Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Fort Valley gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $162K for a typical one, or 2 years of the Warner Robins metro’s $79K median household income. It grades C− overall, 142nd of 258 graded towns in Georgia. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $50K, and 30% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Fort Valley, against 15% in Georgia’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Fort Valley is home to Fort Valley State University. Only 22 of Georgia’s 373 towns score higher on history.
Where Fort Valley beats most towns.
Peach County Courthouse
Census counts: 1,333 in 1870, 8,780 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 3 maps from 1956 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 Fort Valley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fort Valley, 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 Fort Valley.
Fort Valley draws workers from Warner Robins and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
4,472 jobs are based in Fort Valley, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Fort Valley for work: only 17% work in town. Jobs based in Fort Valley fell to 4,472 in 2023, 545 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Macon-Bibb County (12%), Warner Robins (10%) and Perry (4%).
| Fort Valley | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Peach County school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunt Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 654 | D |
| Peach County Achievement AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 60 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
Against the 5,884 U.S. towns with household incomes like Fort Valley’s, it is less healthy than 74%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
43% of Fort Valley adults feel lonely. Fort Valley beats the Georgia average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 33% of Fort Valley adults worry about having enough food.
| Fort Valley | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 22% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 40% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Fort Valley | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.8% | 7% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.8% | 14.5% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 18.1% | 9.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 2 years of the Warner Robins metro’s $79K median household income, the typical home (about $162K) costs less against local pay than in 97% of Georgia towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
41% of households own their home in Fort Valley. Typical home values rose 4.8% in the year to September 2026. Fort Valley’s median rent is $886 a month.
| Fort Valley | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 41% | 58% | 73% |
| Median rent | $886 a month | $1,160 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 91% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2.4 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is South Peach Park, at 42 acres.
| Fort Valley | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1% | 2.3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. South Peach Park | 0.6 mi | 42 |
| 2. Everett Square Park | 0.4 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Fort Valley has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Fort Valley is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fort Valley's reported crime rate is well above Georgia's. Only 7 of the 150 Georgia towns we compare have a higher violent crime rate than Fort Valley. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Fort Valley | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 12 per 1,000 residents | 3 | 1.9 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 34.2 per 1,000 residents | 21.7 | 14.1 |
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
2 within 15 miles of the center of Fort Valley
College town 19 of every 100 Fort Valley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
5 places in Fort Valley on the National Register of Historic Places.
24 notable people were born in Fort Valley.
City in Georgia, United States
Fort Valley is a city in and the county seat of Peach County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 8,780. The city is in the Warner Robins metropolitan area and the Macon–Warner Robins combined statistical area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Fort Valley grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #142 of 258 in Georgia. It grades D for health and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
24 notable people were born here, including Ahmed Hill and Al Beard.
