Decatur County, Georgia Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Decatur County is located in Georgia with a total population of 29,195. It is the 64th most populous county out of 159 in Georgia. The county encompasses 5 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Decatur County is 38.9 years. This is 3% higher than the state median of 37.6 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Decatur County is $53,317. This is 31% lower than the state median of $77,353. It is also 34% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 22.0%. This is 65% higher than the state poverty rate of 13.4%. With more than one in five residents living below the poverty line, economic hardship is a significant challenge for the community. The unemployment rate is 6.3%. This is 24% higher than the state rate of 5.1%. The median home value is $158,800. Housing costs are 48% lower than the state median of $303,300. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.0x. 62.1% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 5% lower than the state average of 65.7%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Decatur County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 48.5% of the population. Black or African American residents account for 41.9%. The Asian population (0.7%) is well below the state average of 4.5%.

Education

15.2% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 57% lower than the state rate of 34.9%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 83.6%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Decatur County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, with comparisons drawn against Georgia and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.