Living in Millen, Georgia: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 13% below the U.S. average in the parts of Georgia outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Millen to say.
A safer neighborhood14 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 4.7 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 13.4 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town3 public schools: 1 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byJenkins County Medical Center is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityGreenville is about 142 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 Millen 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.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical household income: $42,269U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 67%U.S.: 65%
Homes built before 1940: 14%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 3%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 2%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 87U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Georgia outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Georgia outside metro areas, not Millen 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: 2,9522020: 2,940
Median age: 41.4 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 26%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 19%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 8%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 1%U.S.: 6%
College students: 6%share of all residents

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: Retail (19%); schools, health care and social services (19%); manufacturing (13%)
Average commute: 23 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 1%U.S.: 15%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Jenkins County Medical Center, Millen, GA, in town. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: Emanuel Medical Center, Swainsboro, GA, about 28 miles away. Medicare gives it 4 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

3 public schools in Millen, run by Jenkins County.

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.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 68%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 76%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

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

Weather

January average low: 36°F
July average high: 92°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 74 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 44 a year
Rain and melted snow: 45.7 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 178 feet

Weather stations: Rocky Ford 4SE (16 miles away) and Midville Exp Stn (17 miles away, rain and snow). 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

Savannah, GACity of 149,00070

Greenville, SCMetro of 1 million142

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: Savannah, Greenville.

Jenkins County is outside any metro area, with fewer than 5,000 people in its towns, not next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 9, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including Birdsville Plantation and the Downtown Millen Historic District.

Read about Millen's history on Wikipedia.

Know Millen?

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

Sylvania, GA2,700 people, 18 miles
Twin City, GA1,700 people, 20 miles
Waynesboro, GA5,500 people, 20 miles
Wadley, GA1,500 people, 27 miles
Statesboro, GA35,000 people, 27 miles
Swainsboro, GA7,400 people, 27 miles

Smaller places

Rocky Ford, GA170 people, 12 miles
Garfield, GA249 people, 14 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.