Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Swainsboro earns a D, 194th among Georgia's 258 graded towns, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $50K, and 29% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: it is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns. 29% of residents live below the poverty line in Swainsboro, against 15% in Georgia’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Swainsboro is home to East Georgia State College. On civic life, just 20 of Georgia’s 307 towns do better.
Where Swainsboro beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Swainsboro is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 108 in 1870, 7,425 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1921 and 2 maps from 1971 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Swainsboro, 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 Swainsboro.
Swainsboro trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and draws workers from Statesboro and beyond, but it has poverty well above the Georgia rate.
39% of adults get no exercise outside work in Swainsboro. Swainsboro beats the Georgia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 22. 33% of adults worry about having enough food in Swainsboro.
| Swainsboro | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 29% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 22% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 23% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 12% |
| What stands out | Swainsboro | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.4% | 14.5% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 18.1% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Emanuel County school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Swainsboro High School, with 796 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swainsboro Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 833 | – |
| Swainsboro High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 796 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $129K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 26 miles. At 2.5 years of the county’s $53K median household income, the typical home (about $129K) costs less against local pay than in 87% of Georgia towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.
The typical Swainsboro home is worth about $129,000, up 1.3% in a year, 61% below the Georgia typical home. 45% of Swainsboro households own their home.
| Swainsboro | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 45% | 58% | 73% |
| Median rent | $836 a month | $1,160 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
4,230 jobs are based in Swainsboro, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 4 of Swainsboro’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Stillmore (6%), Vidalia (4%) and Augusta (3%).
| Swainsboro | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 28% | 9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.1% | 9.2% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Swainsboro has mild winters and hot summers. Swainsboro’s July high is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
2.1 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Swainsboro Recreation Dept, at 44 acres.
| Swainsboro | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.2% | 2.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Swainsboro Recreation Dept | 0.9 mi | 44 |
| 2. Harmon Park | — | 43 |
| 3. Yam Grandy State Park | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1990, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Swainsboro.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Swainsboro
About 3 of every 100 Swainsboro residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
Where Swainsboro’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Swainsboro on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Swainsboro.
City in Georgia, United States
Swainsboro is a city in Emanuel County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 7,425. The city is the county seat of Emanuel County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Swainsboro grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #194 of 258 in Georgia. It grades D− for health and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.5 years of the area's median household income ($52,772 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.
14 notable people were born here, including Ray Guy and Tony Mitchell.
