Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Jesup earns a D, 177th of 258 graded towns in Georgia, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $47K, and 21% of residents live below the poverty line. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 93% of the country. One bright spot: it is more walkable than 61% of U.S. towns. 32% of working residents work locally in Jesup, above both the Georgia town median (9%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Jesup has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Wayne County Courthouse and Leonard Carter House. Only 2 of the 264 Georgia towns we compare have a higher July high than Jesup.
Where Jesup beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Jesup’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Jesup is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 562 in 1880, 9,809 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 4 maps from 1918 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jesup, 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 Jesup.
Jesup has hotter summers than almost anywhere else in Georgia and draws workers from Hinesville and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Georgia (mostly hurricanes).
6,106 jobs are based in Jesup, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Jesup’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Jesup grew to 6,106 in 2023, 711 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Savannah (5%), Hinesville (2%) and Riceboro (2%).
| Jesup | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $47,000 | $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 Wayne County school district. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jesup Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 706 | B− |
| Wayne County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,576 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
Against the 4,648 U.S. towns with household incomes like Jesup’s, it is less healthy than 77%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
45% of adults have high blood pressure in Jesup. Jesup beats the Georgia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 17% of adults have diabetes in Jesup.
| Jesup | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 12% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 38% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Jesup | GA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 14.2% | 9.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 25.8% | 17.7% |
| More smokers | 19.3% | 13.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Jesup home is worth about $203,000, up 5% in a year, 38% below the Georgia typical home. Jesup’s median rent is $696 a month.
| Jesup | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $696 a month | $1,160 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 58% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
4.9 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Bill Morris Park, at 72 acres.
| Jesup | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.2% | 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. McMillan Creek GreenWay | 0.9 mi | 19 |
| 2. Bill Morris Park | 0.5 mi | 72 |
| 3. Hal Richardson Recreation Park | — | 22 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
July afternoons average 93.3°, the #2 highest of 676 Georgia places with climate records; January nights average 39°.
Jesup has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Jesup is 39°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 83% of Georgia towns, with expected losses of about $144 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Since 2003, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Jesup.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Jesup; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Jesup residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
3 places in Jesup on the National Register of Historic Places.
18 notable people were born in Jesup.
City in Georgia, United States
Jesup is a city in and the county seat of Wayne County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,809 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Jesup grades D overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #177 of 258 in Georgia. It grades D for health and B for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.8 years of the area's median household income ($53,427 across the Jesup, 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 B.
18 notable people were born here, including Erriyon Knighton and David Larson.
