Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Royston grades C overall, 136th of 258 graded towns in Georgia, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Natural-hazard risk is low. On the other side, the median household income is $34K, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line. Royston’s average trip to work is 36 minutes, against 26 minutes in Georgia’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Royston's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 97% of U.S. towns. Only 3 of the 259 Georgia towns we compare have a lower median rent than Royston.
Where Royston beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Royston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 127 in 1880, 2,649 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1940 and 3 maps from 1891 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Royston, 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 Royston.
Royston is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has home values climbing faster than Georgia’s and has hotter summers than most of the country, though not than most of Georgia.
Against the 1,165 U.S. towns with household incomes like Royston’s, it is healthier than 79%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Georgia it is less healthy than 63% of the 261 graded towns: much of Georgia scores lower on these measures.
Royston beats the Georgia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 43% of adults have high blood pressure in Royston.
| Royston | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Royston | GA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.5% | 77.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.2% | 14.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Franklin County school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royston Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 517 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 85% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The median household earns $34,435, against $77,353 across Georgia, one input to its D for jobs and income.
Adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (23% statewide); people 65 and older are 22% of residents (15% statewide). 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Georgia. 21% never finished high school.
| Royston | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 39.1 years | 36.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 25% | 29% |
55% women, 45% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.7 points. Across Georgia, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Royston | GA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.3% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.3% | 11.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.1% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.8% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.5% | 13.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.3% | 12.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.7% | 12.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.7% | 9.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.3% | 5.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 20.5% | 10.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.5% | 26.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.8% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.4% | 21.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.7% | 13.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,700, single groups can be off by several points
July afternoons average 89.3°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 77% of Georgia places with climate records; January nights average 32.3°.
Royston has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Royston’s January low is 32°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Royston | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 32°F | 33°F | 22°F |
| July high | 89°F | 90°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Home values rose 41% in five years, to about $265K, against 21% across Georgia.
The typical Royston home is worth about $265,000, up 2.7% in a year, 19% below the Georgia typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The average commute for its 1,099 working residents takes 36.1 minutes, against 28.3 across Georgia.
Most working residents leave Royston for work: only 9% work in town. Jobs based in Royston grew to 1,427 in 2023, 137 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Athens (7%), Lavonia (6%) and Hartwell (4%).
| Royston | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $34,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.3% | 9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Royston Community and Wellness Park, at 45 acres.
| Royston | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 2.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Royston Community and Wellness Park | — | 45 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Royston
About 5 of every 100 Royston residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Georgia.
5 notable people were born in Royston.
City in Georgia, United States
Royston is a city in Franklin, Hart, and Madison counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 2,649 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Royston.
| Town | GA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royston | #136 | C | B | — | B | C− |
| Franklin Springs | — | — | C− | A+ | B | B+ |
Franklin Springs has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Royston reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Royston with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Royston grades C overall, better than 26% of U.S. towns and #136 of 258 in Georgia. It grades C− for health and B for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 5 years of the area's median household income ($53,046 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
5 notable people were born here, including Terry Kay and Tony Edward Jones Sr..