Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Covington grades D− overall, ranked 238th of 258 in Georgia, mostly because of safety and health. It reports more crime per resident than 93% of U.S. towns, including 62 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Residents are less healthy than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. In its favor, natural-hazard risk is low. Covington’s property crime rate is 32.2 per 1,000 residents, above both the Georgia town median (14.5) and the median of U.S. towns (9.9). Covington has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Newton County Courthouse and Floyd Street Historic District.
Where Covington beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 1,121 in 1870, 14,192 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1888 and 2 maps from 1964 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Covington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Covington, 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 Covington.
Covington draws workers from Atlanta and beyond, but it reports property crime at about twice the Georgia rate.
15,944 jobs are based in Covington, 2.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 36.5 minutes, against 28.3 across Georgia.
Most working residents leave Covington for work: only 16% work in town. Covington’s average trip to work is 37 minutes. Since 2013, Covington has added 2,903 jobs, to 15,944 in 2023.
| Covington | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 15% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Newton County school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newton County Theme School at FicquettLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 1,095 | A |
| Peachtree Academy Private School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 260 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
Property crime runs at 32.2 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Georgia rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 624 to 563 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Covington is 4 per 1,000 residents. Covington reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 93% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
17% of Covington adults have diabetes. Covington beats the Georgia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 43% of Covington adults have high blood pressure.
| Covington | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 38% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 33% |
| What stands out | Covington | GA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.1% | 14.5% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 13.3% | 9.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 24.4% | 17.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 92% of U.S. communities. Since 1992, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Covington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Covington has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 33° and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Covington home is worth about $293,000, down 0.8% in a year, 11% below the Georgia typical home. 49% of households own their home in Covington.
| Covington | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 49% | 58% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,191 a month | $1,152 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Covington has grown 23% since 2020, to 17,477 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Georgia.
| Covington | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 25% | 24% | 22% |
| Median age | 37.8 years | 36.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 14% | 18% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.2 points. Across Georgia, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Covington | GA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.6% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 14.5% | 11.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.3% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.5% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.1% | 13.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.3% | 12.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10% | 12.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.7% | 9.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.1% | 5.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11% | 10.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.5% | 26.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.5% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.7% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.3% | 21.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.9% | 13.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1.5 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is City Pond Park, at 34 acres.
| Covington | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5% | 2.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. City Pond Park | 0.1 mi | 34 |
| 2. Chimney Park | — | 27 |
| 3. Baker Field Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Covington
About 5 of every 100 Covington residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Georgia.
Where Covington’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Covington on the National Register of Historic Places.
26 notable people were born in Covington.
City in Georgia, United States
Covington is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia and the seat of Newton County, and is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, its population was 14,192.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Covington.
| Town | GA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covington | #238 | D− | C+ | D | C | D |
| Oxford | — | — | A | A+ | C | B− |
| Porterdale | — | — | B | — | C | C− |
Oxford and Porterdale have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Porterdale reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Covington with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Covington grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #238 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 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($89,724 across the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro 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+.
26 notable people were born here, including Stephon Castle and Elija Godwin.
