Jefferson, GA

Micro Area Profile

84,757 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Jefferson, GA micropolitan area.

78out of 100
Area Score
Top 1% of 834 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 9 sources
OpportunityTop 8% of 835 metro and micro areas measured78
SchoolsTop 5% of 695 metro and micro areas measured87
GrowthTop 17% of 834 metro and micro areas measured71
Housing affordabilityTop 32% of 835 metro and micro areas measured77
ClimateTop 6% of 835 metro and micro areas measured80
Physical resilienceTop 15% of 835 metro and micro areas measured80
Access639th of 835 metro and micro areas measured63
Economic stabilityTop 18% of 835 metro and micro areas measured78
The quick read

Jefferson ranks in the top 8% of metro and micro areas measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.0% and median household income of $89,544.

Public schools test above most of the state: 57% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 5% of published profiles for schools.

1,667 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 11% of the prior year — steady rather than turning.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
84,757
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$89,544
Top 8% nationally
Density
250/sq mi
339.7 sq mi of land
Median age
38.1
2024 ACS 5-Year
Area type
Micropolitan area
Georgia
Nearest major airport
ATL
60 mi · Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta Intl
Median home value
$345,000
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.0%, lower than in 92% of the 835 measured US metro and micro areas.

Employment grew 4.3% over the past year, to 43,029 employed residents.

Median household income of $89,544 is higher than in 92% of measured US metro and micro areas.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$3,4362024 ACS 5-Year$89,544Top 8%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,1162024 ACS 5-Year$37,040Top 42%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year7.3%Top 3%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±1.0 min2024 ACS 5-Year33.1 minBottom 2%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year27.8%Top 40%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year76.6%44th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202643,029Top 48%of 835July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026−2.3%Bottom 24%of 835July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026+4.3%Top 1%of 835July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202644,34951st percentileof 835July 2026
Labor force participation ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year79.5%Top 30%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.3%2024 ACS 5-Year0.4%56th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026−0.2%Top 48%of 835July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20263.0%Top 8%of 835July 2026
Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year12.3%77th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/073.31.9
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.0% in July 2026. It has been falling, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

57% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 54% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 14.8 students for every full-time teacher across 19 public schools, more than in most measured places.

Public schools
19
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
14.8
across all schools here
Math proficiency
56.7%
Top 3% in Georgia
Reading proficiency
53.9%
Top 3% in Georgia
The 12 largest of 19 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Jackson County High SchoolJackson County2,22221.256%50%
East Jackson Comprehensive High SchoolJackson County1,39515.547%44%
Jefferson High SchoolJefferson City1,33916.769%76%
West Jackson Elementary SchoolJackson County1,08214.658%48%
Jefferson Elementary SchoolJefferson City1,01113.3——
Jefferson Middle SchoolJefferson City1,00915.370%69%
West Jackson Middle SchoolJackson County95115.650%50%
Gum Springs Elementary SchoolJackson County93913.857%58%
Jefferson AcademyJefferson City93515.374%65%
South Jackson Elementary SchoolJackson County71511.545%41%
Legacy Knoll Middle SchoolJackson County70713.9——
East Jackson Elementary SchoolJackson County63412.265%55%

47.1% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Georgia’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $3,000 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.87% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,153, close to the $1,126 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,153 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $46,100 a year, about 51% of the median household income here of $89,544.

The typical renter household here spends 26% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,126 a month.

A median home at $345,000 costs 3.5 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $99,501, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.

Rent as a share of income
25.8%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.5×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,153
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,126
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$345,000
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Jefferson’s median household income of $89,544, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year3.5Bottom 23%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year79.3%95th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±532024 ACS 5-Year30,74544th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$1,004Bottom 34%of 818FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,483Bottom 47%of 818FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,153Bottom 45%of 818FY2026
Median gross rent ±$742024 ACS 5-Year$1,126Bottom 29%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$9,1262024 ACS 5-Year$345,00082nd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$1192024 ACS 5-Year$3,00078th percentileof 9332024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$4,6832024 ACS 5-Year$99,501Top 15%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.04%2024 ACS 5-Year0.87%56th percentileof 9322024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year25.8%Top 14%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±662024 ACS 5-Year1259th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.4%7th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year7.2%44th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±3882024 ACS 5-Year2,34325th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.

Development Momentum

71/ 100
Top 17% of 834 published metro profiles
The most recent move in permitting was downward, in a series running from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 22% since 2020, reaching 93,825 in 2024.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 1,667 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.

At 19.7 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metro and micro areas.

Units permitted
1,667
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
19.7
Top 1% nationally
Year over year
−11%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
0.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202494k77k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been rising for the last 4 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

Weather & climate

7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 88°F and January a low of 34°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 52.4 inches.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station GAINESVILLE GILMER AP, 18.1 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND5.0"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals52.4"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals34°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals88°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals71991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals36°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

80 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, tornado and cold wave, with inland flooding alone responsible for 46% of it. Inland flooding is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 85% of measured US metro and micro areas.

Ice stormModerate
TornadoModerate
EarthquakeElevated
LightningElevated
HurricaneModerate
Cold waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: hail, drought, strong wind, inland flooding, heat wave, landslide, wildfire, winter weather, tsunami, volcanic activity, coastal flooding, avalanche.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Death-certificate rates
The CDC publishes these rates by county, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it do.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index by county, and only where a monitor sits, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it show it where one exists.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

2 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta Intl at 60 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±1.0%2024 ACS 5-Year94.0%Top 4%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle60 miBottom 26%of 835NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle2Bottom 16%of 835NASR current cycle
No internet access ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year4.0%Top 5%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta IntlATL60 mi12,390 ft
Donaldson FldGYH80 mi8,000 ft
Augusta Rgnl At Bush FldAGS106 mi8,001 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
78
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.