Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Sylvester gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $171K for a typical one, or 3 years of the Albany metro’s $57K median household income. It grades C− overall, 153rd of 258 graded towns in Georgia. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 91% of the country, and the median household income is $58K, and 28% of residents live below the poverty line. 28% of residents live below the poverty line in Sylvester, against 15% in Georgia’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Sylvester has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Worth County Courthouse and US Post Office-Sylvester. Sylvester's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 81% of U.S. towns.
Where Sylvester beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Sylvester is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 552 in 1900, 5,644 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1956 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sylvester, 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 Sylvester.
Sylvester trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and trades workers with Albany and other neighbors, but it has poverty well above the Georgia rate.
18% of Sylvester adults have diabetes. Sylvester beats the Georgia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 46% of Sylvester adults have high blood pressure.
| Sylvester | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 38% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Sylvester | GA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.2% | 77.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.3% | 14.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Worth County school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worth County Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 809 | – |
| Worth County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 856 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $171K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles.
Typical home values rose 10% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Sylvester is $896 a month.
| Sylvester | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 58% | 73% |
| Median rent | $896 a month | $1,160 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Sylvester has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Sylvester’s July high is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Sylvester has about as many jobs (2,004) as working residents, but only 354 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Sylvester for work: only 18% work in town. The top destinations are Albany (16%), Tifton (6%) and Moultrie (4%).
| Sylvester | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.1% | 9.2% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Sylvester's reported crime rate is below Georgia's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 11 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
| Sylvester | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 13 per 1,000 residents | 18.6 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 2.4 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 58% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sylvester.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jeffords Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sylvester. Close and well known come first.
30 mi MuseumGeorgia Veterans State Park19 mi Zoo & aquariumChehaw Park19 mi Zoo & aquariumFlint RiverQuarium19 mi MuseumThronateeska Heritage Center
22 mi MuseumAlbany Museum of Art
33 mi MuseumGeorgia Rural Telephone MuseumGeorgia Veterans State Park: Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Albany Museum of Art: Michael Rivera, CC BY 4.0 · Georgia Rural Telephone Museum: Todd Van Hoosear, CC BY-SA 2.0
None within 15 miles of Sylvester; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Sylvester residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Georgia.
5 places in Sylvester on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Sylvester.
City in Georgia, United States
Sylvester is the county seat of Worth County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,644 in 2020. The city is the county seat and business center of Worth County and is claimed to be the Peanut Capital of the World due to its peanut production.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sylvester grades C− overall, better than 21% of U.S. towns and #153 of 258 in Georgia. It grades D for health and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
7 notable people were born here, including Sue Monk Kidd and Robert L. F. Sikes.
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