Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Cordele grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns, mostly because of safety and health. Its crime rate is higher than 99% of U.S. towns, with 118 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Residents are less healthy than 97% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. In its favor, it is more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns. 29% of residents live below the poverty line in Cordele, against 15% in Georgia’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. The median household income is $34K, and 29% of residents live below the poverty line. Cordele has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Gillespie-Selden Historic District and US Post Office-Cordele.
Where Cordele beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
US Post Office-Cordele
Census counts: 1,578 in 1890, 10,220 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 2 maps from 1977 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Cordele is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cordele, 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 Cordele.
Cordele is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at 4 times the Georgia rate and has poverty well above the Georgia rate.
Violent crime runs at 12.2 per 1,000 residents, 4 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 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Georgia rate, most of it theft.
The violent crime rate in Cordele is 12.2 per 1,000 residents. Cordele reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 99% report less. The property crime rate in Cordele is 30 per 1,000 residents.
| Cordele | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 30 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Crisp County school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crisp County Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 714 | C+ |
| Crisp County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 978 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
Against the 1,054 U.S. towns with household incomes like Cordele’s, it is less healthy than 71%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
20% of adults have diabetes in Cordele. Cordele beats the Georgia average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 48% of adults have high blood pressure in Cordele.
| Cordele | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 38% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 22% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 29% | 25% |
| What stands out | Cordele | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.9% | 14.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.3% | 77.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 18.6% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Cordele home is worth about $140,000, up 3.9% in a year, 57% below the Georgia typical home. 39% of Cordele households own their home.
| Cordele | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 39% | 58% | 73% |
| Median rent | $786 a month | $1,160 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Cordele has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Cordele’s July high is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 3,670 working residents takes 17.8 minutes, against 28.3 across Georgia.
About one in 3 of Cordele’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Vienna (7%), Albany (5%) and Macon-Bibb County (3%). Half commute less than 12 miles.
| Cordele | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 30% | 9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $34,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1991, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cordele.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Williams Park | — | 16 |
| 2. Crisp County Youth Ball Complex | — | 14 |
| 3. Reid Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Cordele; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Cordele residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
4 places in Cordele on the National Register of Historic Places.
20 notable people were born in Cordele.
City in Georgia, United States
Cordele is a city in and the county seat of Crisp County, Georgia, United States. The population was 11,165 at the 2010 census, and 10,220 in 2020. Cordele calls itself the watermelon capital of the world. The city is approximately halfway between Macon and Valdosta on interstate 75 in Georgia
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cordele grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns. It grades D− for health, D− for safety and D for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.1 years of the area's median household income ($45,105 across the Cordele, 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.
20 notable people were born here, including Joe Williams and Jody Powell.
