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Towns / Georgia

Thomson, Georgia

Thomson is a small town of about 6,800 people in McDuffie County, Georgia. It's the county seat. Its population has held about steady since 2020. A typical home costs about 3.8 years of the typical household's income, compared with 4.1 across the U.S. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, Greenville, is about 95 miles away as the crow flies.

County seat

Population
6,763
down 0.7% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$161,100
McDuffie County prices up 13% since 2022
Household income
$42,180
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, Augusta area
91.9
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
4 miles
Thomson, GA
To Greenville
95 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 8.1% below the U.S. average in the Augusta-Richmond County metro area.
  • More house for the moneyA typical home costs 3.8 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 Thomson 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, 1 middle and 1 high school.
  • A hospital close byUniversity McDuffie County Regional Medical Center in Thomson, about 4 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityGreenville is about 95 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 Thomson 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 home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
$161,100U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 13%McDuffie County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$848 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$42,180U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
49%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$1,565 a yearGeorgia: $2,341
Homes built before 1940
8%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
4%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
6%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
91.9U.S. average = 100 (the Augusta-Richmond County 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 13% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Augusta-Richmond County metro area, not Thomson 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
6,7632020: 6,809
Median age
38.1 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
16%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
25%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
13%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
9%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
Schools, health care and social services (22%); manufacturing (17%); professional and business services (16%)
Unemployment rate
1%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
17 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
10%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
29%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: University McDuffie County Regional Medical Center, Thomson, GA, about 4 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

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 Thomson, run by McDuffie 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
60%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
35°F
July average high
91°F
Days 90°F or hotter
79 a year
Nights at or below freezing
30 a year
Rain and melted snow
46.1 inches a year
Snow
0 inches a year
Elevation
510 feet

Weather stations: Thomson 1.5SE (1 mile away) and Gibson (18 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

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: University McDuffie County Regional Medical Center, Macon-Bibb County, Greenville.

McDuffie County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

13 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Thomas E. Watson House, the Hayes Line Historic District, the Pine Top Farm and the Thomas Carr District. One is a National Historic Landmark, the country's highest honor for a historic place.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

  • Ninety Six National Historic Site53 miles

Read about Thomson's history on Wikipedia.

Know Thomson?

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

Smaller places

  • Dearing, GA534 people, 7 miles
  • Camak, GA133 people, 9 miles
  • Norwood, GA194 people, 12 miles
  • Appling, GA (unincorporated)702 people, 13 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

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.