City · Georgia
Ideal, Georgia
Ideal, city, in Macon County, Georgia. Ideal had 391 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 3.0% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 407 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 718 (±256). GEOID 1340812.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
391
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 407 · ACS 2020-2024: 718 ±256
Median household income
$26,500
±$12,539 (90% margin)
Georgia: $77,353
Median home value
$48,900
±$22,024 (90% margin)
Georgia: $303,300
Median gross rent
$800
±$350 (90% margin)
Georgia: $1,393
Where is Ideal and what county is it in?
Ideal is a city in Macon County, Georgia. It covers 1.1 square miles of land, 356 residents per square mile in 2020.
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Ideal, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 391 people lived in Ideal on July 1, 2025, down 3.0% since 2020, while Georgia grew 5.5%. The 2020 Census counted 407 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 718 (±256).
| Measure | Ideal | Macon County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 718 ±256 | 11,864 | +406 |
| Households | 242 ±84 | 4,142 | +118 |
| Average household size | 2.62 ±0.71 | 2.39 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 289 ±87 | 5,135 | no clear change |
Ideal's population since 2000
From 518 in 2000 to 391 in 2025: down 24.5%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Ideal as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Ideal?
The median resident of Ideal is 41.8 years old; 28.8% are under 18 and 20.1% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic Black residents at 84.3%, then non-Hispanic white residents at 15.3%.
| Measure | Ideal | Macon County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 41.8 ±10.0 | 40.4 | −17.5 |
| Under 18 years | 28.8% ±10.4 pts | 18.0% | – |
| 65 years and over | 20.1% ±10.7 pts | 19.0% | – |
| Male | 31.2% ±11.9 pts | 55.0% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 0.4% ±0.7 pts | 4.7% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 15.3% ±7.8 pts | 32.5% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 84.3% ±8.0 pts | 58.4% | no clear change |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±6.4 pts | 1.6% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±6.4 pts | 0.2% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±6.4 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±6.4 pts | 1.9% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±6.4 pts | 0.6% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 0.1% ±0.3 pts | 3.4% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 0.9% ±1.2 pts | 7.5% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 3.1% ±3.1 pts | 6.3% | – |
| With a disability | 14.1% ±6.0 pts | 17.7% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 9.8% ±7.7 pts | 24.7% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 61.2% ±13.6 pts | 77.4% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 7.0% ±4.5 pts | 11.0% | – |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 0.0% ±10.2 pts | 3.9% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 95.2% ±4.6 pts | 89.5% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 0.4% ±0.7 pts | 1.2% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Ideal earn?
Half of Ideal's 242 households earn less than $26,500 a year (±$12,539), against $41,031 in Macon County and $77,353 in Georgia. In 2015-2019 it was $27,307 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 49.9% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Ideal | Macon County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $26,500 ±$12,539 | $41,031 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $34,355 ±$7,076 | $66,028 | – |
| Per capita income | $13,846 ±$2,917 | $24,614 | −$6,523 |
| People below the poverty line | 49.9% ±22.9 pts | 25.1% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 64.3% ±28.1 pts | 30.1% | no clear change |
| Households receiving SNAP | 44.6% ±18.6 pts | 27.1% | – |
| Households with a computer | 84.3% ±13.0 pts | 85.2% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 71.5% ±18.0 pts | 76.5% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Ideal?
Owners occupy 48.8% of Ideal's occupied homes and renters 51.2%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $48,900 by its owner (±$22,024). The median renter pays $800 a month including utilities.
| Measure | Ideal | Macon County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $48,900 ±$22,024 | $97,300 | no clear change |
| Median gross rent | $800 ±$350 | $655 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 32.2% ±34.4 pts | 33.4% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,125 ±$171 | $1,134 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 48.8% ±16.8 pts | 65.4% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 51.2% ±16.8 pts | 34.6% | – |
| Housing units | 289 ±87 | 5,135 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 7.1% ±11.2 pts | 2.4% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.8% ±1.8 pts | 7.3% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 59.5% ±17.8 pts | 65.9% | – |
| Mobile homes | 32.9% ±18.7 pts | 24.7% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.0% ±15.1 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 0.0% ±15.1 pts | 3.4% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 13.8% ±9.3 pts | 9.5% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 9.9% ±10.3 pts | 13.7% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How do people in Ideal work and get to work?
88.8% of Ideal's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 23.5 minutes.
| Measure | Ideal | Macon County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 43.2% ±9.4 pts | 41.9% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 0.4% ±1.3 pts | 7.2% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 88.8% ±10.9 pts | 75.6% | – |
| Carpooled | 0.0% ±17.8 pts | 9.0% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±17.8 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Walked | 5.0% ±7.5 pts | 3.6% | – |
| Worked from home | 5.4% ±7.2 pts | 9.6% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 23.5 min ±9.6 | 22.6 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Ideal?
No census tract lies mostly in Ideal; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 2Macon County | 1,547 | $35,000 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Ideal) · Census block assignment files
How does Ideal compare with other places in Georgia?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Ideal is the 14,215th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 425th-most populous of 537 in Georgia.
Ideal is not ranked by income or the other survey measures: those rankings include places of 1,000 or more residents (2020 Census) with a reliable estimate.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 425th | 537 |
Ideal's figures with every place in Georgia (CSV)
Every place in Georgia, sortable · Compare Ideal with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Ideal?
24 of the 57 figures for Ideal on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Ideal are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' public schools in Ideal.