The 10 Worst Small Towns In Georgia For 2022


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

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 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst small places to live in Georgia.

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 212 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:

These are the worst small towns in Georgia for 2022:

  1. Nahunta
  2. Morgan
  3. Folkston
  4. Willacoochee
  5. Sparks
  6. Wrightsville
  7. Homerville
  8. Broxton
  9. Nicholls
  10. Porterdale

So what is the worst small town to call home in Georgia for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Nahunta 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 2022

1. Nahunta

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,135
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $58,800 (18th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 16.5% (7th worst)
More on Nahunta:  Data

2. Morgan

Morgan, GA

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 2,067
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 2)
Median Home Value: $80,500 (55th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 19.4% (4th worst)
More on Morgan:  Data | Photos

3. Folkston

Folkston, GA

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 4,853
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $54,100 (10th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 27.2% (worst)
More on Folkston:  Data | Photos

4. Willacoochee

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,462
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 3)
Median Home Value: $38,600 (3rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 10.0% (38th worst)
More on Willacoochee:  Data

5. Sparks

Sparks, GA

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,372
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 9)
Median Home Value: $54,300 (12th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 9.4% (45th worst)
More on Sparks:  Data | Photos

6. Wrightsville

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 3,638
Rank Last Year: 25 (Up 19)
Median Home Value: $74,300 (45th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 22.5% (2nd worst)
More on Wrightsville:  Data

7. Homerville

Homerville, GA

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,938
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 4)
Median Home Value: $64,300 (26th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 8.9% (5worst)
More on Homerville:  Data | Photos

8. Broxton

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,129
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 2)
Median Home Value: $1,000 (1000th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 8.7% (55th worst)
More on Broxton:  Data

9. Nicholls

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,333
Rank Last Year: 27 (Up 18)
Median Home Value: $35,800 (2nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 9.9% (40th worst)
More on Nicholls:  Data

10. Porterdale

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,948
Rank Last Year: 31 (Up 21)
Median Home Value: $78,900 (52nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 6.7% (86th worst)
More on Porterdale:  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 2022

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 2016-2020 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 - 212 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. Talahi Island (Pop. 1,224)
  2. Avondale Estates (Pop. 3,142)
  3. Berkeley Lake (Pop. 2,324)

For more Georgia reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Georgia

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Nahunta 1,135 16.5% $58,800
2 Morgan 2,067 19.4% $80,500
3 Folkston 4,853 27.2% $54,100
4 Willacoochee 1,462 10.0% $38,600
5 Sparks 2,372 9.4% $54,300
6 Wrightsville 3,638 22.5% $74,300
7 Homerville 1,938 8.9% $64,300
8 Broxton 1,129 8.7% $1,000
9 Nicholls 3,333 9.9% $35,800
10 Porterdale 1,948 6.7% $78,900
11 Georgetown-Quitman County Unified Government 2,290 21.4% $70,200
12 Sycamore 1,206 9.3% $46,900
13 Arlington 1,159 15.0% $74,100
14 Colquitt 2,158 12.5% $86,600
15 Blakely 4,605 7.4% $123,000
16 Sparta 1,737 8.5% $65,700
17 Meigs 1,068 17.4% $62,800
18 Pearson 2,017 4.6% $54,800
19 Vienna 3,610 16.6% $69,800
20 Metter 3,962 8.5% $92,200
21 Twin City 1,595 15.4% $79,300
22 Trion 2,440 6.7% $74,700
23 Edison 1,329 13.3% $44,600
24 Experiment 2,915 4.9% $64,200
25 Wadley 1,931 12.2% $69,300
26 Omega 1,231 5.5% $63,500
27 Oglethorpe 1,274 4.1% $49,900
28 Lavonia 2,571 8.1% $124,000
29 Tennille 1,291 9.1% $78,900
30 Webster County Unified Government 2,587 6.3% $69,700
31 Lyons 4,263 7.8% $72,400
32 Baxley 4,703 6.7% $92,500
33 Marshallville 1,284 11.6% $89,700
34 Ivey 1,190 12.2% $44,900
35 Canon 1,049 0.0% $80,600
36 Flovilla 1,010 7.0% $118,400
37 Lakeland 3,303 7.7% $104,800
38 Hogansville 3,165 6.7% $100,700
39 Alma 3,409 7.9% $79,400
40 Nicholson 1,714 13.6% $85,400
41 Soperton 3,071 14.2% $67,200
42 Hardwick 3,372 11.3% $60,000
43 Franklin 1,007 8.5% $256,300
44 Norman Park 1,021 3.5% $87,300
45 Enigma 1,298 1.7% $84,600
46 Rochelle 1,090 14.3% $73,800
47 Unionville 1,707 9.7% $39,700
48 Chattanooga Valley 3,676 13.1% $104,100
49 Woodbury 1,180 3.0% $75,000
50 Abbeville 2,725 3.6% $54,200
51 Donalsonville 2,783 6.4% $72,000
52 Pelham 3,502 15.9% $86,600
53 Union Point 1,550 7.7% $82,800
54 Wrens 2,343 6.7% $98,000
55 Lakeview Estates 2,546 1.8% $32,000
56 Lumber City 1,425 3.9% $56,900
57 Cuthbert 3,470 5.9% $67,800
58 Mount Vernon 2,537 13.6% $108,400
59 Cave Spring 1,183 13.3% $98,800
60 Dawson 4,182 8.7% $90,400
61 Quitman 3,720 16.4% $1,000
62 Crawford 1,223 7.7% $107,100
63 Baconton 1,024 5.8% $66,300
64 Greensboro 3,350 7.7% $85,200
65 Ocilla 3,668 13.7% $73,000
66 Greenville 1,002 4.3% $82,000
67 Lithonia 2,488 11.0% $111,000
68 Warrenton 2,084 6.0% $62,900
69 Summerville 4,283 5.9% $56,200
70 Bowdon 2,685 6.7% $103,800
71 Buchanan 1,409 12.6% $129,500
72 Royston 3,009 12.1% $114,200
73 Elberton 4,342 10.4% $72,200
74 Millen 2,799 2.3% $58,800
75 Ellaville 1,880 16.0% $114,300
76 Richland 1,549 3.6% $59,200
77 East Griffin 1,353 4.1% $59,500
78 Mountain City 1,068 3.8% $109,300
79 Homeland 1,124 2.8% $45,000
80 East Dublin 2,709 7.6% $92,700
81 Ellijay 2,036 3.5% $191,000
82 Hazlehurst 4,069 12.0% $87,900
83 Louisville 2,729 7.0% $88,400
84 Hephzibah 3,961 8.4% $120,200
85 Clayton 1,837 10.0% $115,100
86 Roberta 1,099 8.3% $107,100
87 Davisboro 2,217 3.9% $1,000
88 Ashburn 3,677 11.0% $75,000
89 Gordon 1,951 9.4% $72,800
90 Jasper 3,923 5.6% $165,200
91 Blackshear 3,484 7.0% $99,100
92 Putney 2,805 9.0% $97,300
93 Lincolnton 2,033 5.6% $151,000
94 Woodbine 1,322 9.8% $108,300
95 Nashville 4,820 3.0% $78,100
96 Aragon 1,571 7.7% $90,500
97 Unadilla 3,557 4.4% $65,800
98 Buena Vista 2,214 3.6% $150,700
99 Butler 2,047 0.2% $83,100
100 Alto 1,259 5.2% $121,000

How Is The Area In ?