Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Summerville earns a D, 178th of 258 graded towns in Georgia, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $33K, and 26% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, homes are within reach, about $185K for a typical one, or 3.7 years of the Summerville area’s $50K median household income. 26% of residents live below the poverty line in Summerville, above both Georgia’s towns (15%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Summerville's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 93% of U.S. towns. Summerville has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Chattooga County Courthouse and Summerville Depot.
Where Summerville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 248 in 1850, 4,435 in 2020. The archive holds 23 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 5 maps from 1886 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Summerville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Summerville, 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 Summerville.
Summerville trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Georgia (mostly inland flooding) and is a long drive from an emergency room.
The nearest emergency room, Dekalb Regional Medical Center, is 23.3 miles away in a straight line. Against the 885 U.S. towns with household incomes like Summerville’s, it is less healthy than 56%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
Summerville: 23% of adults smoke cigarettes. Among 261 Georgia towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Summerville. CDC measures, 32 in all: Summerville beats Georgia on 1 and trails on 22.
| Summerville | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 23% | 19% |
| What stands out | Summerville | GA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.7% | 77.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 29.2% | 14.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Public schools: the Chattooga County school district. The largest public high school is Chattooga High School, with 775 students. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summerville Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 337 | C |
| Chattooga High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 775 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $185K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles. The median property tax bill is $773, against $2,341 across Georgia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Homes in Summerville are typically worth about $185,000, up 4.4% in a year, 44% below the Georgia typical home. The town’s rent at the middle of the market comes in at $593 a month. Also worth knowing: 43% of households are owner-occupiers here.
| Summerville | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 43% | 58% | 73% |
| Median rent | $593 a month | $1,160 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Summerville weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 204 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 97% of Georgia places with climate records. January nights average 31.3°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 91% of Georgia places with climate records; July afternoons average 89.7°.
It almost never snows. Its January low comes in at 31°F.
| Summerville | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 31°F | 33°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 90°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Summerville has about as many jobs (1,708) as working residents, but only 201 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 2,885 in 2013 to 1,708.
Commuting out is the norm in Summerville: 11% of working residents work locally. The average commute for Summerville comes to 35 minutes. Employers in Summerville shed 1,177 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,708. The top destinations are LaFayette (13%), Rome (10%) and Calhoun (3%).
| Summerville | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $33,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 85% of Georgia towns; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Summerville’s FEMA risk score is 64 of 100. Federal aid has come to Summerville households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2009. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 46% come from inland flooding and 32% from tornadoes. The national flood insurance program has paid 4 claims in the town since 2021.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Within Georgia, it does better than 63% of towns. The property crime rate in Summerville is 10.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Summerville | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.2 per 1,000 residents | 14.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Across 3 parks and preserves: 0.1 miles of trail. Parks and preserves in Summerville: 3, covering 13 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fairway Recreation Center | — | 7 |
| 2. J.R. "Dick" Dowdy Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Williow Springs Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Summerville. Close and well known come first.
27 mi MountainLookout Mountain
37 mi WaterfallRuby Falls
39 mi Ancient siteEtowah Indian Mounds
25 mi State parkNew Echota
12 mi National PreserveLittle River Canyon National Preserve782K visitors a yearLookout Mountain: Teke, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ruby Falls: Oydman (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Etowah Indian Mounds: Kåre Thor Olsen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · New Echota: Cculber007 at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Little River Canyon National Preserve: Richard A. Weaver, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Summerville; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Summerville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
3 places in Summerville on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Georgia, United States
Summerville is a city and the county seat of Chattooga County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,435 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.
It grades D− for health, C+ for safety and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within Georgia, it does better than 63% of towns.
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−.
2 notable people were born here, including Senorise Perry and Air Paris.
