Living in Grayson, Georgia: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 0.1% above the U.S. average in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 3.6 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Grayson itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town5 public schools: 3 elementary and 2 middle. No public high school in town: the nearest is Grayson High School, about 2 miles away.
A hospital close byPiedmont Eastside Medical Center in Snellville, about 4 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityAtlanta is about 28 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Grayson meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Grayson runs into the built-up area around Atlanta (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

Boom town. The population is up 19% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $477,500U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 15%Gwinnett County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $2,237 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $131,293U.S.: $80,734
Typical property tax bill: $4,378 a yearGeorgia: $2,341
Homes built before 1940: 2%U.S.: 12%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 100.1U.S. average = 100 (the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 15% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area, not Grayson alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 5,5692020: 4,683
Median age: 31 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 8%U.S.: 17%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 33%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 2%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (23%); transportation, warehousing and utilities (21%); retail (18%)
Unemployment rate: 1%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 30 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 8%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 4%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Piedmont Eastside Medical Center, Snellville, GA, about 4 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 2 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

5 public schools in Grayson, run by Gwinnett County. The nearest public high school is Grayson High School, about 2 miles away.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Georgia's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Weather

January average low: 32°F
July average high: 89°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 38 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 59 a year
Rain and melted snow: 50.9 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 1,082 feet

Weather station: Winder 4S (14 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Piedmont Eastside Medical CenterEmergency room4

Johns Creek, GACity of 80,00017

Atlanta, GAMetro of 6.5 million28

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Piedmont Eastside Medical Center, Johns Creek, Atlanta.

Gwinnett County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area13 miles
Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historical Park25 miles
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park36 miles
Appalachian National Scenic Trail52 miles

Read about Grayson's history on Wikipedia.

Know Grayson?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Loganville, GA17,200 people, 6 miles
Dacula, GA9,400 people, 7 miles
Lilburn, GA16,400 people, 10 miles
Mountain Park, GA12,900 people, 10 miles
Auburn, GA10,100 people, 11 miles
Walnut Grove, GA1,700 people, 12 miles

Smaller places

Between, GA497 people, 10 miles
Carl, GA238 people, 11 miles
Milstead, GA (unincorporated)689 people, 14 miles
Bethlehem, GA822 people, 15 miles
Jersey, GA157 people, 15 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.