Valdosta, GA
Metro Area Profile
150,188 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Valdosta, GA metropolitan area.
A major airport is 4 miles away, giving the area unusually direct access to the national air network.
Its Area Score of 65 places Valdosta in the top 46% of published metro profiles.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 4.1% is lower than 54% of the 361 measured US metros.
Employment grew 0.4% over the past year, to 58,764 employed residents.
Median household income of $57,085 is below 81% of measured US metros.
| Metric | Value | Compared with peers | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income ±$2,101 | $57,085 | Bottom 19% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$1,213 | $30,036 | Bottom 17% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 20.2% | Top 11% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute | 22.1 min | Bottom 29% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 25.5% | Top 49% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Employment | 58,764 | Bottom 16% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years) | -1.4% | Bottom 26% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | 0.4% | Top 23% | June 2026 |
| Labor force | 61,257 | Bottom 17% | June 2026 |
| Labor force participation | 59.0% | Bottom 42% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wage | $49,850 | Bottom 2% | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wage | $39,110 | Bottom 3% | 2025 OEWS |
| Metro employment | 53,890 | Bottom 18% | 2025 OEWS |
| Unemployment change (year over year) | -0.1% | Bottom 39% | June 2026 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.1% | Bottom 46% | June 2026 |
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 2,380 | $23,100 |
| Retail Salespersons | 1,940 | $28,600 |
| Cashiers | 1,490 | $26,470 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 1,270 | $36,290 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,150 | $18,510 |
| Registered Nurses | 1,110 | $74,360 |
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated →Median rent of $1,025 takes 22% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.
A median home costs 3.5 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.
| Metric | Value | Compared with peers | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home price to income | 3.53 | Top 38% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 59.8% | Bottom 7% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±152 | 64,334 | Top 33% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent ±$36 | $1,025 | Top 42% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$7,894 | $201,300 | Bottom 45% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income | 21.5% | Top 16% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate | 11.7% | Top 48% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated →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 3% since 2020, reaching 152,588 in 2024.
Population is still rising, but more slowly than in the preceding year.
New construction is predominantly single-family: only 0% of permitted units are in buildings of five or more homes.
At 5.8 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metros.
Weather & climate
7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 92°F and January a low of 39°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 48.4 inches.
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation | 48.4" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 39°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high | 92°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months | 7 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing | 31°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are hurricane and cold wave.
Low or minimal exposure: lightning, heat wave, tornado, wildfire, inland flooding, earthquake, drought, winter weather, strong wind, hail, landslide, ice storm.
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.
Taxes
AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.
Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.
Access
4 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 4 miles away.
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valdosta Rgnl | VLD | 4 mi | 8,003 ft |
| Lake City Gateway | LCQ | 60 mi | 8,003 ft |
| Tallahassee Intl | TLH | 72 mi | 8,000 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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Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle | 28-day NASR cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) | Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current) |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals | Every ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period) |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | June 2026 | Monthly |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS | Annual (spring release) |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate | Annual (vintage released each spring) |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 | Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month |
| Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year | Annual (5-year estimates released each December) |
Profile recalculated August 29, 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 browse every source.