Georgia
Best Counties in Georgia
Counties ranked by a composite score of economic health, safety, education, and quality of life.
Rankings
| Rank | County | Score | Key Metric | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Jackson County | 69 | Overall Score | 69/100 |
| #2 | Dawson County | 68 | Overall Score | 68/100 |
| #3 | Bryan County | 67 | Overall Score | 67/100 |
| #4 | Long County | 67 | Overall Score | 67/100 |
| #5 | Bacon County | 61 | Overall Score | 61/100 |
| #6 | Greene County | 61 | Overall Score | 61/100 |
| #7 | Wilcox County | 60 | Overall Score | 60/100 |
| #8 | Oconee County | 59 | Overall Score | 59/100 |
| #9 | Taliaferro County | 59 | Overall Score | 59/100 |
| #10 | Treutlen County | 59 | Overall Score | 59/100 |
| #11 | Barrow County | 57 | Overall Score | 57/100 |
| #12 | Bartow County | 57 | Overall Score | 57/100 |
| #13 | Glascock County | 57 | Overall Score | 57/100 |
| #14 | Jasper County | 57 | Overall Score | 57/100 |
| #15 | Johnson County | 57 | Overall Score | 57/100 |
| #16 | Pickens County | 57 | Overall Score | 57/100 |
| #17 | Troup County | 57 | Overall Score | 57/100 |
| #18 | Clinch County | 56 | Overall Score | 56/100 |
| #19 | Monroe County | 56 | Overall Score | 56/100 |
| #20 | Bleckley County | 55 | Overall Score | 55/100 |
| #21 | Camden County | 55 | Overall Score | 55/100 |
| #22 | Effingham County | 55 | Overall Score | 55/100 |
| #23 | Fannin County | 55 | Overall Score | 55/100 |
| #24 | Meriwether County | 55 | Overall Score | 55/100 |
| #25 | Oglethorpe County | 55 | Overall Score | 55/100 |
| #26 | Stewart County | 55 | Overall Score | 55/100 |
| #27 | Baker County | 54 | Overall Score | 54/100 |
| #28 | Haralson County | 54 | Overall Score | 54/100 |
| #29 | Morgan County | 54 | Overall Score | 54/100 |
| #30 | Wilkinson County | 54 | Overall Score | 54/100 |
| #31 | Houston County | 53 | Overall Score | 53/100 |
| #32 | Wheeler County | 53 | Overall Score | 53/100 |
| #33 | Hart County | 52 | Overall Score | 52/100 |
| #34 | Lincoln County | 52 | Overall Score | 52/100 |
| #35 | Telfair County | 52 | Overall Score | 52/100 |
| #36 | Echols County | 51 | Overall Score | 51/100 |
| #37 | Gilmer County | 51 | Overall Score | 51/100 |
| #38 | Lamar County | 51 | Overall Score | 51/100 |
| #39 | Towns County | 51 | Overall Score | 51/100 |
| #40 | Forsyth County Deep Dive | 50 | Overall Score | 50/100 |
| #41 | Bulloch County | 50 | Overall Score | 50/100 |
| #42 | Harris County | 50 | Overall Score | 50/100 |
| #43 | McIntosh County | 50 | Overall Score | 50/100 |
| #44 | Madison County | 50 | Overall Score | 50/100 |
| #45 | Peach County | 50 | Overall Score | 50/100 |
| #46 | Pike County | 50 | Overall Score | 50/100 |
| #47 | Union County | 50 | Overall Score | 50/100 |
| #48 | Webster County | 50 | Overall Score | 50/100 |
| #49 | Lumpkin County | 49 | Overall Score | 49/100 |
| #50 | Rabun County | 49 | Overall Score | 49/100 |
| #51 | Walton County | 49 | Overall Score | 49/100 |
| #52 | Fulton County | 48 | Overall Score | 48/100 |
| #53 | Banks County | 48 | Overall Score | 48/100 |
| #54 | Dooly County | 48 | Overall Score | 48/100 |
| #55 | Glynn County | 48 | Overall Score | 48/100 |
| #56 | Pulaski County | 48 | Overall Score | 48/100 |
| #57 | Taylor County | 48 | Overall Score | 48/100 |
| #58 | Columbia County | 47 | Overall Score | 47/100 |
| #59 | Habersham County | 47 | Overall Score | 47/100 |
| #60 | Lanier County | 47 | Overall Score | 47/100 |
| #61 | Upson County | 47 | Overall Score | 47/100 |
| #62 | White County | 47 | Overall Score | 47/100 |
| #63 | Carroll County | 46 | Overall Score | 46/100 |
| #64 | Catoosa County | 46 | Overall Score | 46/100 |
| #65 | Cherokee County | 46 | Overall Score | 46/100 |
| #66 | Coweta County | 46 | Overall Score | 46/100 |
| #67 | Elbert County | 46 | Overall Score | 46/100 |
| #68 | Franklin County | 46 | Overall Score | 46/100 |
| #69 | Henry County | 46 | Overall Score | 46/100 |
| #70 | Lee County | 46 | Overall Score | 46/100 |
| #71 | Lowndes County | 46 | Overall Score | 46/100 |
| #72 | Quitman County | 46 | Overall Score | 46/100 |
| #73 | Calhoun County | 45 | Overall Score | 45/100 |
| #74 | Charlton County | 45 | Overall Score | 45/100 |
| #75 | Chattahoochee County | 45 | Overall Score | 45/100 |
| #76 | Heard County | 45 | Overall Score | 45/100 |
| #77 | Montgomery County | 45 | Overall Score | 45/100 |
| #78 | Newton County | 45 | Overall Score | 45/100 |
| #79 | Putnam County | 45 | Overall Score | 45/100 |
| #80 | Schley County | 45 | Overall Score | 45/100 |
| #81 | Walker County | 45 | Overall Score | 45/100 |
| #82 | Douglas County Deep Dive | 44 | Overall Score | 44/100 |
| #83 | Brantley County | 44 | Overall Score | 44/100 |
| #84 | Gordon County | 44 | Overall Score | 44/100 |
| #85 | Hall County | 44 | Overall Score | 44/100 |
| #86 | Irwin County | 44 | Overall Score | 44/100 |
| #87 | McDuffie County | 44 | Overall Score | 44/100 |
| #88 | Paulding County | 44 | Overall Score | 44/100 |
| #89 | Pierce County | 44 | Overall Score | 44/100 |
| #90 | Spalding County | 44 | Overall Score | 44/100 |
| #91 | Clarke County | 43 | Overall Score | 43/100 |
| #92 | Cook County | 43 | Overall Score | 43/100 |
| #93 | Crawford County | 43 | Overall Score | 43/100 |
| #94 | Jones County | 43 | Overall Score | 43/100 |
| #95 | Washington County | 43 | Overall Score | 43/100 |
| #96 | Emanuel County | 42 | Overall Score | 42/100 |
| #97 | Fayette County | 42 | Overall Score | 42/100 |
| #98 | Floyd County | 42 | Overall Score | 42/100 |
| #99 | Jenkins County | 42 | Overall Score | 42/100 |
| #100 | Murray County | 42 | Overall Score | 42/100 |
| #101 | Thomas County | 42 | Overall Score | 42/100 |
| #102 | Tift County | 42 | Overall Score | 42/100 |
| #103 | Wayne County | 42 | Overall Score | 42/100 |
| #104 | Atkinson County | 41 | Overall Score | 41/100 |
| #105 | Ben Hill County | 41 | Overall Score | 41/100 |
| #106 | Butts County | 41 | Overall Score | 41/100 |
| #107 | Chatham County | 41 | Overall Score | 41/100 |
| #108 | Clay County | 41 | Overall Score | 41/100 |
| #109 | Dade County | 41 | Overall Score | 41/100 |
| #110 | Turner County | 41 | Overall Score | 41/100 |
| #111 | Twiggs County | 41 | Overall Score | 41/100 |
| #112 | Wilkes County | 41 | Overall Score | 41/100 |
| #113 | Liberty County | 40 | Overall Score | 40/100 |
| #114 | Marion County | 40 | Overall Score | 40/100 |
| #115 | Miller County | 40 | Overall Score | 40/100 |
| #116 | Rockdale County | 40 | Overall Score | 40/100 |
| #117 | Warren County | 40 | Overall Score | 40/100 |
| #118 | Berrien County | 39 | Overall Score | 39/100 |
| #119 | Cobb County Deep Dive | 39 | Overall Score | 39/100 |
| #120 | Burke County | 39 | Overall Score | 39/100 |
| #121 | Decatur County | 39 | Overall Score | 39/100 |
| #122 | Evans County | 39 | Overall Score | 39/100 |
| #123 | Jefferson County | 39 | Overall Score | 39/100 |
| #124 | Macon County | 39 | Overall Score | 39/100 |
| #125 | Toombs County | 39 | Overall Score | 39/100 |
| #126 | Whitfield County | 39 | Overall Score | 39/100 |
| #127 | Gwinnett County Deep Dive | 38 | Overall Score | 38/100 |
| #128 | Baldwin County | 38 | Overall Score | 38/100 |
| #129 | Candler County | 38 | Overall Score | 38/100 |
| #130 | Coffee County | 38 | Overall Score | 38/100 |
| #131 | Colquitt County | 38 | Overall Score | 38/100 |
| #132 | Crisp County | 38 | Overall Score | 38/100 |
| #133 | Dodge County | 38 | Overall Score | 38/100 |
| #134 | Laurens County | 38 | Overall Score | 38/100 |
| #135 | Brooks County | 37 | Overall Score | 37/100 |
| #136 | Grady County | 37 | Overall Score | 37/100 |
| #137 | Seminole County | 37 | Overall Score | 37/100 |
| #138 | Stephens County | 37 | Overall Score | 37/100 |
| #139 | DeKalb County | 36 | Overall Score | 36/100 |
| #140 | Hancock County | 36 | Overall Score | 36/100 |
| #141 | Jeff Davis County | 36 | Overall Score | 36/100 |
| #142 | Muscogee County | 36 | Overall Score | 36/100 |
| #143 | Polk County | 36 | Overall Score | 36/100 |
| #144 | Terrell County | 36 | Overall Score | 36/100 |
| #145 | Worth County | 36 | Overall Score | 36/100 |
| #146 | Chattooga County | 35 | Overall Score | 35/100 |
| #147 | Early County | 35 | Overall Score | 35/100 |
| #148 | Richmond County | 35 | Overall Score | 35/100 |
| #149 | Ware County | 35 | Overall Score | 35/100 |
| #150 | Appling County | 34 | Overall Score | 34/100 |
| #151 | Screven County | 34 | Overall Score | 34/100 |
| #152 | Sumter County | 34 | Overall Score | 34/100 |
| #153 | Tattnall County | 34 | Overall Score | 34/100 |
| #154 | Bibb County | 33 | Overall Score | 33/100 |
| #155 | Talbot County | 33 | Overall Score | 33/100 |
| #156 | Dougherty County | 32 | Overall Score | 32/100 |
| #157 | Mitchell County | 32 | Overall Score | 32/100 |
| #158 | Randolph County | 31 | Overall Score | 31/100 |
| #159 | Clayton County | 29 | Overall Score | 29/100 |
Methodology
Composite score combining health score, safety score, median income, education attainment, and population growth.
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates |Vintage: 2023 |Last refreshed: Dec 2024 |Next refresh: Dec 2025 |Source
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program |Vintage: 2023 |Last refreshed: Oct 2024 |Next refresh: Oct 2025 |Source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics |Vintage: 2024 |Last refreshed: Jan 2025 |Next refresh: Feb 2025 |Source
CountyPulse computed metrics |Vintage: 2025 |Last refreshed: Jan 2025 |Source