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Place dossier plate
SheetGA-WATKINSVILLE-GA · Watkinsville, GA 3,151 pop · income 70th pct · 11 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 Watkinsville
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Watkinsville on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Experiment · lowest
30,745
Experiment · lowest
30,745 median HH income
27.3% of the leader · rank #1
Edwardsville · near
88,958
Edwardsville · near
88,958 median HH income
78.9% of the leader · rank #2
Nedrow · near
88,958
Nedrow · near
88,958 median HH income
78.9% of the leader · rank #3
Bernville · near
88,958
Bernville · near
88,958 median HH income
78.9% of the leader · rank #4
Watkinsville · this city
88,969
Watkinsville · this city
88,969 median HH income
78.9% of the leader · rank #5
Westwood · near
88,973
Westwood · near
88,973 median HH income
78.9% of the leader · rank #6
Tybee Island · highest
112,778
Tybee Island · highest
112,778 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 Watkinsville 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: 3,151.
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Watkinsville lands in the 70th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.
70th
percentile, household income
70th
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: Watkinsville, GA
3,151 people live in Watkinsville, Georgia - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Watkinsville brings in $88,969 a year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 7.4%. Home values in Watkinsville run a median of $337,700, and the median resident age is 34.5 years. 52.4% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 70.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 119 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 1883% from five years earlier. NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 61.9°F with 47.8 inches of precipitation per year.
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. Natural-hazard exposure scores 39.5 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Watkinsville'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 schools and households to within-city variation to housing and income to comparison shortlist to work and mobility to climate and hazard context to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Watkinsville, city-specific coverage includes within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits, annual population history, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count.
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.
Question 1
What does the education layer cover for Watkinsville?
The NCES join finds 5 public schools within the city match. 52.4% 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 city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
What can 11 Census tracts reveal inside Watkinsville?
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.
PlainCities matches 11 Census tracts to this city.
How far does income reach against housing in Watkinsville?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.8 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 7.4%, 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. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
Which cities make useful reference points for Watkinsville?
Within Georgia, the closest population matches are Experiment (3,165 residents, $30,745 income); Tybee Island (3,121 residents, $112,778 income); Alamo (3,108 residents). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Newton, MS (3,151 residents); Soda Springs, ID (3,150 residents); McDonald, OH (3,150 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.
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.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Watkinsville?
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 81.6%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
0.0%
Work from home
9.0%
Drive alone
81.6%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 1,664 workers age 16+.
What physical conditions frame life in Watkinsville?
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 61.9°F, with 47.8 inches of precipitation. 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
61.9°F
Annual precipitation
47.8 in
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.
Is Watkinsville growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +1,219 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +41.9% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 119 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
+41.9%
2025 estimate
4,131
2020 estimate
2,912
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Above median income · poverty 7.4% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
96.3 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Georgia average
C+
City profile score · Watkinsville, GA
64/100
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.
Bachelor's+ share A
52.4%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income B-
$88,969
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
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 C-
7.4%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime N/A
N/A
No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).
Watkinsville profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 86/100 (A) · 52.4%
Household income: 68/100 (B-) · $88,969
Cost of living: 57/100 (C) · 96.3 index
Poverty rate: 50/100 (C-) · 7.4%
How does Watkinsville compare to other US cities?
Here's how Watkinsville stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income70% higher than other cities
Home value70% 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 Watkinsville 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 Watkinsville near the bottom of Georgia's cities
Among the 638 Georgia cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Watkinsville ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Watkinsville only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#79 of 610
87th percentile in Georgia
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 638
0th percentile in Georgia
Median Home Value
#68 of 577
88th percentile in Georgia
Poverty Rate
#424 of 637
33rd percentile in Georgia
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#38 of 638
94th 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
70th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How Watkinsville's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$337,70030th percentilemore affordable than 30% 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
Watkinsville's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.8×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#10,045 of 15,516
More affordable than 35% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#7,938 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 3.8×, Watkinsville sits in the moderate band:
national rank #10,045 of 15,516 and #7,938 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
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
$88,969Watkinsville, GA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Watkinsville, 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 Watkinsville, GA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)52.4%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)7.4%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)70.1%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
3,151
Median Income
$88,969
Median Home Value
$337,700
Median Age
34.5
Poverty Rate
7.4%
Labor force participation
70.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
52.4%
Climate
Avg Temperature
61.9°F
Annual Precipitation
47.8"
Annual Snowfall
N/A
Schools
Total Schools
5
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Watkinsville's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
2,912 residents
2021
2,931 residents
2022
3,391 residents
2023
3,636 residents
2024
3,883 residents
2025
4,131 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
119
housing units authorized
Single-Family
119
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
37.8
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
6
6
0
$1.6M
2020
8
8
0
$2.1M
2021
185
185
0
$86.3M
2022
115
115
0
$53.0M
2023
116
116
0
$53.7M
2024
119
119
0
$55.0M
Permit volume increased 1883% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
81.6%
Carpool
8.5%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.5%
Work from Home
9.0%
Based on 1,664 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 Watkinsville. 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 Watkinsville 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 Watkinsville sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Watkinsville 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.