The 10 Best Counties To Live In Georgia For 2021


Using science and data, we can tell you which counties in Georgia have the most for people looking to make the move to Georgia.

Chris Kolmar, About HomeSnacks
December 30, 2020
Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2021. This is our seventh time ranking the best counties to live in Georgia.

Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment: is Georgia a good place?

The answer is unequivocally yes... if you know where to locate the best places to live in Georgia.

Lucky for you, we're here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Peach State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn't our first rodeo -- we've been helping people find the best places to live in America for years.

So, the question becomes, if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Georgia, where would you go? To answer that we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 159 counties in the state.

After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Peach State for 2021.

Oconee County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Georgia. And you might want to avoid Stewart County if you can -- at least according to the data.

So if you're thinking of making the move Georgia, we've got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.

Or, check out the best places to live in Georgia and the cheapest places to live in Georgia.

The Best Counties To Live In Georgia For 2021

1. Oconee County

Watkinsville, GA

Source: Wikipedia User John Trainor | CC BY 2.0

Biggest Place: Watkinsville

Population: 38,132
Median Income: $90,751 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $286,600.0 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 301.7% (4th best)
More on Oconee County: Photos | Data

2. Forsyth County

Cumming, GA

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Cumming

Population: 228,383
Median Income: $107,218 (best)
Median Home Price: $339,700.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 324.3% (8th best)
More on Forsyth County: Photos | Data

3. Fayette County

Fayetteville, GA

Source: Wikipedia User dbking | CC BY 2.0

Biggest Place: Peachtree City

Population: 112,303
Median Income: $90,145 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $281,400.0 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 388.6% (18th best)
More on Fayette County: Photos | Data

4. Cherokee County

Canton, GA

Source: Wikipedia User Akhenaton06 | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Woodstock

Population: 247,515
Median Income: $82,740 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $253,500.0 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 366.8% (16th best)
More on Cherokee County: Photos | Data

5. Columbia County

Grovetown, GA

Source: Wikipedia User Morriswa | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Evans

Population: 150,705
Median Income: $82,339 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $203,400.0 (16th best)
Unemployment Rate: 454.2% (38th best)
More on Columbia County: Photos | Data

6. Paulding County

Dallas, GA

Source: Wikipedia User Open street map | CC BY 2.5

Biggest Place: Dallas

Population: 159,825
Median Income: $68,370 (14th best)
Median Home Price: $173,600.0 (30th best)
Unemployment Rate: 413.8% (25th best)
More on Paulding County: Photos | Data

7. Morgan County

Biggest Place: Madison

Population: 18,507
Median Income: $66,178 (18th best)
Median Home Price: $229,000.0 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 387.6% (17th best)
More on Morgan County: Data

8. Effingham County

Guyton, GA

Source: Wikipedia User bubba73 | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Rincon

Population: 60,477
Median Income: $66,822 (16th best)
Median Home Price: $163,600.0 (37th best)
Unemployment Rate: 366.2% (15th best)
More on Effingham County: Photos | Data

9. Coweta County

Grantville, GA

Source: Wikipedia User Catscape | GFDL

Biggest Place: Newnan

Population: 143,260
Median Income: $75,913 (8th best)
Median Home Price: $211,600.0 (14th best)
Unemployment Rate: 409.1% (23rd best)
More on Coweta County: Photos | Data

10. Cobb County

Acworth, GA

Source: Wikipedia User HowardSF at English Wikip | GFDL

Biggest Place: Roswell

Population: 751,218
Median Income: $77,932 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $253,900.0 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 441.2% (34th best)
More on Cobb County: Photos | Data

How do you determine which Georgia county is the best?

To give you the best county in Georgia, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we need to make some assumptions about what's a "best county" and what isn't. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you'd make at a bar using facts, don't take this analysis to court.

With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time period.

We paid particular attention to:

  • Violent Crime Rates
  • Property Crime Rates
  • Median Home Values
  • Median Income
  • Unemployment Rates
  • Adult Education Levels
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Poverty Rates
Best Counties To Live In Georgia

We then ranked each county in Georgia across each of the criteria from one to 159, with one being the best.

Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the "Best County To Live In Georgia".

The result is some of the safest, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Peach State.

Read on to see why Oconee County is the best county, while Stewart County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Georgia.

There You Have It - The Best Counties In Georgia To Call Home For 2018

It turns out living in Georgia can vary from one part of the state to the next -- who woulda thought?

But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that's why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.

Here's a look at the worst counties in Georgia according to the data:

  1. Stewart County
  2. Macon County
  3. Atkinson County

For more Georgia reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Georgia

County Rank Population Median Income Median Home Price
Oconee County 1 38,132 $90,751 $286,600.0
Forsyth County 2 228,383 $107,218 $339,700.0
Fayette County 3 112,303 $90,145 $281,400.0
Cherokee County 4 247,515 $82,740 $253,500.0
Columbia County 5 150,705 $82,339 $203,400.0
Paulding County 6 159,825 $68,370 $173,600.0
Morgan County 7 18,507 $66,178 $229,000.0
Effingham County 8 60,477 $66,822 $163,600.0
Coweta County 9 143,260 $75,913 $211,600.0
Cobb County 10 751,218 $77,932 $253,900.0
Dawson County 11 24,536 $66,281 $230,300.0
Henry County 12 225,356 $71,288 $175,300.0
Fulton County 13 1,036,200 $69,673 $313,300.0
Harris County 14 34,105 $76,319 $217,000.0
Pickens County 15 31,387 $67,631 $200,200.0
Bryan County 16 37,063 $72,624 $223,900.0
White County 17 29,489 $52,493 $176,300.0
Catoosa County 18 66,700 $56,235 $144,300.0
Jackson County 19 67,885 $65,385 $189,700.0
Walton County 20 91,442 $61,599 $190,300.0
Towns County 21 11,617 $48,219 $230,500.0
Lee County 22 29,502 $69,280 $152,800.0
Gwinnett County 23 915,046 $71,026 $217,900.0
Barrow County 24 78,991 $62,345 $159,700.0
Lumpkin County 25 32,402 $51,790 $185,800.0
Pike County 26 18,327 $64,878 $173,000.0
Union County 27 23,288 $50,021 $196,500.0
Jones County 28 28,579 $56,020 $124,100.0
Putnam County 29 21,691 $51,606 $160,400.0
Dekalb County 30 749,323 $62,399 $215,600.0
Houston County 31 153,507 $61,723 $142,600.0
Newton County 32 108,079 $56,316 $151,800.0
Chatham County 33 288,496 $56,842 $194,500.0
Bartow County 34 104,919 $57,423 $163,900.0
Douglas County 35 143,316 $63,835 $161,600.0
Camden County 36 53,231 $56,951 $165,700.0
Glynn County 37 84,470 $52,977 $179,000.0
Haralson County 38 29,227 $48,550 $124,200.0
Fannin County 39 25,395 $47,997 $197,800.0
Monroe County 40 27,171 $54,754 $166,900.0
Gilmer County 41 30,414 $52,625 $177,500.0
Rockdale County 42 89,717 $60,189 $163,900.0
Carroll County 43 117,183 $53,737 $137,800.0
Rabun County 44 16,645 $42,500 $174,500.0
Banks County 45 18,708 $47,811 $151,100.0
Hall County 46 198,667 $62,984 $201,300.0
Bleckley County 47 12,807 $48,174 $102,300.0
Lamar County 48 18,672 $44,846 $145,600.0
Jasper County 49 13,916 $51,250 $139,400.0
Greene County 50 17,349 $52,129 $210,300.0
Gordon County 51 57,202 $45,865 $136,000.0
Habersham County 52 44,626 $50,563 $150,500.0
Liberty County 53 61,349 $48,007 $124,500.0
Heard County 54 11,736 $51,358 $109,000.0
Oglethorpe County 55 14,931 $47,120 $118,500.0
Glascock County 56 2,996 $45,000 $81,700.0
Hart County 57 25,773 $43,204 $137,700.0
Lincoln County 58 7,856 $39,742 $127,700.0
Floyd County 59 97,369 $48,336 $132,400.0
Murray County 60 39,724 $48,033 $108,300.0
Thomas County 61 44,630 $43,740 $146,800.0
Muscogee County 62 195,739 $46,408 $141,300.0
Dade County 63 16,197 $42,581 $123,500.0
Burke County 64 22,520 $44,151 $88,700.0
Mcintosh County 65 14,174 $49,504 $128,000.0
Butts County 66 24,090 $43,471 $132,600.0
Spalding County 67 65,306 $47,111 $122,800.0
Troup County 68 69,919 $45,649 $136,700.0
Walker County 69 69,039 $46,157 $120,600.0
Hancock County 70 8,515 $31,860 $85,000.0
Franklin County 71 22,766 $42,488 $108,700.0
Chattahoochee County 72 10,560 $47,096 $71,300.0
Madison County 73 29,218 $52,500 $131,300.0
Washington County 74 20,436 $38,068 $84,800.0
Tattnall County 75 25,382 $40,730 $89,200.0
Wilkinson County 76 9,010 $38,996 $70,700.0
Clarke County 77 126,176 $38,623 $170,700.0
Stephens County 78 25,750 $47,164 $105,300.0
Clayton County 79 283,538 $47,864 $108,500.0
Schley County 80 5,221 $44,448 $125,300.0
Long County 81 18,692 $54,605 $122,100.0
Pierce County 82 19,250 $42,804 $104,400.0
Brantley County 83 18,756 $38,857 $72,300.0
Wayne County 84 29,788 $45,483 $105,400.0
Laurens County 85 47,405 $39,120 $94,600.0
Dodge County 86 20,829 $39,302 $76,300.0
Baldwin County 87 45,111 $43,672 $120,300.0
Marion County 88 8,432 $44,643 $90,000.0
Bulloch County 89 76,120 $45,550 $140,700.0
Tift County 90 40,541 $45,639 $118,100.0
Whitfield County 91 104,237 $48,623 $133,400.0
Decatur County 92 26,682 $41,481 $110,900.0
Polk County 93 41,908 $44,891 $110,700.0
Pulaski County 94 11,216 $45,148 $120,100.0
Screven County 95 13,989 $39,842 $81,200.0
Mcduffie County 96 21,455 $43,468 $109,500.0
Peach County 97 27,145 $46,636 $135,100.0
Wilkes County 98 9,844 $37,838 $87,200.0
Meriwether County 99 21,106 $37,121 $103,300.0
Crawford County 100 12,325 $46,283 $93,400.0
Download The Entire Georgia Ranking Data

Talk To A Relocation Expert

Need help figuring out where to move? Email YouTube star Nick Johnson at [email protected].

It's $200 for a phone consultation, and you'll go over politics, weather, cost of living, schools, culture and more to discover which city is the PERFECT place for your family to move to.

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

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