Bethel Holiness Church, 2015
Putney’s story
129 years in pictures
Census counts: 3,108 in 1990, 2,869 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 3 maps from 1956 on.
- 1897Putney is settled
PutneyGA
A town of 3,150, settled in 1897.
Population
3,150
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$135K
Census ACS
Household income
$69K
median
Median age
40.3
years
Jobs based here
189
A commuter town
TownGrade
D−
#241 of 258 in GA
Is Putney a good place to live?
Putney grades D− overall, 241st among Georgia's 258 graded towns, mostly because of schools and incomes. Its schools rank behind 83% of the state's. The median household income is $69K, and 13% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: a typical home costs about $135K, 2.4 years of the Albany metro’s $57K median household income. On walkability, just 5 of Georgia’s 371 towns do worse. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Putney for work
Where Putney’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
189jobs based in Putney
2%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Putney grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Putney is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 4 of 20; 3.2% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitD−Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →SchoolsC−Open →Jobs & incomeC−Open →HealthPhoebe Putney Memorial Hospital 8.3 miles awayCOpen →Cost of livingB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Putney: who provides what
Putney is unincorporated, so Dougherty County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerGeorgia Power16.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterHollands Folly Subdivision #1 water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesDougherty CountyDougherty County provides services here
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 hereDougherty County Election SupervisorDougherty County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code3170531705 100%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 Putney.
Putney has homes that are cheap against local pay and sends most of its workers to Albany and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Georgia (mostly inland flooding).
OutdoorsC
Conserved land covers 0.1% of Putney
Putney’s trail density stands at 0.8 miles per square mile, where Georgia’s towns sit at 0.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Only 6 of the 228 Georgia towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Putney.
#38for trails in GA
| Putney | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 2.3% | 4.3% |
0.1%
conserved · 19 of 14,111 acres
16 mi
of trails · 0.7 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Natural hazards: very high risk in Putney, mostly inland flooding
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 93% of Georgia towns, with expected losses of about $438 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
69% of Putney’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 9%. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Putney once, in 2018. The town has had 12 paid flood insurance claims since 1994.
87risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesCold waves
12
paid flood claims since 1994
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
About two in five of Putney’s working residents commute to Albany
Putney has 189 jobs for its 901 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 376 in 2013 to 189.
Putney’s average commute stands at 23 minutes, against 26 minutes in Georgia’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Most working residents leave Putney for work: only 2% work in town. It had 189 jobs in 2023, down 187 from 2013. The top destinations are Albany (39%), Camilla (4%) and Columbus (2%).
2%work in town
| Putney | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2.1% | 9.2% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Putney2%
Albany39%
Camilla4%
Columbus2%
Moultrie2%
12 mi
median commute distance
189
jobs based in Putney
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 3% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthC
Residents of Putney are less healthy than 72% of U.S. towns
This Georgia town beats the Georgia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 45% of Putney adults have high blood pressure. In Putney, 17% of adults have diabetes, and 43% sleep under 7 hours.
28%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Putney | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 40% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 79% | 79% |
32 measures vs. Georgia
1 better22 too close to call9 worse
| What stands out | Putney | GA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.2% | 77.4% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.7% | 3.6% |
Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital
In Albany · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
46th
percentile among GA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
92°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter40–63°
Spring54–79°
Summer71–91°
Fall56–79°
Nov 20
typical first frost
Mar 10
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade B−
The median home in Putney sells for about $33K
At 2.4 years of the Albany metro’s $57K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 90% of Georgia towns; that ratio is one input to its B− for cost of living.
In Putney, 72% of households live in a home they own. The town’s rent at the middle of the market comes in at $1,049 a month.
$33Kmedian sale price
| Putney | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 72% | 58% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,049 a month | $1,160 a month | $1,185 a month |
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 12 attractions →Chehaw Park and 5 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Putney. Close and well known come first.
10 mi Zoo & aquariumChehaw Park8 mi Zoo & aquariumFlint RiverQuarium
36 mi MuseumGeorgia Veterans State Park8 mi MuseumThronateeska Heritage Center
10 mi MuseumAlbany Museum of Art
33 mi MuseumGeorgia Rural Telephone Museum
36 mi MuseumGeorgia Veterans State Park8 mi MuseumThronateeska Heritage Center10 mi MuseumAlbany Museum of Art33 mi MuseumGeorgia Rural Telephone MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Georgia Veterans State Park: Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Albany Museum of Art: Michael Rivera, CC BY 4.0 · Georgia Rural Telephone Museum: Todd Van Hoosear, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Putney
17pages on Putney
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Putney
Albany Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Albany6.8 mi$3,364 in-state tuitionAlbany State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Albany6.9 mi$5,656 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Putney residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
About Putney
Place in Georgia, United States
Putney is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Dougherty County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Putney had a population of 2,869. It is part of the Albany, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 22 sq mi
- Elevation
- 200 ft
- ZIP code
- 31782
- Area code
- 229
Questions about Putney
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Putney, GA a good place to live?
Putney grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #241 of 258 in Georgia. It grades C for health and C− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Putney, GA expensive?
The typical home is worth about $135,000, 59% below the Georgia typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.