Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 10,885, settled in 1890.
Vidalia grades D− overall, ranked 231st of 258 in Georgia, mostly because of safety and incomes. It reports more crime per resident than 97% of U.S. towns, including 50 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. The median household income is $49K, and 26% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: natural-hazard risk is low. 39% of working residents work locally in Vidalia, against 9% in Georgia’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Vidalia is home to Southeastern Technical College.
Where Vidalia beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Vidalia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 503 in 1900, 10,785 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1862 and a map from 1970 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Vidalia, 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 Vidalia.
Vidalia draws workers from Lyons and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has poverty well above the Georgia rate.
Property crime runs at 34.9 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Georgia rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 624 to 430 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Vidalia’s property crime rate is 34.9 per 1,000 residents. Vidalia reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 97% report less. Vidalia’s violent crime rate is 4.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Vidalia | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 34.9 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Vidalia City school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Vidalia Comprehensive High School, with 703 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sally Dailey Meadows Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 2–5 | Grades 2–5 | 622 | B− |
| Vidalia Comprehensive High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 703 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
8,551 jobs are based in Vidalia, 2.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Vidalia’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Vidalia is 22 minutes. Jobs based in Vidalia grew to 8,551 in 2023, 680 more than in 2013.
| Vidalia | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $49,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 5,549 U.S. towns with household incomes like Vidalia’s, it is less healthy than 58%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Georgia it is less healthy than 64% of the 261 graded towns: much of Georgia scores lower on these measures.
Vidalia beats the Georgia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 44% of adults have high blood pressure in Vidalia.
| Vidalia | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 29% | 25% |
| What stands out | Vidalia | GA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.8% | 77.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.6% | 14.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Vidalia home is worth about $186,000, up 1.4% in a year, 44% below the Georgia typical home. 49% of Vidalia households own their home.
| Vidalia | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 49% | 58% | 73% |
| Median rent | $794 a month | $1,160 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 80% of U.S. communities. Since 1991, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Vidalia.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Vidalia has mild winters and hot summers. July afternoons reach 93°, January nights drop to 38° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
3.0 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Ed Smith Complex, at 20 acres.
| Vidalia | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.4% | 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. Ed Smith Complex | 0.3 mi | 20 |
| 2. Vidalia Community Center Park | 0.3 mi | 13 |
| 3. Ben Smith Park & Splash Pad | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Vidalia
About 5 of every 100 Vidalia residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Georgia.
Where Vidalia’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Vidalia on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Vidalia.
City in Georgia, United States
Vidalia ( vye-DAYL-yə, locally -DAY-yə) is a city located primarily in Toombs County, Georgia, United States. The city also extends very slightly into Montgomery County. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 10,785. Vidalia is the principal city of the Vidalia Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Montgomery and Toombs counties, and had a combined population of 35,640 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Vidalia.
Lyons reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Vidalia with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Vidalia grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #231 of 258 in Georgia. It grades C− for health, D− for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.5 years of the area's median household income ($52,500 across the Vidalia, GA area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
9 notable people were born here, including Mel Blount and Fred Stokes.
