City · Fannin County, Georgia

Blue Ridge, Georgia

Blue Ridge is a city in Fannin County, Georgia. It has 1,323 residents. Blue Ridge, Georgia has a quality-of-life score of 41 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #9,193 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Georgia it ranks #92 of 386 cities and towns. It ranks best on restaurants and bars (high), unemployment rate (low) and child care cost burden (low). It ranks worst on average weekly wage (low), injury deaths (high) and uninsured residents (under 65) (high).

41Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #9,193 of 15,651 cities and towns
Georgia: #92 of 386 in GA
Population: 1,323 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 494.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 1308928

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.

Safety47#8,277/15,637
Economy36#10,048/15,631
Housing46#8,112/14,977
Health19#12,659/15,609
Healthcare17#12,937/15,650
Environment83#2,600/15,453
Education31#10,800/15,649
Infrastructure28#11,210/15,650
Community63#5,759/15,651
Leisure & amenities95#842/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Blue Ridge, Georgia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Fannin 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

Restaurants and bars · high20.3 /10k
98/100Georgia 8.5 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFannin County value
Unemployment rate · low0.0%
98/100Georgia 3.4%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Child care cost burden · low19.4%
96/100Georgia 23.0%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFannin County value
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.3 /10k
96/100Georgia 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFannin County value
Job growth · high3.4%
95/100Georgia 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataFannin County value
Social associations · high16.2 /10k
94/100Georgia 8.8 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFannin County value

Weaknesses

Average weekly wage · low$881
4/100Georgia $1,404United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFannin County value
Injury deaths · high144 /100k
4/100Georgia 80 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFannin County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high27.9%
7/100Georgia 14.0%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Dentists · low27 /100k
8/100Georgia 54 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFannin County value
Loneliness · high36.8%
11/100Georgia 37.9%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Median household income · low$44,773
11/100Georgia $79,912United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,157 (2015-2019) → 1,323 (2020-2024)
+14%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
75.8% (2015-2019) → 88.6% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
16.9% (2015-2019) → 27.9% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Median household incomeImproving
$30,192 (2015-2019) → $44,773 (2020-2024)
+48%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Home price to income ratioWorsening
5.6× (2015-2019) → 7.8× (2020-2024)
+40%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
17.1% (2015-2019) → 24.0% (2020-2024)
+6.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

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, Blue Ridge, Georgia improved on 1 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 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+13 points75.8% → 88.6%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Blue Ridge, Georgia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.1%2015-2019	24.0%2020-2024	+6.9 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Broadband subscriptions	75.8%2015-2019	88.6%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	72%
Effective property tax rate	0.51%2015-2019	0.48%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	22%
High school diploma or higher	77.2%2015-2019	81.1%2020-2024	+4 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Home price to income ratio	5.6×2015-2019	7.8×2020-2024	+2.2×	Within the margin of error	3%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4462015-2019	0.4292020-2024	−0.017	Within the margin of error	65%
Median household income	$30,1922015-2019	$44,7732020-2024	+48%	Within the margin of error	83%
Poverty rate	21.0%2015-2019	20.5%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Rent as share of income	27.8%2015-2019	23.3%2020-2024	−4.5 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Rent-burdened households	43.9%2015-2019	41.3%2020-2024	−2.6 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	16.9%2015-2019	27.9%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	2%

“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 Blue Ridge, Georgia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Blue Ridge, 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, Blue Ridge, Georgia itself moved +7.5 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

1,323 residents (±395)

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

650 households (±201)

Blue Ridge, Georgia
Georgia share

Under $25k22%†141
$25k–50k33%†215
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

650 households (±201)

Blue Ridge, Georgia
Georgia share

Own34%†220
Rent66%†430

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−20.4 points).

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

488 workers (±212)

Blue Ridge, Georgia
Georgia share

Drive alone68%†332
Carpool8.8%†43
Public transit

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 Fannin County, the county holding most of Blue Ridge's residents.

Fannin County has 740 employer establishments, 285 for every 10,000 residents (1.15× the US rate of 248; 1.21× Georgia's), with 6,371 paid employees at an average annual pay of $39,460. The Census Bureau also counts 3,467 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 740; 3,467 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 285; US 248 · Georgia 236
Paid employees: 6,371
Average annual pay: $39,460; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	72	27.7	1.51×More than typical	1,024	$26,520	19
Lessors of real estate	62	23.9	1.94×More than typical	317	$43,593	417
Ambulatory health care services	56	21.6	1.04×About typical	515	$65,258	68
Full-service restaurants	42	16.2	2.11×More than typical	625	$29,072	11
Specialty trade contractors	41	15.8	1.02×About typical	228	$52,781	330
Religious organizations	34	13.1	2.36×More than typical	106	$21,991	—
Real estate agents and brokers	32	12.3	2.53×More than typical	82	$48,146	132
Construction of buildings	29	11.2	1.48×More than typical	54	$57,481	406
Limited-service restaurants	25	9.6	1.20×About typical	355	$22,673	5
Building equipment contractors	24	9.2	1.54×More than typical	147	$51,823	72
Offices of physicians	21	8.1	1.25×About typical	212	$83,330	9
Clothing and accessories stores	20	7.7	2.12×More than typical	158	$18,051	24

Rank places for an industry Open Fannin County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 25,957 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Blue Ridge, Georgia: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Spending by fiscal year

2.6KFY2017
-1.9FY2019
559.7FY2024

What was bought

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 Blue Ridge, Georgia, so they do not add up across cities.

Blue Ridge, Georgia's figures are part of those of Fannin County, GA ($10.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Fannin 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.

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

House

Andrew S. ClydeR-GA-9 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 4.6%

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.

Fannin County52100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Fannin 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
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/1308928

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends