The 10 Dumbest Places In Georgia For 2026


The dumbest places in Georgia are Cairo and Forest Park for 2026 based on Saturday Night Science.

The unfortunate fact of the matter is that some places in the Peach State have a larger percent of their population that never graduated from high school.

While the emphasis on going to college might be overblown, the fact is that not graduating from high school puts you at a significant disadvantage on average. Educational attainment might not be the best way to measure one person’s intelligence, but it does shine a light on the state.

We will use Saturday Night Science to determine what places in Georgia have the highest percentage of adults without a high school degree.

A recent study we published found that Georgia is the 40th smartest state in the United States, with an average IQ of 98.

But that doesn’t mean that a few cities in Georgia are a bit slower than others due to a lack of basic education.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


Dumbest Cities In Georgia Map

Don’t freak out.

Some places are just smarter than others, but that says nothing about the character of the people living there. It’s another data point a real estate agent would never tell you.

For this ranking, we only looked at cities with populations greater than 5,000, leaving us 128 cities in Georgia to rank. You can take a look at the data below.

For more Georgia reading, check out:

The 10 Dumbest Places In Georgia For 2026

Cairo, GA

Source: Wikipedia User Michael Rivera | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10
Population: 10,055
% Adult High School Dropout: 26.0%
% Highly Educated: 12.0%
More on Cairo: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Forest Park, GA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10
Population: 19,504
% Adult High School Dropout: 25.0%
% Highly Educated: 12.0%
More on Forest Park: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Camilla, GA

Source: Wikipedia User Michael Rivera | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10
Population: 5,124
% Adult High School Dropout: 21.0%
% Highly Educated: 10.0%
More on Camilla: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

4. Jonesboro

Jonesboro, GA

Source: Wikipedia User Www78 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10
Population: 6,143
% Adult High School Dropout: 23.0%
% Highly Educated: 13.0%
More on Jonesboro: Cost Of Living | Movers

Blakely, GA

Source: Wikipedia User Robbie Honerkamp | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10
Population: 5,238
% Adult High School Dropout: 19.0%
% Highly Educated: 12.0%
More on Blakely: Data | Crime | Movers

Monroe, GA

Source: Wikipedia User Ncsr11 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10
Population: 15,648
% Adult High School Dropout: 25.0%
% Highly Educated: 16.0%
More on Monroe: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Morrow, GA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10
Population: 6,364
% Adult High School Dropout: 24.0%
% Highly Educated: 16.0%
More on Morrow: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

8. Glennville

Glennville, GA

Source: Wikipedia User Johnnykick2351 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10
Population: 5,179
% Adult High School Dropout: 18.0%
% Highly Educated: 11.0%
More on Glennville: Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Thomson, GA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10
Population: 6,821
% Adult High School Dropout: 19.0%
% Highly Educated: 13.0%
More on Thomson: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

Cedartown, GA

Source: Wikipedia User Cculber007 at en.wikipedia | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10
Population: 10,227
% Adult High School Dropout: 19.0%
% Highly Educated: 14.0%
More on Cedartown: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Methodology: How we determined the dumbest cities in the Peach State

We realize that formal education is only part of it when it comes to being intelligent, but on the other hand, knowing the difference between they’re, their, and there is always going to make you look pretty stupid.

So, we used Saturday Night Science to narrow down our criteria to focus on a city’s educational opportunities and what percentage of the population takes advantage of those opportunities.

In short, we came up with these criteria to determine the dumbest cities in Georgia:

  • % of the city’s population with less than a high school education (Age 25+)
  • % of city’s population with a college degree (Age 25+)

We got the data from the U.S. Census 2020-2024 American Community Survey.

Then, our algorithm generates a rank for each place in these categories. After crunching all the numbers, a ranking of the cities in Georgia from dumbest to brightest.

For this ranking, we used every Georgia city with at least 5,000 residents. We updated this article for 2026, and it’s our eleventh time ranking the dumbest cities in Georgia.

There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep

If you’re measuring the locations in Georgia where there are a high number of dropouts and adults who never received a formal education, this is an accurate ranking.

The dumbest cities in Georgia are Cairo, Forest Park, Camilla, Jonesboro, Blakely, Monroe, Morrow, Glennville, Thomson, and Cedartown.

If you’re also curious enough, here are the smartest places in Georgia, according to science:

  1. Sandy Springs
  2. Alpharetta
  3. Milton

For more Georgia reading, check out:

Dumbest Cities In Georgia For 2026

RankCityPopulation% Adult High School Dropout% Highly Educated
1Cairo, GA10,05526.0%12.0%
2Forest Park, GA19,50425.0%12.0%
3Camilla, GA5,12421.0%10.0%
4Jonesboro, GA6,14323.0%13.0%
5Blakely, GA5,23819.0%12.0%
6Monroe, GA15,64825.0%16.0%
7Morrow, GA6,36424.0%16.0%
8Glennville, GA5,17918.0%11.0%
9Thomson, GA6,82119.0%13.0%
10Cedartown, GA10,22719.0%14.0%
11Waycross, GA13,75619.0%16.0%
12Fort Valley, GA8,85824.0%19.0%
13Waynesboro, GA5,64417.0%12.0%
14Fitzgerald, GA8,91817.0%14.0%
15Cordele, GA9,99417.0%14.0%
16Sandersville, GA5,60120.0%19.0%
17Sylvester, GA5,48916.0%14.0%
18Bainbridge, GA14,40419.0%19.0%
19Griffin, GA23,76117.0%16.0%
20Jesup, GA9,94218.0%18.0%
21Lafayette, GA6,96714.0%12.0%
22Calhoun, GA18,18319.0%20.0%
23Adel, GA5,64118.0%19.0%
24Moultrie, GA14,58819.0%20.0%
25Dalton, GA34,53830.0%25.0%
26Commerce, GA8,01316.0%17.0%
27Oakwood, GA5,86220.0%23.0%
28Swainsboro, GA7,57114.0%14.0%
29Clarkston, GA14,55722.0%24.0%
30Barnesville, GA6,12115.0%17.0%
31Auburn, GA8,71115.0%18.0%
32Milledgeville, GA16,74817.0%20.0%
33Gainesville, GA45,03225.0%27.0%
34Thomaston, GA9,83115.0%18.0%
35Douglas, GA11,74914.0%17.0%
36Toccoa, GA9,23816.0%20.0%
37Lilburn, GA15,39023.0%28.0%
38Jackson, GA5,74111.0%15.0%
39Eatonton, GA6,51515.0%21.0%
40Brunswick, GA15,30714.0%20.0%
41Riverdale, GA14,79212.0%17.0%
42Temple, GA5,90112.0%17.0%
43Lawrenceville, GA30,95417.0%25.0%
44Americus, GA15,81315.0%23.0%
45Rockmart, GA5,20413.0%21.0%
46Dublin, GA16,13614.0%21.0%
47Albany, GA67,22414.0%22.0%
48Buford, GA17,99718.0%29.0%
49Doraville, GA11,13427.0%36.0%
50Austell, GA8,44713.0%21.0%
51Fort Oglethorpe, GA10,41611.0%19.0%
52Port Wentworth, GA12,89215.0%25.0%
53Winder, GA19,43711.0%20.0%
54Rome, GA38,18917.0%29.0%
55Stone Mountain, GA6,62313.0%23.0%
56Tifton, GA17,21012.0%22.0%
57Canton, GA35,74118.0%32.0%
58Vidalia, GA10,75212.0%23.0%
59Loganville, GA15,52712.0%27.0%
60Chamblee, GA30,89520.0%48.0%
61Norcross, GA18,00718.0%41.0%
62Covington, GA14,58411.0%27.0%
63Thomasville, GA18,66610.0%24.0%
64Carrollton, GA27,39215.0%34.0%
65College Park, GA14,71212.0%28.0%
66Social Circle, GA5,2179.0%24.0%
67Eastman, GA5,58415.0%34.0%
68Columbus, GA203,71112.0%30.0%
69Cumming, GA8,46914.0%35.0%
70Grovetown, GA17,01410.0%28.0%
71Lagrange, GA32,07811.0%29.0%
72Valdosta, GA55,25211.0%29.0%
73Dacula, GA7,4448.0%25.0%
74Bremen, GA7,4888.0%25.0%
75Lovejoy, GA11,5089.0%28.0%
76Centerville, GA8,5058.0%27.0%
77Mcdonough, GA30,9478.0%27.0%
78Cartersville, GA24,0749.0%29.0%
79Savannah, GA147,89811.0%33.0%
80Hinesville, GA35,6794.0%21.0%
81Conyers, GA18,51210.0%33.0%
82Perry, GA23,0018.0%29.0%
83Hapeville, GA6,63013.0%44.0%
84Dallas, GA14,7146.0%25.0%
85Jefferson, GA14,99010.0%34.0%
86Acworth, GA22,47310.0%34.0%
87Statesboro, GA34,1499.0%32.0%
88East Point, GA38,33511.0%36.0%
89Stockbridge, GA35,7378.0%31.0%
90Snellville, GA21,62010.0%36.0%
91St. Marys, GA19,1667.0%29.0%
92Kingsland, GA19,6273.0%24.0%
93Villa Rica, GA18,5516.0%29.0%
94Warner Robins, GA82,9907.0%32.0%
95Hiram, GA5,2319.0%40.0%
96Douglasville, GA37,5368.0%35.0%
97Fairburn, GA16,8318.0%40.0%
98Hampton, GA8,6875.0%32.0%
99Powder Springs, GA18,0098.0%41.0%
100Newnan, GA44,2358.0%41.0%
About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 900,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.