Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Dawson grades D overall, 192nd among Georgia's 258 graded towns, mostly because of health and incomes. On CDC estimates, its residents' health ranks in the bottom 2% nationally. The median household income is $29K, and 54% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: it is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns. 54% of residents live below the poverty line in Dawson, above both the Georgia town median (15%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 1 of the 229 Georgia towns we compare have a lower typical home value than Dawson.
Where Dawson beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Terrell County Courthouse| Widest gap | Dawson | GA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 22.7% | 9.6% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Dawson is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 85% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 1%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 521 in 1860, 4,414 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 1892 and 2 maps from 1973 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dawson, 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 Dawson.
Dawson trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and trades workers with Albany and other neighbors, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
Homes are within reach (about $85K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles. At 1.5 years of the Albany metro’s $57K median household income, the typical home (about $85K) costs less against local pay than in 98% of Georgia towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.
The typical Dawson home is worth about $85,000, up 4% in a year, 74% below the Georgia typical home. 37% of Dawson households own their home.
| Dawson | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 37% | 58% | 73% |
| Median rent | $745 a month | $1,160 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terrell Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 558 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
The nearest emergency room, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, is 20.6 miles away in a straight line. Against the 440 U.S. towns with household incomes like Dawson’s, it is less healthy than 83%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
36% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Dawson. Among 261 Georgia towns, just 8 have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Dawson. 42% of adults feel lonely in Dawson.
| Dawson | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 23% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 14% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Dawson | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 9.8% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.1% | 7% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 22.7% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2.6 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. Dawson’s trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Dawson | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1% | 2.3% | 4.3% |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 75% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Dawson since 2018.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Dawson has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Dawson is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Dawson has about as many jobs (1,321) as working residents, but only 300 people both live and work here.
Only 3 of the 263 Georgia towns we compare have a lower median household income than Dawson. Since 2013, Dawson has added 136 jobs, to 1,321 in 2023. Most working residents leave Dawson for work: only 19% work in town.
| Dawson | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $29,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within Georgia, it does better than 58% of towns.
| Dawson | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.3 per 1,000 residents | 14.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Dawson; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Dawson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
2 places in Dawson on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Dawson.
City in the United States
Dawson is a city in and the county seat of Terrell County, Georgia, United States. Its population was 4,414 at the 2020 census. Incorporated on December 22, 1857, the city is named for Senator William Crosby Dawson. Dawson is part of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Dawson grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #192 of 258 in Georgia. It grades D− for health, C+ for safety and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within Georgia, it does better than 58% of towns.
That is 1.5 years of the area's median household income ($56,906 across the Albany, 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 B.
8 notable people were born here, including Otis Redding and Walter Washington.
