Georgia [Effingham County (part) - Newton County (part), 1940
Ideal’s story
120 years in pictures
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1940.
- 1906Ideal is settled
IdealGA
A town of 391, settled in 1906.
Population
391
2025 Census estimate · −3% since 2020
Typical home
$122K
+6.5% in a year
Household income
$27K
median
Median age
41.8
years
Jobs based here
77
A commuter town
Is Ideal a good place to live?
50% of residents live below the poverty line in Ideal, where Georgia’s towns sit at 15% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Among 264 Georgia towns, just 3 have a lower median household income than Ideal. Ideal has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
391 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Ideal: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ideal, and how to reach them.
PowerGeorgia Power16.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterIdeal water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers75% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Ideal’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Georgia you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereMacon County Board of Elections and Voter RegistrationMacon County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes31041, 3106831041 95% · 31068 5%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Ideal.
Housing
The typical home in Ideal is valued at about $122K
The typical Ideal home is worth about $122,000, up 6.5% in a year, 63% below the Georgia typical home. 49% of households own their home in Ideal, below both the Georgia town median (58%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%). Ideal’s median rent is $800 a month.
$122KZillow home value
| Ideal | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 49% | 58% | 73% |
| Median rent | $800 a month | $1,154 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Ideal$122K
Georgia$329K
+6.5%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commute
Ideal has 0.7 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Ideal for work: only 4% work in town. The average trip to work in Ideal is 24 minutes. The top destinations are Ellaville (6%), Americus (5%) and Butler (4%).
4%work in town
| Ideal | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.3% | 9.1% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Ideal4%
Ellaville6%
Americus5%
Butler4%
Vienna3%
31 mi
median commute distance
77
jobs based in Ideal
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Ideal has mild winters and hot summers
Ideal has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 36° and snow is almost unheard of.
91°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter37–61°
Spring51–77°
Summer69–90°
Fall53–77°
Nov 14
typical first frost
Mar 20
typical last frost
+0.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
91°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
Ideal faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 63% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Ideal since 2012.
63risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingDroughtHurricanes
1
paid flood claims since 2012
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
Ideal stands out in Georgia and nationally: a larger share of its adults say their health is fair or poor
44% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Ideal. Of the 262 Georgia towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Ideal. 40% of adults feel lonely in Ideal.
| Ideal | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 23% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 14% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Georgia
3 better6 too close to call23 worse
| What stands out | Ideal | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 7.3% | 14.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 87.8% | 77.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 52.5% | 14.5% |
Phoebe Sumter Medical Center
22.1 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: primary care
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ideal
16pages on Ideal
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Ideal; the nearest are
South Georgia Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Americus17.7 mi$3,992 in-state tuitionFort Valley State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Fort Valley20.6 mi$5,526 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Ideal residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Ideal for work
Where Ideal’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
77jobs based in Ideal
4%of working residents work in town
31 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Ideal
City in Georgia, United States
Ideal is a city in Macon County, Georgia, United States. The population was 407 at the 2020 census, down from 499 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 482 ft
- ZIP code
- 31041
- Area code
- 478
Questions about Ideal
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ideal, GA a good place to live?
Ideal has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.