Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Sylvania gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $149K, 2.8 years of the county’s $53K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 146th of 258 in Georgia. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $46K, and 21% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 88% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Only 31 of Georgia’s 374 towns score lower on hazard risk. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 84% of U.S. towns. Only 4 of the 263 Georgia towns we compare have a higher share of residents 65 or older than Sylvania.
Where Sylvania beats most towns.
2,956 counted in 2010 and 2,634 in 2020; an estimated 2,704 in 2025.
The decline has turned around: up 2.6% since 2020, after a 10.9% drop in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Sylvania is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1790, comes before those of 97% of the Georgia towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 314 in 1880, 2,634 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1947 and 2 maps from 1943 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sylvania, 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 Sylvania.
Sylvania trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and fares better on crime within Georgia than nationally, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Georgia (mostly hurricanes).
Homes are within reach (about $149K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 28 miles. At 2.8 years of the county’s $53K median household income, the typical home (about $149K) costs less against local pay than in 78% of Georgia towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living.
At $571 a month, Sylvania’s median rent is below both Georgia’s towns ($1,160 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Typical home values rose 7.4% in the year to September 2026.
| Sylvania | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $571 a month | $1,160 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 64% | 58% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Screven County school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Screven County High School, with 609 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screven County Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 1,005 | B |
| Screven County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 609 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
Against the 4,361 U.S. towns with household incomes like Sylvania’s, it is less healthy than 62%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
19% of adults have diabetes in Sylvania, against 14% in Georgia’s towns and 12% across U.S. towns. 48% of adults have high blood pressure in Sylvania. Sylvania beats the Georgia average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 18.
| Sylvania | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Sylvania | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.2% | 14.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 83% | 77.4% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 5.7% | 3.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of Georgia towns; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Sylvania’s FEMA risk score is 78 of 100. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Sylvania since 2024.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 12.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 84% of Georgia’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 37 to 25 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Sylvania is 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Sylvania | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9 per 1,000 residents | 14.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1.1 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Among 228 Georgia towns, just 6 have a lower share of conserved land than Sylvania.
| Sylvania | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 2.3% | 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. Sylvan Heights | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Sylvania has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 92° and January nights drop to 36°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Sylvania for work: only 17% work in town. Since 2013, Sylvania has lost 113 jobs, to 1,195 in 2023. The top destinations are Statesboro (8%), Augusta (5%) and Savannah (2%).
| Sylvania | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Sylvania; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Sylvania residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
8 notable people were born in Sylvania.
City in Georgia, United States
Sylvania is a city in and the county seat of Screven County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,634 in 2020.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sylvania grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #146 of 258 in Georgia. It grades D for health, B+ for safety and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
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 B+.
8 notable people were born here, including George Elliott Hagan and Penny Thompson.