Best places to live in Georgia

The 42 Georgia cities and towns of 20,000+ where people are moving in, ranked on growth, commute times and cost, using Census data. Looking for the lowest prices instead? See the cheapest places to live in Georgia.

By Sol Lakein, founder of Slower Sundays. Updated November 2026.

Pooler#1 pickScore 85 of 100
PoolerFastest growing+28.0% since 2020
AthensShortest commute20.6 min average

The top 3 in Georgia

#1Score 85
Pooler
Growth
+28.0%
Home value
$322,400
Commute
24 min
#2Score 85
Calhoun
Growth
+18.8%
Home value
$251,000
Commute
21 min
#3Score 70
Canton
Growth
+23.7%
Home value
$407,800
Commute
27 min

The 10 best places to live in Georgia

Score out of 100. Values and rents are Census medians for each city or town.

#	Place	Score	Median home value	Median rent	Commute	Growth since 2020
1	Pooler	85	$322,400	$1,671	24.1 min	+28.0%
2	Calhoun	85	$251,000	$873	20.8 min	+18.8%
3	Canton	70	$407,800	$1,680	27.3 min	+23.7%
4	Gainesville	68	$382,200	$1,299	24.0 min	+17.4%
5	Conyers	68	$284,300	$1,318	28.0 min	+18.2%
6	Villa Rica	66	$274,200	$1,547	34.0 min	+23.2%
7	Powder Springs	66	$332,900	$1,583	33.3 min	+24.2%
8	Kingsland	65	$251,400	$1,275	29.8 min	+16.9%
9	Richmond Hill	65	$313,400	$1,781	29.8 min	+21.4%
10	St. Marys	59	$312,300	$1,183	26.2 min	+11.4%

Every Georgia city and town we ranked

See all 42, with scores

#	Place	Score	Median home value	Median rent	Commute	Growth since 2020	Population 2025
1	Pooler	85	$322,400	$1,671	24.1 min	+28.0%	32,744
2	Calhoun	85	$251,000	$873	20.8 min	+18.8%	20,196
3	Canton	70	$407,800	$1,680	27.3 min	+23.7%	40,778
4	Gainesville	68	$382,200	$1,299	24.0 min	+17.4%	49,221
5	Conyers	68	$284,300	$1,318	28.0 min	+18.2%	20,377
6	Villa Rica	66	$274,200	$1,547	34.0 min	+23.2%	21,022
7	Powder Springs	66	$332,900	$1,583	33.3 min	+24.2%	21,004
8	Kingsland	65	$251,400	$1,275	29.8 min	+16.9%	21,299
9	Richmond Hill	65	$313,400	$1,781	29.8 min	+21.4%	20,022
10	St. Marys	59	$312,300	$1,183	26.2 min	+11.4%	20,546
11	Douglasville	58	$359,200	$1,582	32.7 min	+19.8%	41,523
12	Holly Springs	58	$448,400	$1,850	32.5 min	+23.4%	20,261
13	Carrollton	57	$311,100	$1,089	20.8 min	+4.5%	27,925
14	Winder	57	$288,500	$1,209	33.4 min	+16.1%	21,252
15	Cartersville	55	$338,200	$1,229	25.9 min	+9.5%	25,349
16	Kennesaw	54	$335,400	$1,845	28.6 min	+14.3%	37,970
17	Savannah	52	$248,900	$1,382	20.7 min	+1.1%	149,440
18	Athens	51	$299,200	$1,219	20.6 min	+1.0%	128,612
19	McDonough	50	$314,600	$1,792	32.5 min	+14.5%	33,395
20	Sugar Hill	48	$413,400	$1,862	33.2 min	+16.8%	29,280
21	Woodstock	47	$436,500	$1,821	29.9 min	+13.7%	39,895
22	Newnan	44	$364,700	$1,542	29.2 min	+8.0%	45,867
23	Chamblee	43	$432,800	$1,859	25.3 min	+7.2%	32,334
24	Atlanta	40	$439,600	$1,711	26.5 min	+6.1%	529,110
25	Suwanee	40	$480,600	$1,885	30.1 min	+10.8%	23,034
26	Lawrenceville	39	$350,600	$1,613	32.1 min	+7.1%	32,822
27	Stockbridge	37	$276,700	$1,494	31.0 min	+2.2%	36,331
28	Fayetteville	37	$368,200	$1,720	32.8 min	+8.0%	20,465
29	Mableton	36	$313,100	$1,472	30.7 min	+2.3%	78,820
30	Marietta	36	$448,500	$1,586	27.5 min	+4.1%	63,574
31	South Fulton	35	$309,800	$1,702	32.5 min	+4.4%	112,820
32	Peachtree City	34	$482,500	$2,086	28.6 min	+6.9%	40,880
33	Duluth	34	$400,800	$1,828	29.9 min	+4.9%	33,815
34	Acworth	33	$339,900	$1,664	30.1 min	+2.0%	22,925
35	Snellville	33	$335,000	$1,818	37.7 min	+9.3%	22,478
36	Tucker	31	$384,500	$1,647	28.5 min	+0.5%	37,290
37	Peachtree Corners	30	$484,700	$1,701	25.9 min	+0.6%	42,519
38	Smyrna	29	$449,500	$1,739	29.8 min	+2.4%	57,513
39	Brookhaven	28	$692,700	$1,882	25.1 min	+5.1%	59,643
40	Dunwoody	25	$602,900	$1,859	24.9 min	+0.3%	51,792
41	Alpharetta	22	$649,000	$1,948	26.3 min	+1.7%	66,921
42	Decatur	22	$701,400	$1,655	25.9 min	+1.3%	25,276

How we ranked them

This list is about where people are moving. Each growing place is scored against the others in the state on four Census measures, then weighted. Nothing about who lives in a place goes in.

Who makes the list: places that grew from 2020 to 2025 and whose median home value is at least 75% of the state's typical place ($245,738 in Georgia). Of 62 places, 8 lost population and 12 sit below that line, so they are left off this list. They are all on the cheapest places in Georgia page. Population growth counts births as well as moves.

Weight	Measure
45%	Population growth, 2020 to 2025
25%	Shorter commutes (mean travel time to work)
20%	Lower home values (median value of owner-occupied homes)
10%	Lower rent (median gross rent)

Places are incorporated cities and towns with at least 20,000 residents in July 2025. Unincorporated communities are left out because the Census population estimates do not cover them. Census reports home values of $2 million or more as $2,000,000+ and rents of $3,500 or more as $3,500+. A place with no figure on a measure gets half points on it. Home values are what owners estimate their homes are worth, averaged over 2020 to 2024, so they run below today's listing prices.

Statewide, Georgia has a top income tax rate of 4.99%, an effective property tax rate of 0.77% and a combined sales tax of 7.49%, and it does not tax Social Security. See property taxes by state and states with no income tax.

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Questions people ask

What is the best place to live in Georgia?

On our ranking of the 42 growing Georgia cities and towns with 20,000 or more people, Pooler, followed by Calhoun and Canton. Pooler has a median home value of $322,400, median rent of $1,671, an average commute of 24.1 min and grew +28.0% from 2020 to 2025 (US Census Bureau).

What is the fastest-growing city in Georgia?

Of the places we rank, Pooler, up +28.0% from the 2020 base to July 2025 (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2025).

Where in Georgia are commutes shortest?

Athens, where the average trip to work takes 20.6 min (American Community Survey 2020-2024).

Do you rank places by who lives there?

No. The ranking uses population growth, commute times, home values and rent only. Nothing about who lives in a place goes in.

Why isn't the cheapest town in Georgia on this list?

This list ranks the places people are moving to. Places that lost population from 2020 to 2025, or whose median home value is below 75% of the state's typical place, are left off. Every place is on our cheapest places to live in Georgia page.

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