Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Americus grades D− overall, 250th among Georgia's 258 graded towns, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its crime rate is higher than 98% of U.S. towns, with 141 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. The median household income is $39K, and 33% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: it is more walkable than 81% of U.S. towns. 33% of residents live below the poverty line in Americus, above both Georgia’s towns (15%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 5 of Georgia’s 307 towns score higher on civic life. Americus is home to Georgia Southwestern State University.
Where Americus beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Americus Historic District
Census counts: 3,259 in 1870, 16,230 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 2 maps from 1973 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Americus is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Americus, 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 Americus.
Americus is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Albany and other neighbors, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the Georgia rate.
Violent crime runs at 9 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Georgia rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Property crime runs at 30.4 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Georgia rate, most of it theft.
Americus’ violent crime rate is 9 per 1,000 residents. Americus reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 98% report less. Americus’ property crime rate is 30.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Americus | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 30.4 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Sumter County school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Furlow Charter School, with 585 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sumter County Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–1 | Grades PK–1 | 724 | – |
| Furlow Charter SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 585 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
The typical Americus home is worth about $133,000, up 6.8% in a year, 60% below the Georgia typical home. 36% of Americus households own their home.
| Americus | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 36% | 58% | 73% |
| Median rent | $834 a month | $1,160 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 2,145 U.S. towns with household incomes like Americus’s, it is healthier than 57%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
Americus beats the Georgia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 41% of adults feel lonely in Americus.
| Americus | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 22% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 40% | 36% |
| What stands out | Americus | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6% | 7% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 16% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 81% of U.S. communities. Since 1985, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Americus.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Americus has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Americus is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Americus has about as many jobs (5,765) as working residents, but only 1,447 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 17.3 minutes, against 28.3 across Georgia.
About one in 4 of Americus’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Americus fell to 5,765 in 2023, 1,180 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Albany (6%), Columbus (3%) and Vienna (3%).
| Americus | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $39,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Just 51 of its 7,376 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Americus itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
0.2 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Reese Park | — | 3 |
| 2. McCoy Hill Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Americus. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi National Historic SiteAndersonville National Historic Site62K visitors a year
10 mi National Historical ParkJimmy Carter National Historical Park39K visitors a year
21 mi MuseumGeorgia Veterans State Park32 mi Zoo & aquariumChehaw Park35 mi Zoo & aquariumFlint RiverQuarium
11 mi MuseumGeorgia Rural Telephone MuseumAndersonville National Historic Site: Jud McCranie at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jimmy Carter National Historical Park: Unknown, Public domain · Georgia Veterans State Park: Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Georgia Rural Telephone Museum: Todd Van Hoosear, CC BY-SA 2.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Americus
About 13 of every 100 Americus residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
9 places in Americus on the National Register of Historic Places.
25 notable people were born in Americus.
City in Georgia, United States
Americus is the county seat of Sumter County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,230. It is the principal city of the Americus Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Schley and Sumter counties and had a combined population of 36,966 at the 2000 census. Habitat for Humanity was founded in Americus and its international headquarters is there, as well as The Fuller Center for Housing's international headquarters, Georgia Southwestern State University, the Windsor Hotel, The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, and many other organizations. The city is notable for its rich history, including a large business and residentia…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Americus grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #250 of 258 in Georgia. It grades D for health, D− for safety and C− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($43,688 across the Americus, GA area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
25 notable people were born here, including Griffin Bell and Duncan U. Fletcher.
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