Scores by category

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

Safety88#1,816/15,637
Economy94#982/15,631
Housing57#6,486/14,977
Health80#3,052/15,609
Healthcare42#9,106/15,650
Environment39#9,424/15,453
Education78#3,483/15,649
Infrastructure56#6,943/15,650
Community37#9,862/15,651
Leisure & amenities48#8,211/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Ball Ground, Georgia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Cherokee 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

Voter turnout · high81.0%
97/100Georgia 67.6%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionCherokee County value
Poverty rate · low1.8%
97/100Georgia 12.8%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty
New homes permitted · high18.6 /1k
95/100Georgia 5.5 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Child care cost burden · low20.1%
94/100Georgia 23.0%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCherokee County value
Drug overdose deaths · low7.0 /100k
93/100Georgia 14.1 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataCherokee County value
Mental health care shortage · low0.0
91/100Georgia 9.6United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationCherokee County value

Weaknesses

Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
3/100Georgia 0.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesCherokee County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.3 µg/m³
7/100Georgia 9.1 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyCherokee County value
Loneliness · high38.1%
7/100Georgia 37.9%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Time spent in the emergency room · high208 min
17/100Georgia 168 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCherokee County value
Average commute time · high29.4 min
21/100Georgia 28.3 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Primary care physicians · low40 /100k
22/100Georgia 67 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCherokee County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
2,131 (2015-2019) → 2,856 (2020-2024)
+34%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
24.0% (2015-2019) → 42.5% (2020-2024)
+18 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
49.7% (2015-2019) → 33.3% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$78,913 (2015-2019) → $117,829 (2020-2024)
+49%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeImproving
29.9% (2015-2019) → 20.6% (2020-2024)
−9.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
91.4% (2015-2019) → 99.4% (2020-2024)
+8 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

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, Ball Ground, Georgia improved on 2 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 9 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.

Improved2

Bachelor's++18 points24.0% → 42.5%
Household income+49%$78,913 → $117,829

Declined1

Price / income+0.4×2.7× → 3.1×

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Ball Ground, Georgia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	31.8 min2015-2019	29.4 min2020-2024	−2.4 min	Within the margin of error	74%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.0%2015-2019	42.5%2020-2024	+18 points	Improved	99%
Broadband subscriptions	91.4%2015-2019	99.4%2020-2024	+8 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Effective property tax rate	0.87%2015-2019	0.76%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	38%
High school diploma or higher	94.5%2015-2019	95.8%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	+0.4×	Declined	52%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3582015-2019	0.3572020-2024	−0.001	Within the margin of error	52%
Median household income	$78,9132015-2019	$117,8292020-2024	+49%	Improved	84%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	29.9%2015-2019	20.6%2020-2024	−9.3 points	Within the margin of error	92%
Rent-burdened households	49.7%2015-2019	33.3%2020-2024	−16 points	Within the margin of error	90%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.1%2015-2019	8.0%2020-2024	−3.1 points	Within the margin of error	77%

“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 Ball Ground, Georgia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Ball Ground, 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, Ball Ground, Georgia itself moved +15 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

2,856 residents (±26)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,856 residents (±26)

Ball Ground, Georgia
Georgia share

White86%2,465
Black4.2%†121
Hispanic or Latino5.8%†167
Asian0.0%0
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races3.6%†103

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−8.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

2,090 residents (±145)

Ball Ground, Georgia
Georgia share

No high school diploma4.2%†88
High school or GED21%†435
Some college19%†404
Associate degree13%†275
Bachelor's degree28%588
Graduate degree14%†300

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Bachelor's degree (+12.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

1,153 households (±90)

Ball Ground, Georgia
Georgia share

Under $25k5.4%†62
$25k–50k9.6%†111
$50k–75k8.2%†94
$75k–100k13%†145
$100k–150k37%424
$150k–200k11%†128
$200k or more16%†189

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+17.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,153 households (±90)

Ball Ground, Georgia
Georgia share

Own85%982
Rent15%†171

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

171 households (±76)

Ball Ground, Georgia
Georgia share

Under $7503.5%†6
$750–1,00012%†20
$1,000–1,50061%†105

Home values

982 homes (±107)

Ball Ground, Georgia
Georgia share

Under $150k6.1%†60
$150k–250k11%†111
$250k–400k45%444

Age of homes

1,188 homes (±96)

Ball Ground, Georgia
Georgia share

2010 or later41%486
2000–200929%†345
1980–199911%†136

Size of homes

1,188 homes (±96)

Ball Ground, Georgia
Georgia share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom0.7%†8
2 bedrooms14%†164

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,660 workers (±147)

Ball Ground, Georgia
Georgia share

Drive alone86%1,424
Carpool3.7%†61
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home11%†175
Other0.0%0

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,485 workers (±139)

Ball Ground, Georgia
Georgia share

Under 15 min19%†288
15–29 min32%†480
30–44 min22%†320

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

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 Cherokee County, the county holding most of Ball Ground's residents.

Cherokee County has 6,550 employer establishments, 228 for every 10,000 residents (0.92× the US rate of 248; 0.97× Georgia's), with 67,429 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,875. The Census Bureau also counts 33,264 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 6,550; 33,264 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 228; US 248 · Georgia 236
Paid employees: 67,429
Average annual pay: $47,875; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	595	20.7	1.34×More than typical	4,187	$65,953	2,785
Ambulatory health care services	540	18.8	0.90×About typical	4,791	$72,343	1,139
Restaurants and other eating places	426	14.8	0.81×About typical	9,898	$20,987	133
Lessors of real estate	389	13.6	1.10×About typical	751	$51,451	2,813
Construction of buildings	293	10.2	1.35×More than typical	1,340	$90,181	1,354
Management, scientific and technical consulting	278	9.7	1.44×More than typical	862	$67,802	1,693
Services to buildings and dwellings	248	8.6	1.28×More than typical	1,883	$51,113	2,052
Building equipment contractors	240	8.4	1.39×More than typical	1,577	$60,134	590
Real estate agents and brokers	226	7.9	1.62×More than typical	319	$54,868	1,137
Offices of other health practitioners	199	6.9	1.14×About typical	1,055	$44,275	622
Limited-service restaurants	186	6.5	0.81×About typical	4,144	$18,459	40
Full-service restaurants	181	6.3	0.82×About typical	4,707	$24,132	60

Rank places for an industry Open Cherokee County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 287,040 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 $35K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Ball Ground, Georgia: $12.26 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $35K; −66% vs FY2025
Per resident: $12.26; US $1,994
Sole-source: 13%; US 30%
Single offer: 19%; 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

Defense Logistics Agency$42.6K100%
Department of Veterans Affairs$4,43413%

Top recipients

STAG ENTERPRISE, INC.$30.6K87%
SEAS AND PEAKS, LLC$4,43413%

Spending by fiscal year

237.5KFY2017
299.6KFY2018
273.3KFY2019
158.7KFY2020
173.4KFY2021
92.9KFY2022
147.9KFY2023
62.5K

Top industries (NAICS)

Converted paper product manufacturing · 3222$24.6K70%
Other nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing · 3279$16K46%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$6,00717%
Specialized freight trucking · 4842$4,43413%
Other miscellaneous manufacturing · 3399$2,8808.2%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$2,758

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 Ball Ground, Georgia, so they do not add up across cities.

Ball Ground, Georgia's figures are part of those of Cherokee County, GA ($28.3M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

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

See federal money in Cherokee 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.

Ball Ground, Georgia is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

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.

Cherokee County80100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA57

Other cities and towns in Cherokee County

Largest first.

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/1305036

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends