Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.
Place dossier plate
SheetGA-ECHOLS-COUNTY-GA · Echols County, GA 3,705 pop · income 38th pct · 2 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Echols County
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Echols County on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Harlem · lowest
43,571
Harlem · lowest
43,571 median HH income
45.3% of the leader · rank #1
Richmond · near
61,715
Richmond · near
61,715 median HH income
64.2% of the leader · rank #2
Echols County · this city
61,723
Echols County · this city
61,723 median HH income
64.2% of the leader · rank #3
Chatsworth · near
61,731
Chatsworth · near
61,731 median HH income
64.2% of the leader · rank #4
Elkland · near
61,731
Elkland · near
61,731 median HH income
64.2% of the leader · rank #5
Salona · near
61,731
Salona · near
61,731 median HH income
64.2% of the leader · rank #6
Hoschton · highest
96,081
Hoschton · highest
96,081 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Echols County on ACS population and median household income
. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 3,705.
Echols County ranks in the 38th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.
38th
percentile, household income
14th
percentile, home value
51st
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Echols County, GA
3,705 people live in Echols County, Georgia - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Households in Echols County report a median income of $61,723 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 8.7%. Echols County's housing stock carries a median value of $112,600, and the median resident age is 31.2 years. About 14.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 63.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Living costs in Georgia run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Georgia at 96.3 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Below Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,203 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Georgia's average monthly utility costs around $225 (state average). FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 39.5 out of 100 (Very Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Echols County's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to housing and income to work and mobility to population change to within-city variation; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Echols County, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, commute-mode shares, within-city Census tract profiles.
No matched row is reported here for matched public-school count, local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
Which cities make useful reference points for Echols County?
Within Georgia, the closest population matches are Hoschton (3,700 residents, $96,081 income); Washington (3,700 residents, $47,946 income); Hephzibah (3,688 residents, $62,155 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are West End-Cobb, AL (3,705 residents); Aurora, IN (3,704 residents); Imlay City, MI (3,706 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.
How far does income reach against housing in Echols County?
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 1.8 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 8.7%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.
What does the journey to work look like in Echols County?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 81.9%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
What can 2 Census tracts reveal inside Echols County?
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Population change
Is Echols County growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -31 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -0.8% change. No comparable local building-permit series is available here, so population change should not be read as a housing-supply measure. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
-0.8%
2025 estimate
3,685
2020 estimate
3,716
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Below median income · poverty 8.7% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
96.3 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Georgia average
D
City profile score · Echols County, GA
40/100
4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living C
96.3 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Poverty rate D
8.7%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$61,723
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share F
14.4%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime N/A
N/A
No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).
Echols County profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 57/100 (C) · 96.3 index
Poverty rate: 45/100 (D) · 8.7%
Household income: 37/100 (F) · $61,723
Bachelor's+ share: 18/100 (F) · 14.4%
How does Echols County compare to other US cities?
Where Echols County sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income38% higher than other cities
Home value14% pricier than other cities
Median rent51% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Echols County against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Georgia only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Georgia-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Echols County near the bottom of Georgia's cities
Among the 638 Georgia cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Echols County ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Echols County only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#241 of 610
60th percentile in Georgia
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 638
0th percentile in Georgia
Median Home Value
#411 of 577
29th percentile in Georgia
Poverty Rate
#394 of 637
38th percentile in Georgia
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#388 of 638
39th percentile in Georgia
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Georgia only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
38th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How Echols County's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$112,600Among the most affordablemore affordable than 86% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Echols County's home-value-to-income ratio: 1.8×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#1,074 of 15,516
More affordable than 93% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,040 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 1.8×, Echols County sits in the affordable band:
national rank #1,074 of 15,516 and #1,040 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$61,723Echols County, GA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Echols County, GA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Echols County, GA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)14.4%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)8.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)63.4%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
3,705
Median Income
$61,723
Median Home Value
$112,600
Median Age
31.2
Poverty Rate
8.7%
Labor force participation
63.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
14.4%
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Echols County's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
3,716 residents
2021
3,687 residents
2022
3,684 residents
2023
3,712 residents
2024
3,688 residents
2025
3,685 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
81.9%
Carpool
7.2%
Public Transit
0.3%
Walk
8.5%
Work from Home
0.0%
Other
2.1%
Based on 1,810 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Georgia statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $225
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Georgia at $225 (electricity about $125 , water and sewer about $45 ).
These are Georgia statewide averages, not a meter reading for Echols County. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Georgia's BEA cost-of-living index is 96.3 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Echols County is $1,203/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Georgia statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 39.5 / 100 (Very Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Georgia statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Echols County sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Echols County compares to similar-size Georgia cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.