City · Georgia
Wadley, Georgia
Wadley, city, in Jefferson County, Georgia. Wadley had 1,548 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 5.7% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 1,643 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 1,706 (±351). GEOID 1379864.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
1,548
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 1,643 · ACS 2020-2024: 1,706 ±351
Median household income
$37,500
±$11,661 (90% margin)
Georgia: $77,353
Median home value
$64,600
±$5,522 (90% margin)
Georgia: $303,300
Median gross rent
$606
±$173 (90% margin)
Georgia: $1,393
Where is Wadley and what county is it in?
Wadley is a city in Jefferson County, Georgia. It covers 4.6 square miles of land, 361 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 Wadley, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 1,548 people lived in Wadley on July 1, 2025, down 5.7% since 2020, while Georgia grew 5.5%. The 2020 Census counted 1,643 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 1,706 (±351).
| Measure | Wadley | Jefferson County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 1,706 ±351 | 15,341 | no clear change |
| Households | 588 ±131 | 5,751 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.75 ±0.50 | 2.58 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 746 ±141 | 7,172 | no clear change |
Wadley's population since 2000
From 2,088 in 2000 to 1,548 in 2025: down 25.9%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Wadley 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 Wadley?
The median resident of Wadley is 40.9 years old; 23.0% are under 18 and 17.9% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic Black residents at 83.6%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 8.7%.
| Measure | Wadley | Jefferson County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 40.9 ±10.9 | 40.9 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 23.0% ±5.9 pts | 22.6% | – |
| 65 years and over | 17.9% ±5.5 pts | 18.7% | – |
| Male | 38.6% ±5.5 pts | 48.3% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 8.7% ±7.1 pts | 3.6% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 7.2% ±4.1 pts | 41.1% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 83.6% ±7.5 pts | 52.7% | no clear change |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.4% ±0.6 pts | 0.0% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±2.7 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±2.7 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 0.1% ±0.2 pts | 1.6% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±2.7 pts | 1.0% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 6.3% ±5.9 pts | 3.5% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 7.3% ±6.4 pts | 3.8% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 5.2% ±3.1 pts | 7.4% | – |
| With a disability | 16.3% ±5.6 pts | 17.0% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 7.2% ±3.6 pts | 17.0% | −9.8 pts |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 81.3% ±7.5 pts | 83.7% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 7.6% ±4.6 pts | 13.5% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 2.9% ±2.7 pts | 4.1% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 95.5% ±4.0 pts | 89.8% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 1.8% ±2.1 pts | 1.3% | – |
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 Wadley earn?
Half of Wadley's 588 households earn less than $37,500 a year (±$11,661), against $53,014 in Jefferson County and $77,353 in Georgia. In 2015-2019 it was $33,844 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 26.8% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Wadley | Jefferson County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $37,500 ±$11,661 | $53,014 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $60,932 ±$15,657 | $69,603 | – |
| Per capita income | $22,417 ±$5,887 | $27,127 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 26.8% ±12.3 pts | 16.9% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 46.2% ±25.7 pts | 26.9% | no clear change |
| Households receiving SNAP | 38.4% ±10.7 pts | 22.3% | – |
| Households with a computer | 93.0% ±4.6 pts | 93.4% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 73.0% ±9.5 pts | 83.7% | – |
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 Wadley?
Owners occupy 67.5% of Wadley's occupied homes and renters 32.5%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $64,600 by its owner (±$5,522). The median renter pays $606 a month including utilities, and 38.4% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.
| Measure | Wadley | Jefferson County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $64,600 ±$5,522 | $105,400 | −$15,887 |
| Median gross rent | $606 ±$173 | $731 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 38.4% ±24.5 pts | 27.0% | no clear change |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $858 ±$169 | $1,174 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 67.5% ±9.9 pts | 68.1% | +13.2 pts |
| Renter-occupied homes | 32.5% ±9.9 pts | 31.9% | – |
| Housing units | 746 ±141 | 7,172 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 4.5% ±3.8 pts | 1.0% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% ±21.0 pts | 2.6% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 56.6% ±9.5 pts | 64.8% | – |
| Mobile homes | 31.9% ±8.6 pts | 28.3% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 1.2% ±1.5 pts | 2.1% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 4.0% ±3.5 pts | 5.7% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 11.0% ±5.1 pts | 12.1% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 13.9% ±7.8 pts | 8.1% | – |
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 many new homes is Wadley building?
Builders took permits for 0 new housing units in Wadley in 2025 (0 in single-family houses), 0.0 per 1,000 residents against 5.4 across Georgia.
Counts of units in permits a local office issued; not every permitted unit is built. A year marked with months was reported for part of the year.
Source: Building Permits Survey, annual place files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey
How do people in Wadley work and get to work?
80.5% of Wadley's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 33.9 minutes.
| Measure | Wadley | Jefferson County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 46.1% ±8.3 pts | 56.2% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 8.6% ±6.9 pts | 5.8% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 80.5% ±11.7 pts | 82.0% | – |
| Carpooled | 13.7% ±11.0 pts | 12.0% | – |
| Public transportation | 1.1% ±1.6 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Walked | 1.9% ±1.9 pts | 0.9% | – |
| Worked from home | 2.8% ±3.2 pts | 3.0% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 33.9 min ±10.2 | 28.2 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 Wadley?
No census tract lies mostly in Wadley; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 9604Jefferson County | 2,943 | $47,850 |
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 Wadley) · Census block assignment files
How does Wadley compare with other places in Georgia?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Wadley is the 8,620th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 269th-most populous of 537 in Georgia.
Wadley ranks 315th of 348 places in Georgia with 1,000 or more residents and a reliable estimate, by median household income.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 269th | 537 |
| Growth 2020-2025 (PEP) | 287th | 297 |
| Residents per square mile | 324th | 360 |
| Median household income | 315th | 348 |
| Per capita income | 290th | 357 |
| Median home value | 339th | 346 |
| Median gross rent | 325th | 337 |
| Poverty rate | 75th | 302 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 325th | 343 |
| Median age | 90th | 360 |
| Owner-occupied share | 109th | 354 |
| Travel time to work | 43rd | 359 |
Wadley's figures with every place in Georgia (CSV)
Every place in Georgia, sortable · Compare Wadley 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 Wadley?
19 of the 57 figures for Wadley 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 Wadley 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 Wadley.