county

Wilkes County, GA

Demographic and economic profile of Wilkes County, GA, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Wilkes County is a small rural Georgia county with a population of 9,553 that has contracted 3.3% over five years, reflecting the demographic pressures common to the region's agricultural and goods-producing economy. The labor force participation rate is low at 50.8%, with only 15.7% of residents holding a bachelor's degree, though the unemployment rate is just 2.4% and median worker earnings of $32,044 align with a modest cost structure anchored by a $105,000 median home value and $759 monthly median rent. Per capita GDP of $36,071 exceeds per capita income of $30,123, and a 17.0% poverty rate alongside a median age of 46.0 years point to a workforce that is older, modestly compensated, and cost-competitive.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

9,553

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$52,043

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

46.0 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-3.3% since 2018

Wilkes County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone4,938 (51.7%)
  • Black or African American Alone3,773 (39.5%)
  • Some Other Race Alone369 (3.9%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races206 (2.2%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race132 (1.4%)
  • Asian Alone117 (1.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish435
  2. 2.Other Indo-European19
  3. 3.Other Asian and Pacific Island8

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

20.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

55.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

23.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

3.8%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

540

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$36,071

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$30,123

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

2.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

17.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance703
  2. 2.Retail Trade (Group)640
  3. 3.Manufacturing (Group)605
  4. 4.Construction (Group)323
  5. 5.Other Services, Except Public Administration (Group)307

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations964
  2. 2.Sales & Office Occupations761
  3. 3.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations752
  4. 4.Service Occupations648
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations563

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 1.93×)118
  2. 2.Other Services (LQ 1.82×)328
  3. 3.Public Administration (LQ 1.70×)308
  4. 4.Manufacturing (LQ 1.63×)621
  5. 5.Retail Trade (LQ 1.47×)611

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$105,000

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$759/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

66.1%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $300,000 to $399,999300 (11.0%)
  • $100,000 to $124,999259 (9.5%)
  • $60,000 to $69,999220 (8.1%)
  • $80,000 to $89,999206 (7.5%)
  • $200,000 to $249,999201 (7.4%)
  • $250,000 to $299,999198 (7.3%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

15.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

82.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

50.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$32,044

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

32.6 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

4.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone3,026 (84.0%)
  • Carpooled416 (11.5%)
  • Worked At Home106 (2.9%)
  • Walked31 (0.9%)
  • Other14 (0.4%)
  • Public Transit10 (0.3%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.