Paulding County, Georgia Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Paulding County is located in Georgia with a total population of 178,909. It is the 13th most populous county out of 159 in Georgia. The county encompasses 3 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Paulding County is 36.9 years. This is 2% lower than the state median of 37.6 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Paulding County is $98,031. This is 27% higher than the state median of $77,353. It is also 21% higher than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 6.7%. This is 50% lower than the state poverty rate of 13.4%. The unemployment rate is 4.5%. This is 12% lower than the state rate of 5.1%. The median home value is $326,300. Housing costs are 8% higher than the state median of $303,300. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.3x. 80.8% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 23% higher than the state average of 65.7%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Paulding County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 61.0% of the population. Black or African American residents account for 23.1%. The Asian population (1.5%) is well below the state average of 4.5%.

Education

29.5% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 16% 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 92.5%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Paulding 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.