Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bainbridge earns a D−, 255th of 258 graded towns in Georgia, mostly because of health and incomes. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 95% of the country. The median household income is $45K, and 24% of residents live below the poverty line. It also has a long history, with 6 places on the National Register. 34% of working residents work locally in Bainbridge, where Georgia’s towns sit at 9% and U.S. towns at 8%. Only 22 of Georgia’s 374 towns score lower on hazard risk. Its National Register listings include J. W. Callahan House and Decatur County Courthouse.
Where Bainbridge beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Its founding year, 1765, comes before those of 99% of the Georgia towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 1,869 in 1860, 14,468 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1940 and 2 maps from 1955 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Bainbridge is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bainbridge, 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 Bainbridge.
Bainbridge fares better on crime within Georgia than nationally, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Georgia (mostly inland flooding) and is a long drive from an emergency room.
The nearest emergency room, Miller County Hospital, is 21 miles away in a straight line.
18% of adults have diabetes in Bainbridge. Bainbridge beats the Georgia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 30% of adults worry about having enough food in Bainbridge.
| Bainbridge | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 12% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 22% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Bainbridge | GA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 16.9% | 9.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 30% | 17.7% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 15.4% | 9.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Decatur County school district. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Bainbridge High School, with 1,192 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bainbridge Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 793 | B− |
| Bainbridge High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,192 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
At 52.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 76% of Georgia’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 523 to 470 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Bainbridge’s violent crime rate is 5.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Bainbridge | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 26.8 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Bainbridge home is worth about $171,000, up 3.9% in a year, 48% below the Georgia typical home. The median rent in Bainbridge is $791 a month.
| Bainbridge | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $791 a month | $1,160 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 56% | 58% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 93% of Georgia towns; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1978, 37 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bainbridge.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
7.6 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Cheney Griffin Park, at 460 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cheney Griffin Park | 0.7 mi | 460 |
| 2. Bainbridge State Park | 0.1 mi | 111 |
| 3. Bill Reynolds Sports Park | 0.1 mi | 91 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Cairo 1sw weather station, 21 miles away, records that about 78 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Bainbridge has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 39° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 5,110 working residents takes 20 minutes, against 28.3 across Georgia.
About one in 3 of Bainbridge’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Bainbridge has lost 364 jobs, to 5,857 in 2023. The top destinations are Tallahassee (7%), Albany (3%) and Thomasville (3%).
| Bainbridge | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $45,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Bainbridge; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Bainbridge residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
12,697 counted in 2010 and 14,468 in 2020; an estimated 14,606 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 13.9% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
6 places in Bainbridge on the National Register of Historic Places.
15 notable people were born in Bainbridge.
City in Georgia, United States
Bainbridge is a city in Decatur County, Georgia, United States. The city is the county seat of Decatur County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 14,468, up from 12,697 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Bainbridge, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area and a principal city in the Tallahassee—Bainbridge, FL-GA Combined Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bainbridge grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #255 of 258 in Georgia. It grades D− for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.2 years of the area's median household income ($53,317 across the Bainbridge, 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+.
15 notable people were born here, including Travis Smith and David Ross.
