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Place dossier plate
SheetGA-MCRAE-HELENA-GA · McRae-Helena, GA 5,959 pop · income 21st pct · 5 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 McRae-Helena
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest McRae-Helena on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Waynesboro · lowest
36,156
Waynesboro · lowest
36,156 median HH income
27.8% of the leader · rank #1
Fredericksbur… · near
51,292
Fredericksbur… · near
51,292 median HH income
39.4% of the leader · rank #2
McRae-Helena · this city
51,296
McRae-Helena · this city
51,296 median HH income
39.4% of the leader · rank #3
Wewahitchka · near
51,296
Wewahitchka · near
51,296 median HH income
39.4% of the leader · rank #4
Camden · near
51,300
Camden · near
51,300 median HH income
39.4% of the leader · rank #5
Westport · near
51,300
Westport · near
51,300 median HH income
39.4% of the leader · rank #6
Asbury · highest
130,071
Asbury · highest
130,071 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, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for McRae-Helena on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. 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: 5,959.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
McRae-Helena - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, McRae-Helena lands in the 21st percentile for household income and the 46th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
21st
percentile, household income
14th
percentile, home value
51st
percentile, median rent
46th
percentile, safety
📝 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: McRae-Helena, GA
McRae-Helena is a small town in Georgia, home to 5,959 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in McRae-Helena brings in $51,296 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 21.6%. Typical homes in McRae-Helena are valued around $111,800, and the median resident age is 36.8 years. 8.2% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 31.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 0 residential building permits were authorized in McRae-Helena (No Permits), per Census BPS data. McRae-Helena reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR figures show 1484.7 crimes per 100,000 residents, below the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Georgia run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Georgia scores 96.3 (Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,203 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $225 across Georgia, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Commute times here average 19.2 minutes, with 89.4% driving alone and 4.6% working from home, per Census ACS commuting data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 39.5 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of McRae-Helena'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 population change to reported crime to housing and income to within-city variation to work and mobility to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For McRae-Helena, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history, local building permits.
No matched row is reported here for matched public-school count; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
Is McRae-Helena growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -1,197 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -18.0% 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.
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.
What can the FBI record say about safety in McRae-Helena?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1484.7 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 35% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
What can 5 Census tracts reveal inside McRae-Helena?
PlainCities matches 5 Census tracts to this city.
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.
Which cities make useful reference points for McRae-Helena?
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. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Georgia, the closest population matches are Barnesville (6,070 residents, $58,317 income); Byron (5,839 residents, $86,265 income); Jonesboro (6,137 residents, $50,060 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Moosic, PA (5,954 residents); Childress, TX (5,964 residents); Fort Myers Shores, FL (5,966 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.
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.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in McRae-Helena?
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.
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 2.2 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 21.6%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
2.2×
Home value
$111,800
Household income
$51,296
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What does the journey to work look like in McRae-Helena?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 89.4%. The reported mean trip to work is 19.2 minutes.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. The profile is strongly car-oriented, so a relocation comparison should put trip distance, vehicle access, and household fuel costs ahead of a citywide commute average. The same-state peer links offer a more relevant benchmark than a national label.
Drive alone
89.4%
Work from home
4.6%
Public transit
0.0%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 1,383 workers age 16+.
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Georgia average
F
City profile score · McRae-Helena, GA
24/100
5 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.
Violent crime F
388 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Household income F
$51,296
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
21.6%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
8.2%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
McRae-Helena profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 57/100 (C) · 96.3 index
Violent crime: 23/100 (F) · 388 /100k
Household income: 22/100 (F) · $51,296
Poverty rate: 10/100 (F) · 21.6%
Bachelor's+ share: 2/100 (F) · 8.2%
Where McRae-Helena sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
McRae-Helena's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - McRae-Helena highlighted among 25 peers.Read the chart values
McRae-Helena, GA (this city): home $111,800, crime 1,485/100k
Moosic, PA : home $235,500, crime 1,435/100k
Childress, TX : home $84,200, crime 674/100k
Asbury, IA : home $312,400, crime 199/100k
Byron, GA : home $230,100, crime 1,227/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does McRae-Helena compare to other US cities?
Here's how McRae-Helena stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income21% higher than other cities
Home value14% pricier than other cities
Median rent51% pricier than other cities
Safety46% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Georgia alone, McRae-Helena ranks #70 of 166 Georgia cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares McRae-Helena 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 McRae-Helena near the bottom of Georgia's cities
Among the 638 Georgia cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, McRae-Helena ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares McRae-Helena only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#341 of 610
44th percentile in Georgia
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 638
0th percentile in Georgia
Median Home Value
#415 of 577
28th percentile in Georgia
Poverty Rate
#162 of 637
74th percentile in Georgia
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#521 of 638
18th 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
21st percentile nationally for median household income · 46th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
McRae-Helena's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
McRae-Helena's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How McRae-Helena's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$111,800Among 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
McRae-Helena's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.2×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#2,365 of 15,516
More affordable than 85% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,228 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 2.2×, McRae-Helena sits in the affordable band:
national rank #2,365 of 15,516 and #2,228 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
$51,296McRae-Helena, GA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context McRae-Helena, 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 McRae-Helena, GA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)8.2%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)21.6%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)31.4%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
5,959
Median Income
$51,296
Median Home Value
$111,800
Median Age
36.8
Poverty Rate
21.6%
Labor force participation
31.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
8.2%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1484.7
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
388.3
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1096.4
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
McRae-Helena's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
6,640 residents
2021
6,537 residents
2022
6,680 residents
2023
5,191 residents
2024
5,341 residents
2025
5,443 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
1
1
0
$0.4M
2021
2
2
0
$0.2M
2022
3
3
0
$0.8M
2023
0
0
0
-
2024
0
0
0
-
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
19.2 minutes
Drive Alone
89.4%
Carpool
6.1%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
4.6%
Based on 1,383 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 McRae-Helena. 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 McRae-Helena 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 McRae-Helena sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How McRae-Helena 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, FBI UCR, 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.