You’re probably never going to make enough money to live in the richest counties in Georgia.
The median household income in Forsyth County, the richest county in Georgia is $143,784, significantly higher than the US median of $74,580, which means based purely on math most people never make enough to live there.
And that’s okay because it’s still fun to look at the people living in the lap of luxury.
So we used Saturday Night Science and the most recent Census to rank home prices and incomes for all 159 counties in the Peach State. Let’s star gaze together.
What is the richest county in Georgia? The richest county in Georgia is Forsyth County. In contrast, the poorest county in the state is Stewart County, according to the Census data.
$143,784 median income · $617,620 median home price
$121,217 median income · $549,859 median home price
$111,978 median income · $516,926 median home price
$108,115 median income · $473,571 median home price
$102,738 median income · $423,365 median home price
$86,272 median income · $625,073 median home price
$92,991 median income · $451,202 median home price
$95,292 median income · $420,013 median home price
$103,408 median income · $401,106 median home price
$89,544 median income · $405,865 median home price
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Georgia’s statewide median.
Georgia statewide median: $77,353
Georgia statewide median: $332,063
On the map
Where Georgia’s richest counties are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which Georgia county is the richest?
To determine the richest county in Georgia, we have to look at a handful of metrics that correlate with how rich people are. To do that, we made assumptions about what makes a county rich. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to the American Community Survey data and Zillow for the most recent reporting period for data on the following:
- Average Home Price
- Median Income
We then ranked each county in Georgia for each of the criteria from one to 159, with one being the richest.
Taking the average rank across the two criteria, we created a Rich Score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Richest County In Georgia.”
The result is some of the places with the most expensive real estate and highest earners in the Peach State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our first time ranking the richest counties to live in Georgia. The median Georgia home is 33 years old — old enough that it pays to compare home warranty plans before something expensive breaks.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Richest Counties In Georgia
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forsyth County | 267,287 | $143,784 | $617,620 |
| 2 | Oconee County | 43,551 | $121,217 | $549,859 |
| 3 | Fayette County | 122,244 | $111,978 | $516,926 |
| 4 | Cherokee County | 281,032 | $108,115 | $473,571 |
| 5 | Cobb County | 775,208 | $102,738 | $423,365 |
| 6 | Greene County | 20,109 | $86,272 | $625,073 |
| 7 | Dawson County | 30,242 | $92,991 | $451,202 |
| 8 | Fulton County | 1,076,561 | $95,292 | $420,013 |
| 8 | Bryan County | 48,263 | $103,408 | $401,106 |
| 10 | Jackson County | 84,757 | $89,544 | $405,865 |
| 11 | Gwinnett County | 979,864 | $87,890 | $409,565 |
| 12 | Coweta County | 152,852 | $95,548 | $389,088 |
| 13 | Harris County | 36,086 | $97,302 | $370,750 |
| 14 | Morgan County | 21,078 | $78,111 | $461,165 |
| 15 | Paulding County | 178,909 | $98,031 | $343,557 |
| 16 | Walton County | 103,313 | $84,945 | $383,943 |
| 16 | Pike County | 19,903 | $86,719 | $377,607 |
| 18 | Columbia County | 162,434 | $95,592 | $330,939 |
| 19 | Hall County | 212,705 | $80,901 | $389,659 |
| 20 | DeKalb County | 765,351 | $80,644 | $391,732 |
| 21 | Pickens County | 34,951 | $78,930 | $389,761 |
| 21 | Effingham County | 69,143 | $88,438 | $340,218 |
| 23 | Gilmer County | 32,426 | $74,499 | $419,353 |
| 24 | Lumpkin County | 34,505 | $77,448 | $389,150 |
| 25 | Monroe County | 29,664 | $83,183 | $331,065 |
| 26 | Putnam County | 22,855 | $72,096 | $407,863 |
| 27 | Barrow County | 89,886 | $80,653 | $346,652 |
| 28 | Bartow County | 113,113 | $82,243 | $323,724 |
| 29 | Banks County | 19,264 | $77,063 | $356,294 |
| 30 | Henry County | 249,960 | $83,146 | $319,448 |
| 31 | Rabun County | 17,312 | $67,493 | $401,297 |
| 32 | Douglas County | 147,888 | $82,984 | $299,871 |
| 33 | Glynn County | 85,447 | $69,799 | $359,653 |
| 34 | Lee County | 33,626 | $89,168 | $262,790 |
| 35 | Chatham County | 300,879 | $71,097 | $341,126 |
| 36 | Rockdale County | 95,281 | $77,247 | $302,273 |
| 37 | Oglethorpe County | 15,509 | $75,034 | $311,226 |
| 37 | Union County | 26,304 | $66,176 | $378,668 |
| 39 | Newton County | 118,152 | $77,179 | $291,876 |
| 40 | Camden County | 56,970 | $74,378 | $304,930 |
| 41 | White County | 28,810 | $70,666 | $322,492 |
| 41 | Catoosa County | 68,634 | $74,639 | $292,646 |
| 43 | Houston County | 169,649 | $80,698 | $253,969 |
| 44 | Carroll County | 124,569 | $73,714 | $288,080 |
| 45 | Fannin County | 25,742 | $57,073 | $495,868 |
| 46 | Towns County | 12,913 | $59,135 | $394,376 |
| 46 | Habersham County | 47,793 | $67,309 | $320,309 |
| 48 | Madison County | 31,528 | $61,963 | $323,909 |
| 49 | Haralson County | 31,285 | $72,127 | $273,587 |
| 49 | Jones County | 28,673 | $75,500 | $245,644 |
| 51 | Long County | 18,374 | $68,808 | $280,776 |
| 51 | Butts County | 26,496 | $69,241 | $275,700 |
| 53 | Lamar County | 19,571 | $67,062 | $284,782 |
| 54 | Jasper County | 15,929 | $60,134 | $323,013 |
| 55 | Heard County | 11,773 | $65,868 | $273,954 |
| 55 | Murray County | 40,562 | $69,253 | $243,848 |
| 58 | Hart County | 26,939 | $59,385 | $314,970 |
| 58 | Peach County | 28,560 | $71,293 | $231,672 |
| 58 | Gordon County | 59,100 | $63,650 | $275,373 |
| 60 | Whitfield County | 103,598 | $67,070 | $250,403 |
| 61 | Dade County | 16,165 | $64,568 | $250,676 |
| 62 | Bulloch County | 82,683 | $58,810 | $283,278 |
| 63 | Floyd County | 99,693 | $65,565 | $231,489 |
| 64 | Spalding County | 68,892 | $62,071 | $233,219 |
| 65 | Liberty County | 67,397 | $60,456 | $245,159 |
| 66 | Clarke County | 129,609 | $53,625 | $330,455 |
| 67 | Walker County | 68,762 | $59,469 | $240,509 |
| 67 | Crawford County | 12,225 | $67,116 | $203,224 |
| 69 | Thomas County | 45,777 | $60,736 | $225,976 |
| 70 | Clayton County | 298,924 | $59,806 | $228,408 |
| 70 | Pierce County | 20,202 | $60,517 | $225,378 |
| 72 | Lincoln County | 7,854 | $56,907 | $257,600 |
| 73 | Charlton County | 12,818 | $61,276 | $209,363 |
| 74 | Lowndes County | 119,965 | $58,541 | $227,597 |
| 75 | Franklin County | 24,234 | $53,046 | $286,139 |
| 76 | Polk County | 43,785 | $58,515 | $221,062 |
| 77 | Troup County | 70,330 | $56,776 | $234,726 |
| 78 | Stephens County | 27,012 | $54,754 | $240,436 |
| 79 | Grady County | 26,108 | $58,980 | $190,750 |
| 79 | Bleckley County | 12,430 | $62,008 | $180,888 |
| 81 | Baldwin County | 43,642 | $54,403 | $235,709 |
| 82 | Meriwether County | 20,929 | $57,340 | $210,136 |
| 83 | Brantley County | 18,315 | $58,239 | $186,765 |
| 83 | McDuffie County | 21,718 | $56,733 | $205,409 |
| 85 | Muscogee County | 203,711 | $58,073 | $186,079 |
| 86 | Schley County | 4,513 | $56,875 | $187,756 |
| 87 | McIntosh County | 11,312 | $50,273 | $282,131 |
| 88 | Echols County | 3,709 | $59,489 | $174,637 |
| 89 | Wayne County | 30,949 | $53,427 | $210,286 |
| 90 | Elbert County | 19,849 | $58,450 | $180,334 |
| 92 | Glascock County | 2,932 | $54,934 | $188,511 |
| 92 | Worth County | 20,451 | $58,694 | $176,492 |
| 92 | Richmond County | 206,069 | $55,637 | $186,702 |
| 94 | Tift County | 41,438 | $53,255 | $207,542 |
| 95 | Upson County | 28,029 | $55,429 | $182,589 |
| 95 | Chattahoochee County | 8,887 | $61,042 | $147,432 |
| 97 | Laurens County | 49,798 | $55,010 | $181,394 |
| 97 | Berrien County | 18,352 | $52,876 | $195,312 |
| 99 | Burke County | 24,470 | $53,014 | $184,469 |
| 100 | Dooly County | 10,984 | $60,987 | $132,234 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + Zillow via Saturday Night Science. All 159 Georgia counties.
Summary
Summary: The Richest Counties In Georgia For 2026
Living in Georgia can vary from one part of the state to the next, with pretty extreme variance in home prices and incomes across counties.
The richest counties in Georgia are Forsyth County, Oconee County, Fayette County, Cherokee County, Cobb County, Greene County, Dawson County, Fulton County, Bryan County, and Jackson County.
Now you know the parts of the state where Goodwill will have the best goodies, and that’s what you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome. Not sold on Georgia? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Richest Counties In Georgia FAQs
What is the richest county in Georgia?
Forsyth County is the richest county in Georgia for 2026, with a median household income of $143,784. Oconee County and Fayette County are next.
What are the richest counties in Georgia?
The richest counties in Georgia are Forsyth County, Oconee County, Fayette County, Cherokee County, Cobb County, Greene County, Dawson County, Fulton County, Bryan County, and Jackson County. We ranked all 159 Georgia counties on average home price and median income.
How much do people make in Forsyth County?
The median household in Forsyth County earns $143,784 a year, against a Georgia statewide median of $77,353. The US median household income is $74,580.
What do homes cost in the richest counties of Georgia?
The median home across the ten richest Georgia counties is $462,386, versus $332,063 statewide. In Forsyth County, the typical home runs $617,620.
What is the poorest county in Georgia?
Stewart County is the poorest county in Georgia by this ranking, coming in last of the 159 counties we scored on income and home prices.
