Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A regional job hub with 3,918 jobs.
Baxley earns a D, 195th among Georgia's 258 graded towns, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $30K, and 32% of residents live below the poverty line. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 94% of the country. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 69% of U.S. towns. 32% of residents live below the poverty line in Baxley, against 15% in Georgia’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 34 of Georgia’s 374 towns do worse. Baxley has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Appling County Courthouse and C. W. Deen House.
Where Baxley beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
4,400 counted in 2010 and 4,942 in 2020; an estimated 5,058 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Baxley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 110 in 1880, 4,942 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1940 and 2 maps from 1970 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Baxley, 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 Baxley.
Baxley trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and draws workers from Hazlehurst and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Georgia (mostly hurricanes).
Against the 550 U.S. towns with household incomes like Baxley’s, it is healthier than 56%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
18% of Baxley adults have diabetes. Baxley beats the Georgia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 29% of Baxley adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Baxley | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 23% | 19% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Baxley | GA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 27.6% | 17.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.9% | 6.5% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22% | 14.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Appling County school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appling County Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 1,113 | B |
| Appling County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,013 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
3,918 jobs are based in Baxley, 2.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Among 263 Georgia towns, just 5 have a lower median household income than Baxley. 29% of working residents work locally in Baxley. The top destinations are Alma (3%), Savannah (3%) and Vidalia (3%).
| Baxley | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 29% | 9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $30,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Homes are within reach (about $158K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 24 miles. The median property tax bill is $644, against $2,341 across Georgia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Baxley home is worth about $158,000, up 5.3% in a year, 52% below the Georgia typical home. Baxley’s median rent is $725 a month.
| Baxley | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $725 a month | $1,160 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 60% | 58% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 45.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 72% of Georgia’s graded towns. Property crime runs at 30.9 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Georgia rate, most of it theft.
The property crime rate in Baxley is 30.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Baxley | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 30.9 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of Georgia towns; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1998, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Baxley.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Only 5 of the 264 Georgia towns we compare have a higher July high than Baxley. Baxley has mild winters and hot summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Just 59 of its 5,205 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Baxley itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
0.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Water Works Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Baxley; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Baxley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
Where Baxley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Baxley on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Baxley.
City in Georgia, United States
Baxley is a city in Appling County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 4,942. The city is the county seat of Appling County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Baxley grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #195 of 258 in Georgia. It grades D for health, D for safety and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. That is 3.4 years of the area's median household income ($46,651 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
10 notable people were born here, including Byron Buxton and Frankie King.
