City · Bacon County, Georgia

Alma, Georgia

Alma is a city in Bacon County, Georgia. It has 3,426 residents. Alma, Georgia has a quality-of-life score of 5 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,819 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Georgia it ranks #290 of 386 cities and towns. It ranks best on pharmacies (high), job growth (high) and grocery stores (high). It ranks worst on preventable hospital stays (high), restaurants and bars (low) and mammography screening (low).

5Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,819 of 15,651 cities and towns
Georgia: #290 of 386 in GA
Population: 3,426 (2020-2024)
Land area: 6 mi²
Density: 562.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 1301612

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 71 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety6#14,773/15,637
Economy23#12,086/15,631
Housing68#4,840/14,977
Health6#14,730/15,609
Healthcare1#15,530/15,650
Environment22#12,124/15,453
Education29#11,090/15,649
Infrastructure4#15,028/15,650
Community10#14,144/15,651
Leisure & amenities37#9,937/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Alma, Georgia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Bacon County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Pharmacies · high4.5 /10k
100/100Georgia 1.8 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBacon County value
Job growth · high2.6%
92/100Georgia 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataBacon County value
Grocery stores · high2.7 /10k
92/100Georgia 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBacon County value
Comfortable days · high33.1%
90/100Georgia 31.5%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationBacon County value
Math scores · high3.37
88/100Georgia 2.92United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBacon County value
Unemployment rate · low1.5%
88/100Georgia 3.4%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty

Weaknesses

Preventable hospital stays · high7,212 /100k
0/100Georgia 3,147 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBacon County value
Restaurants and bars · low1.8 /10k
0/100Georgia 8.5 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBacon County value
Mammography screening · low25.0%
1/100Georgia 44.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBacon County value
Mental health providers · low18 /100k
1/100Georgia 201 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBacon County value
Mental health care shortage · high20.0
1/100Georgia 9.6United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationBacon County value
Dental care shortage · high20.0
1/100Georgia 5.9United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationBacon County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
72.2% (2015-2019) → 88.4% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Average commute timeWorsening
17.2 min (2015-2019) → 29.8 min (2020-2024)
+73%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
41.8% (2015-2019) → 33.2% (2020-2024)
−8.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Unemployment rateImproving
9.3% (2015-2019) → 1.5% (2020-2024)
−7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
13.4% (2015-2019) → 19.8% (2020-2024)
+6.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Median household incomeImproving
$28,875 (2015-2019) → $36,884 (2020-2024)
+28%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Alma, Georgia improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Broadband+16 points72.2% → 88.4%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Alma, Georgia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	17.2 min2015-2019	29.8 min2020-2024	+12.6 min	Within the margin of error	1%
Bachelor's degree or higher	8.9%2015-2019	8.7%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Broadband subscriptions	72.2%2015-2019	88.4%2020-2024	+16 points	Improved	83%
Effective property tax rate	1.12%2015-2019	1.07%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	23%
High school diploma or higher	74.8%2015-2019	79.0%2020-2024	+4.2 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Home price to income ratio	2.9×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	−0.3×	Within the margin of error	89%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4852015-2019	0.4512020-2024	−0.035	Within the margin of error	77%
Median household income	$28,8752015-2019	$36,8842020-2024	+28%	Within the margin of error	50%
Poverty rate	30.2%2015-2019	26.2%2020-2024	−4 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Rent as share of income	28.1%2015-2019	24.8%2020-2024	−3.3 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Rent-burdened households	41.8%2015-2019	33.2%2020-2024	−8.6 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	13.4%2015-2019	19.8%2020-2024	+6.4 points	Within the margin of error	7%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Alma, Georgia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Alma, Georgia in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Alma, Georgia itself moved +2.6 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

3,426 residents (±14)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,417 households (±145)

Alma, Georgia
Georgia share

Under $25k36%†508
$25k–50k27%†388
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,417 households (±145)

Alma, Georgia
Georgia share

Own52%737
Rent48%680

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

918 workers (±210)

Alma, Georgia
Georgia share

Drive alone78%718
Carpool1.9%†17
Public transit0.0%0

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Bacon County, the county holding most of Alma's residents.

Bacon County has 230 employer establishments, 206 for every 10,000 residents (0.83× the US rate of 248; 0.87× Georgia's), with 3,154 paid employees at an average annual pay of $45,761. The Census Bureau also counts 809 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 230; 809 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 206; US 248 · Georgia 236
Paid employees: 3,154
Average annual pay: $45,761; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Bacon County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	18	16.2	0.78×Fewer than typical	117	$48,684	40
Truck transportation	14	12.6	2.49×More than typical	66	$51,894	31
Gasoline stations	11	9.9	3.05×More than typical	72	$25,125	—
Restaurants and other eating places	11	9.9	0.54×Fewer than typical	94	$18,053	5
Religious organizations	10	9	1.62×More than typical	27	$22,519	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	8	7.2	1.43×Too few to compare	36	$30,750	24
Limited-service restaurants	8	7.2	0.90×Too few to compare	83	$18,398	—
Offices of physicians	8	7.2	1.11×Too few to compare	63	$51,063	5
Offices of other health practitioners	7	6.3	1.03×Too few to compare	25	$37,120	17
Health and personal care stores	6	5.4	2.03×Too few to compare	59	$35,271	13
Insurance agencies and brokerages	6	5.4	1.23×Too few to compare	17	$44,706	13
Specialty trade contractors	6	5.4	0.35×Too few to compare	18	$26,722	74

Rank places for an industry Open Bacon County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 11,141 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $76.8K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Alma, Georgia: $22.41 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $76.8K; +112% vs FY2025
Per resident: $22.41; US $1,994
Sole-source: 2.6%; US 30%
Single offer: 1.5%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

NATURIPE VALUE ADDED FOODS, LLC$71.2K93%
TACOMA SCREW PRODUCTS, INC.$4,2285.5%
INDUSTRIAL FORGE INC$7551.0%
EHB SUPPLY$4580.6%
QUALIFIED FASTENERS INC$1080.1%

Spending by fiscal year

61KFY2017
42.5KFY2018
2.4KFY2019
3.1KFY2020
3.4KFY2021
62KFY2022
20.6KFY2023
131.6KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturing · 3114$71.2K93%
Machine shops and screw, nut, and bolt manufacturing · 3327$4,7946.2%
Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing · 3344$2870.4%
Engine, turbine, and power transmission equipment manufacturing · 3336$1660.2%
Ship and boat building · 3366$1220.2%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$108

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Alma, Georgia, so they do not add up across cities.

Alma, Georgia's figures are part of those of Bacon County, GA ($2.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 3.1% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Alma is mostly in Bacon County.

See federal money in Bacon County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Alma, Georgia is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Earl L. "Buddy" CarterR-GA-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 5.5%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Bacon County9100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Bacon County

Largest first.

Rockingham171

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1301612

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends