1. Berkeley Lake (Pop. 1,994)
  2. Isle of Hope (Pop. 2,539)
  3. Avondale Estates (Pop. 3,135)

For more Georgia reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Georgia

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Willacoochee 1,461 12.6% $28,500
2 Fort Gaines 1,010 31.5% $56,800
3 Arlington 1,656 24.3% $38,300
4 Franklin 1,001 25.5% $118,100
5 Homerville 2,442 9.5% $52,300
6 Folkston 4,951 14.9% $84,700
7 Lumpkin 1,142 26.4% $37,800
8 Lakeland 3,271 11.4% $52,600
9 Georgetown-Quitman County Unified Government 2,276 11.1% $65,900
10 Pearson 2,036 8.2% $60,000
11 Morgan 2,055 1.4% $70,000
12 Lyons 4,318 17.9% $72,400
13 Greensboro 3,356 6.7% $71,100
14 Oglethorpe 1,288 7.9% $45,900
15 Metter 3,978 11.3% $101,700
16 Greenville 1,093 11.2% $69,200
17 Hardwick 3,431 11.4% $47,500
18 Omega 1,256 4.2% $53,200
19 Warrenton 1,976 9.7% $56,100
20 Shellman 1,147 20.5% $81,600
21 Ellaville 1,788 21.0% $100,800
22 Experiment 2,853 8.8% $66,400
23 Broxton 1,254 7.7% $50,700
24 Vienna 3,737 20.5% $69,600
25 Mountain City 1,103 10.0% $76,700
26 Blakely 4,690 10.2% $86,300
27 Sparks 2,261 5.9% $55,000
28 Wadley 1,841 5.6% $61,500
29 Nicholls 3,870 8.5% $36,300
30 Marshallville 1,470 16.3% $68,100
31 Nashville 4,813 12.9% $73,100
32 Darien 2,500 11.4% $100,000
33 Canon 1,002 1.8% $66,700
34 Reynolds 1,119 14.7% $63,500
35 East Newnan 1,134 5.3% $93,400
36 Chester 2,121 5.4% $66,800
37 Richland 1,637 4.7% $50,800
38 Wrightsville 3,666 14.2% $66,300
39 Cuthbert 3,581 10.0% $57,800
40 Jeffersonville 1,127 5.8% $57,100
41 Camilla 5,000 14.1% $86,400
42 Alma 3,474 14.1% $81,300
43 Millen 2,838 5.0% $51,400
44 Sparta 1,854 11.9% $55,100
45 Edison 1,163 9.3% $45,500
46 Porterdale 1,742 8.0% $75,700
47 Trion 2,322 6.9% $72,500
48 Screven 1,065 11.3% $72,600
49 Louisville 2,628 10.1% $65,000
50 Zebulon 1,196 12.0% $89,700
51 Lakeview Estates 2,697 0.8% $27,200
52 Twin City 1,860 7.9% $63,900
53 Butler 1,989 11.1% $65,000
54 Gordon 2,068 11.9% $67,300
55 Buchanan 1,435 10.1% $92,000
56 Woodbury 1,203 6.0% $59,800
57 Quitman 3,771 15.2% $111,300
58 Unadilla 3,615 6.3% $72,700
59 Summerville 4,339 12.0% $54,800
60 Russell 1,229 13.1% $85,500
61 Unionville 2,183 2.9% $48,900
62 Pelham 3,609 19.8% $68,400
63 Mount Vernon 2,519 9.2% $67,200
64 Colquitt 2,194 8.0% $89,100
65 Tennille 1,722 7.6% $67,100
66 Abbeville 2,792 2.3% $34,000
67 Union Point 1,837 5.0% $75,000
68 Ocilla 3,487 9.5% $63,400
69 Royston 2,997 8.9% $93,300
70 Hazlehurst 4,164 15.4% $82,600
71 Hogansville 3,085 8.9% $97,000
72 Dawson 4,222 10.9% $112,600
73 Davisboro 1,903 6.7% $57,500
74 Chattanooga Valley 3,727 16.2% $102,500
75 Boston 1,325 10.9% $88,200
76 Baxley 4,697 7.6% $78,100
77 Aragon 1,382 11.5% $92,100
78 Lumber City 1,230 1.2% $54,000
79 Lavonia 2,131 4.8% $99,200
80 Bowdon 2,134 8.4% $84,500
81 Soperton 3,073 10.7% $66,800
82 Ellijay 2,918 8.6% $164,400
83 Wrens 2,295 5.6% $100,400
84 Ashburn 3,691 9.4% $78,700
85 Jonesboro 4,737 11.1% $83,700
86 Montezuma 3,117 10.9% $76,300
87 Hartwell 4,411 5.3% $95,800
88 Buena Vista 2,104 6.3% $88,700
89 Norman Park 1,024 3.7% $71,700
90 Pembroke 2,447 14.2% $134,300
91 Putney 2,250 11.5% $89,600
92 Mccaysville 1,353 11.1% $98,900
93 Baconton 1,001 8.8% $73,900
94 Webster County Unified Government 2,613 2.2% $60,800
95 Donalsonville 2,589 8.1% $73,500
96 Hannahs Mill 3,372 9.3% $78,600
97 Raoul 2,937 0.0% $67,900
98 West Point 3,554 13.1% $139,600
99 Cave Spring 1,128 12.6% $113,100
100 Forsyth 4,054 17.6% $122,100
Download The Entire Georgia Ranking Data

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2 thoughts on “Worst Small Towns In Georgia, 2020”

  1. Well how do I start? Oak Park is a small town, but I have lived there most of my life. It is definitely an acquired taste of living. The people that live there enjoy simple country living and it is a nice place to live. Most go hunting, fishing, ride ATV’s, farming, etc. it’s a nice small quiet town to live in. Very peaceful and friendly and they have plenty of churches to choose from. Everyone knows everyone and willing to help one another. As for the comment about the bar, yes there is in fact a bar in town along with a subway and a few gas stations. The town is stretched out so most businesses are near the interstate. Someone that is not from there would be ignorant to that. So this town is technically idle for potential businesses because land is cheap and the cost to build and establish a business would be less costly. The potential for income would be there with the location beside the interstate and business from people in the surrounding small towns. See what this article fails to include is the fact that this town and others are surrounded by many small towns so none of them are really developed though there is plenty of room for development and growth. This town has a tremendous amount of potential. I can assure you that your statistics regarding crime is completely inaccurate or out dated. There is little to no crime unless you consider a speeding ticket a crime. I would know being the former police commissioner and former city councilwoman. It’s kind of like being on the Andy Griffith show. It’s like Mayberry. So to me this would be an ideal place to raise a family.

    Reply

  2. Amanda B. Knott, thank you so much for our words regarding Oak Park. I live in Deerfield Beach FL and we are doing some personal research on small towns around Georgia, since it is not too north and not too south either. My husband can`t stand the snow. Some how I found Oak Park among others. I was very disappointed to read the article that places it among the worst towns to live. Like you said, ” Mayberry like town” is what we long for. Tks so much for being fair to the place you love and keep up telling the truth. God bless you. If we decide to move to your town, we will love to meet you there.

    Reply

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