Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,089.
The best of Russell’s subject grades is an A for cost of living; the weakest is a D for health. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. Only 1 of the 264 Georgia towns we compare have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Russell. Russell Homeplace Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Russell has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Russell beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Russell is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
![Florida [Sarasota County (part) - Washington County] -- Georgia [Appling County - Effingham County (part)]](https://images.townratings.com/story/38614/567a9ff3e0af9345c504-l.jpg)
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1940 and 3 maps from 1896 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Russell is unincorporated, so Barrow County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Russell.
Russell beats the Georgia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 18. 22% of Russell adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance, above both the Georgia town median (14%) and the median of U.S. towns (8.1%). 21% of Russell adults smoke cigarettes.
| Russell | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 14% | 8.1% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 29% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 22% | 14% |
| What stands out | Russell | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.6% | 7% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 29.7% | 17.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 83% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.6% of Russell working residents work locally, below both Georgia’s towns (9.1%) and U.S. towns (8%). Since 2013, Russell has added 25 jobs, to 68 in 2023. 18% of residents live below the poverty line in Russell.
| Russell | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 15% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.6% | 9.1% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Russell has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Russell’s July high is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Russell. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi MountainStone Mountain
Big draw23 mi LakeLake Lanier
18 mi Stadium & arenaSanford Stadium
40 mi MuseumChattahoochee Nature Center
23 mi Stadium & arenaGas South Arena
39 mi MuseumFernbank Museum of Natural History500K visitors a yearStone Mountain: KyleAndMelissa22, Public domain · Lake Lanier: http://www.terraprints.com, CC BY 2.5 · Sanford Stadium: The original uploader was Clio64 at French Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chattahoochee Nature Center: muffinn from Worcester, UK, CC BY 2.0 · Gas South Arena: fr:File:ArenaatGwinnettCenterSat.png : fr:User:Betp (26 janvier 2008 à 20:19), Public domain · Fernbank Museum of Natural History: Daniel Mayer, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Russell; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Russell residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
Where Russell’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Place in Georgia, United States
Russell is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Barrow County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Russell had a population of 1,322.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
