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.
The 10 Best Counties To Live In Georgia 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
Biggest Place: Watkinsville
Population: 38,132
Median Income: $90,751 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $286,600.0 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.0% (4th best)
More on Oconee County: Photos | Data
2. Forsyth County
Biggest Place: Cumming
Population: 228,383
Median Income: $107,218 (best)
Median Home Price: $339,700.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.2% (8th best)
More on Forsyth County: Photos | Data
3. Fayette County
Biggest Place: Peachtree City
Population: 112,303
Median Income: $90,145 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $281,400.0 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.9% (18th best)
More on Fayette County: Photos | Data
4. Cherokee County
Biggest Place: Woodstock
Population: 247,515
Median Income: $82,740 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $253,500.0 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (16th best)
More on Cherokee County: Photos | Data
5. Columbia County
Biggest Place: Evans
Population: 150,705
Median Income: $82,339 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $203,400.0 (16th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (38th best)
More on Columbia County: Photos | Data
6. Paulding County
Biggest Place: Dallas
Population: 159,825
Median Income: $68,370 (14th best)
Median Home Price: $173,600.0 (30th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.1% (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: 3.9% (17th best)
More on Morgan County: Data
8. Effingham County
Biggest Place: Rincon
Population: 60,477
Median Income: $66,822 (16th best)
Median Home Price: $163,600.0 (37th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (15th best)
More on Effingham County: Photos | Data
9. Coweta County
Biggest Place: Newnan
Population: 143,260
Median Income: $75,913 (8th best)
Median Home Price: $211,600.0 (14th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.1% (23rd best)
More on Coweta County: Photos | Data
10. Cobb County
Biggest Place: Roswell
Population: 751,218
Median Income: $77,932 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $253,900.0 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.4% (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
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:
- Stewart County
- Macon County
- Atkinson County
For more Georgia reading, check out:
- Cheapest Places To Live In Georgia
- Best Counties To Live In Georgia
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Georgia
- Best Places To Retire In Georgia
