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Valdosta, Georgia

Valdosta is a small city of about 56,000 people in Lowndes County, Georgia. It's the county seat. Its population has held about steady since 2020. A typical home costs about 4 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, Jacksonville, is about 103 miles away as the crow flies.

County seatSmall city

Population
56,186
up 1.4% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$182,800
Lowndes County prices up 15% since 2022
Household income
$45,925
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, Valdosta area
88.3
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
In town
Sgmc Health
To Jacksonville
103 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 11.7% below the U.S. average in the Valdosta metro area.
  • More house for the moneyA typical home costs 4 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
  • A safer neighborhood265 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 4.8 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 37.8 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
  • Schools in town16 public schools: 9 elementary, 4 middle, 2 high schools and 1 other.
  • A hospital close bySgmc Health is in town and has an emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityJacksonville is about 103 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 Valdosta 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
$182,800U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 15%Lowndes County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$1,054 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$45,925U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
42%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$1,735 a yearGeorgia: $2,341
Homes built before 1940
4%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
10%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
88.3U.S. average = 100 (the Valdosta 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 Valdosta metro area, not Valdosta 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
56,1862020: 55,426
Median age
28.9 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
14%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
23%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
28%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
8%U.S.: 6%
College students
14%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%); retail (17%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (16%)
Unemployment rate
6%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
16 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
6%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
26%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Sgmc Health, Valdosta, GA, in town. 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

16 public schools in Valdosta, run by Valdosta City and Lowndes County.

Colleges in or next to town: Valdosta State University (10,000 to 19,999 students); Wiregrass Georgia Technical College (1,000 to 4,999 students).

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
65%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription
81%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
40°F
July average high
91°F
Days 90°F or hotter
82 a year
Nights at or below freezing
21 a year
Rain and melted snow
52.8 inches a year
Snow
0 inches a year
Elevation
198 feet

Weather stations: Valdosta 2 S (3 miles away) and Madison (28 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: Tallahassee, Jacksonville.

Lowndes County is in a metro area of fewer than 250,000 people (USDA rural-urban code 3, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

15 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Brookwood North Historic District, the East End Historic District, the Fairview Historic District and the North Patterson Street Historic District.

Campus life. Check Valdosta State University's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Valdosta's history on Wikipedia.

Know Valdosta?

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

  • Dasher, GA941 people, 8 miles
  • Clyattville, GA (unincorporated)147 people, 12 miles
  • Naylor, GA (unincorporated)293 people, 13 miles
  • Morven, GA496 people, 15 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.