Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,400, settled in 1900.
Alma gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $157K for a typical one, or 3.5 years of the county’s $45K median household income. It grades C overall, 138th among Georgia's 258 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $37K, and 26% of residents live below the poverty line, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 93% of the country. On the plus side, its schools outperform 88% of the state's. 32% of working residents work locally in Alma, above both the Georgia town median (9%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Only 32 of Georgia’s 371 towns score higher on walkability. Alma's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 94% of U.S. towns.
Where Alma beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Bacon County Primary School | PK–2 | 551 |
| Bacon County Elementary School | 3–5 | 448 |
Where Alma’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Alma is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 458 in 1910, 3,433 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1919 and a map from 1971 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Alma, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Alma.
Alma pairs an A for schools with modest home prices, trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and draws workers from Baxley and beyond.
2,629 jobs are based in Alma, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Alma’s working residents works in town. Alma’s average trip to work is 30 minutes. Jobs based in Alma grew to 2,629 in 2023, 208 more than in 2013.
| Alma | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $37,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its A for schools comes with a B+ for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $157K.
Its public schools are run by the Bacon County school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bacon County Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 551 | – |
| Bacon County Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 448 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
Against the 1,605 U.S. towns with household incomes like Alma’s, it is less healthy than 56%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
17% of Alma adults have diabetes. Alma beats the Georgia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 36% of Alma adults get no exercise outside work.
| Alma | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 29% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 38% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Alma | GA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.5% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.9% | 6.5% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 26.8% | 17.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 51.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 76% of Georgia’s graded towns.
The property crime rate in Alma is 26.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Alma | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 26.9 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Homes are within reach (about $157K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles. Home values rose 40% in five years, to about $157K, against 21% across Georgia.
52% of households own their home in Alma. Typical home values rose 6.3% in the year to September 2026.
| Alma | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $683 a month | $1,160 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 52% | 58% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Among 264 Georgia towns, just 7 have a higher July high than Alma. Alma has mild winters and hot summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Alma | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.2% | 2.3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Alma; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Alma residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
4 places in Alma on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Alma.
City in Georgia, United States
Alma is a city in and the county seat of Bacon County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 3,433. Alma is known as Georgia's blueberry capital, and hosts a Blueberry Festival each June.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Alma grades C overall, better than 25% of U.S. towns and #138 of 258 in Georgia. It grades D for health, D for safety and A for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
3 notable people were born here, including Harry Crews and Daniel W. Lee.
