AreaProfile

Valdosta, GA

Metro Area Profile

150,188 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Valdosta, GA metropolitan area.

65
Area Score
Top 46% of 361 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
Opportunity247th of 361 published metros47
GrowthTop 43% of 440 published metros55
Housing affordability276th of 441 published metros86
ClimateTop 16% of 441 published metros76
Physical resilienceTop 46% of 441 published metros62
AccessTop 12% of 441 published metros98
Economic stability392nd of 441 published metros31
The quick read

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

Population
150,188
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$57,085
Bottom 19% nationally
Density
93/sq mi
1607.4 sq mi of land
Median age
33.2
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Valdosta, GA
Nearest major airport
VLD
4 mi · Valdosta Rgnl
Median home value
$201,300
2024 ACS 5-Year

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.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$2,101$57,085Bottom 19%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,213$30,036Bottom 17%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate20.2%Top 11%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute22.1 minBottom 29%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher25.5%Top 49%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment58,764Bottom 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 force61,257Bottom 17%June 2026
Labor force participation59.0%Bottom 42%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$49,850Bottom 2%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$39,110Bottom 3%2025 OEWS
Metro employment53,890Bottom 18%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)-0.1%Bottom 39%June 2026
Unemployment rate4.1%Bottom 46%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032026/012026/064.93.0
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.1% in June 2026.
Largest occupations — Valdosta, GA
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Fast Food and Counter Workers2,380$23,100
Retail Salespersons1,940$28,600
Cashiers1,490$26,470
Stockers and Order Fillers1,270$36,290
Waiters and Waitresses1,150$18,510
Registered Nurses1,110$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.

Rent as a share of income
21.5%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.5×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,025
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$201,300
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income3.53Top 38%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate59.8%Bottom 7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±15264,334Top 33%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$36$1,025Top 42%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$7,894$201,300Bottom 45%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income21.5%Top 16%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate11.7%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 →
Development Momentum
55/ 100
Top 43% of 440 published city profiles
Permitting is decreasing, measured 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 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.

Units permitted
871
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
5.8
Top 28% nationally
Year over year
−4%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
0.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
20202021202220232024153k148k
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.

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.

30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station VALDOSTA RGNL AP, 3.7 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND7.1"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation48.4"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low39°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high92°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months71991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing31°F1991-2020 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

62 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are hurricane and cold wave.

HurricaneElevated
Cold waveElevated

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.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Valdosta RgnlVLD4 mi8,003 ft
Lake City GatewayLCQ60 mi8,003 ft
Tallahassee IntlTLH72 mi8,000 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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Area Score
65
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (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.

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