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Place dossier plate
SheetGA-FORT-GAINES-GA · Fort Gaines, GA 1,166 pop · income 7th pct · 1 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 Fort Gaines
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Fort Gaines on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Nahunta · lowest
33,934
Nahunta · lowest
33,934 median HH income
15.0% of the leader · rank #1
Windsor · near
38,631
Windsor · near
38,631 median HH income
17.1% of the leader · rank #2
Fort Gaines · this city
38,636
Fort Gaines · this city
38,636 median HH income
17.1% of the leader · rank #3
Petersburg · near
38,636
Petersburg · near
38,636 median HH income
17.1% of the leader · rank #4
Mount Vernon · near
38,639
Mount Vernon · near
38,639 median HH income
17.1% of the leader · rank #5
West Pensacola · near
38,641
West Pensacola · near
38,641 median HH income
17.1% of the leader · rank #6
Deans · highest
225,750
Deans · highest
225,750 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 Fort Gaines 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: 1,166.
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Fort Gaines places in the 7th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.
7th
percentile, household income
7th
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: Fort Gaines, GA
Georgia's Fort Gaines is a small town, with 1,166 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The typical household in Fort Gaines brings in $38,636 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 22.7%. Home values in Fort Gaines run a median of $91,400, and the median resident age is 31.7 years. Educational attainment runs 8.8% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 48.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 0 residential units were authorized in 2024 (No Permits). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 65.7°F.
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). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,203 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Georgia's average monthly utility costs around $225 (state average). The average commute for Fort Gaines workers runs 19.1 minutes, with 73.9% driving alone and 9.4% working from home. 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 Fort Gaines'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 work and mobility to housing and income to comparison shortlist to schools and households to within-city variation to population change to climate and hazard context; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Fort Gaines, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, annual population history, local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles.
No matched row is reported here for FBI reported-crime rates; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Fort Gaines?
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 73.9%. The reported mean trip to work is 19.1 minutes.
How far does income reach against housing in Fort Gaines?
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 2.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 22.7%, 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.
Which cities make useful reference points for Fort Gaines?
Within Georgia, the closest population matches are Nahunta (1,168 residents, $33,934 income); Cave Spring (1,148 residents, $47,560 income); Alto (1,187 residents, $54,479 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Kotlik, AK (1,166 residents); Deans, NJ (1,166 residents); Rock Springs, NM (1,166 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.
What can 1 Census tracts reveal inside Fort Gaines?
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.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Fort Gaines?
The NCES join finds 2 public schools within the city match. 8.8% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
Matched public schools
2
Bachelor's degree+
8.8%
Poverty estimate
22.7%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Is Fort Gaines growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -21 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -2.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 0 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
-2.1%
2025 estimate
970
2020 estimate
991
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What physical conditions frame life in Fort Gaines?
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 65.7°F. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Georgia is 39.5 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
Mean temperature
65.7°F
FEMA risk index (state avg)
39.5
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
Lowest-decile income · poverty 22.7% (Highest-decile poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
96.3 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Georgia average
F
City profile score · Fort Gaines, GA
19/100
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 F
22.7%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$38,636
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share F
8.8%
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).
Fort Gaines profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 57/100 (C) · 96.3 index
Poverty rate: 9/100 (F) · 22.7%
Household income: 5/100 (F) · $38,636
Bachelor's+ share: 3/100 (F) · 8.8%
How does Fort Gaines compare to other US cities?
Fort Gaines measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income7% higher than other cities
Home value7% 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 Fort Gaines 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 Fort Gaines near the bottom of Georgia's cities
Among the 638 Georgia cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Fort Gaines ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Fort Gaines only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#488 of 610
20th percentile in Georgia
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 638
0th percentile in Georgia
Median Home Value
#478 of 577
17th percentile in Georgia
Poverty Rate
#149 of 637
76th percentile in Georgia
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#509 of 638
20th 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
7th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How Fort Gaines's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$91,400Among the most affordablemore affordable than 93% 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
Fort Gaines's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.4×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#3,313 of 15,516
More affordable than 79% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,032 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 2.4×, Fort Gaines sits in the affordable band:
national rank #3,313 of 15,516 and #3,032 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
$38,636Fort Gaines, GA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Fort Gaines, 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 Fort Gaines, GA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)8.8%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)22.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)48.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,166
Median Income
$38,636
Median Home Value
$91,400
Median Age
31.7
Poverty Rate
22.7%
Labor force participation
48.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
8.8%
Climate
Avg Temperature
65.7°F
Annual Precipitation
N/A
Annual Snowfall
N/A
Schools
Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Fort Gaines's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
991 residents
2021
1,002 residents
2022
995 residents
2023
988 residents
2024
968 residents
2025
970 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
Total Permits (2024)
0
housing units authorized
Single-Family
0
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
0
0
0
-
2020
0
0
0
-
2021
0
0
0
-
2022
0
0
0
-
2023
0
0
0
-
2024
0
0
0
-
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
19.1 minutes
Drive Alone
73.9%
Carpool
10.8%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
9.4%
Other
5.9%
Based on 425 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 Fort Gaines. 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 Fort Gaines 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 Fort Gaines sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Fort Gaines 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, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, 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.