City · Lumpkin County, Georgia

Dahlonega, Georgia

Dahlonega is a city in Lumpkin County, Georgia, part of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area. It has 7,299 residents. Dahlonega, Georgia has a quality-of-life score of 32 out of 100 (low), ranking #10,706 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Georgia it ranks #123 of 386 cities and towns. It ranks best on hospital quality rating (high), homicide rate (low) and child care cost burden (low). It ranks worst on grocery stores (low), rent as share of income (high) and poverty rate (high).

32Low

Quality-of-life score: #10,706 of 15,651 cities and towns
Georgia: #123 of 386 in GA
Population: 7,299 (2020-2024)
Land area: 9 mi²
Density: 823.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 1321240

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 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.

Safety72#4,430/15,637
Economy20#12,450/15,631
Housing16#12,620/14,977
Health32#10,677/15,609
Healthcare16#13,217/15,650
Environment74#3,951/15,453
Education82#2,793/15,649
Infrastructure38#9,646/15,650
Community17#12,924/15,651
Leisure & amenities27#11,392/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Hospital quality rating · high5.0
98/100Georgia 3.0United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesLumpkin County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Georgia 7.4 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataLumpkin County value
Child care cost burden · low20.5%
93/100Georgia 23.0%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLumpkin County value
Property crime rate · low425 /100k
93/100Georgia 1,409 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationLumpkin County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Georgia 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLumpkin County value
Reading scores · high3.27
85/100Georgia 2.97United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLumpkin County value

Weaknesses

Grocery stores · low0.3 /10k
0/100Georgia 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLumpkin County value
Rent as share of income · high51.0%
2/100Georgia 31.3%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071At least this value: the publisher's top bracket is open-ended
Poverty rate · high36.0%
2/100Georgia 12.8%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Pharmacies · low0.6 /10k
4/100Georgia 1.8 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLumpkin County value
Social associations · low4.5 /10k
5/100Georgia 8.8 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLumpkin County value
Dentists · low23 /100k
6/100Georgia 54 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLumpkin County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
6,773 (2015-2019) → 7,299 (2020-2024)
+7.8%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateWorsening
12.6% (2015-2019) → 37.8% (2020-2024)
+25 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$46,118 (2015-2019) → $77,516 (2020-2024)
+68%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
61.3% (2015-2019) → 73.8% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedImproving
4.6 /1k (2021) → 7.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+60%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
39.3% (2015-2019) → 51.0% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

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, Dahlonega, Georgia improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 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

Household income+68%$46,118 → $77,516

Declined1

Rent / income+12 points39.3% → 51.0%

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Dahlonega, Georgia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.9 min2015-2019	21.0 min2020-2024	−0.9 min	Within the margin of error	59%
Bachelor's degree or higher	45.3%2015-2019	50.0%2020-2024	+4.7 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Broadband subscriptions	91.4%2015-2019	92.0%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Effective property tax rate	0.76%2015-2019	0.55%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	61%
High school diploma or higher	91.2%2015-2019	93.8%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Home price to income ratio	6.2×2015-2019	6.9×2020-2024	+0.7×	Within the margin of error	38%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5112015-2019	0.4422020-2024	−0.069	Within the margin of error	90%
Median household income	$46,1182015-2019	$77,5162020-2024	+68%	Improved	94%
Poverty rate	28.3%2015-2019	35.9%2020-2024	+7.6 points	Within the margin of error	7%
Rent as share of income	39.3%2015-2019	51.0%2020-2024	+12 points	Declined	7%
Rent-burdened households	61.3%2015-2019	73.8%2020-2024	+13 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.6%2015-2019	10.3%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	28%

“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 Dahlonega, Georgia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Dahlonega, 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, Dahlonega, Georgia itself moved +3.7 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

7,299 residents (±18)

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

1,678 households (±182)

Dahlonega, Georgia
Georgia share

Under $25k18%†307
$25k–50k18%†296
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,678 households (±182)

Dahlonega, Georgia
Georgia share

Own59%987
Rent41%691

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+16.0 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

2,521 workers (±346)

Dahlonega, Georgia
Georgia share

Drive alone70%1,765
Carpool7.0%†176
Public transit0.0%0

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 Lumpkin County, the county holding most of Dahlonega's residents.

Lumpkin County has 603 employer establishments, 171 for every 10,000 residents (0.69× the US rate of 248; 0.73× Georgia's), with 6,011 paid employees at an average annual pay of $42,048. The Census Bureau also counts 3,151 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 603; 3,151 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 171; US 248 · Georgia 236
Paid employees: 6,011
Average annual pay: $42,048; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	50	14.2	0.77×Fewer than typical	1,129	$21,584	16
Specialty trade contractors	49	13.9	0.90×About typical	218	$57,252	328
Ambulatory health care services	47	13.4	0.64×Fewer than typical	338	$86,870	100
Lessors of real estate	29	8.2	0.67×Fewer than typical	57	$28,842	276
Limited-service restaurants	25	7.1	0.89×About typical	546	$18,753	6
Full-service restaurants	20	5.7	0.74×Fewer than typical	537	$24,944	9
Building equipment contractors	19	5.4	0.90×About typical	47	$61,638	70
Construction of buildings	19	5.4	0.71×Fewer than typical	99	$59,384	185
Religious organizations	16	4.5	0.82×About typical	129	$29,209	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	16	4.5	0.67×Fewer than typical	51	$32,196	258
Legal services	15	4.3	0.79×Fewer than typical	40	$53,675	33
Offices of other health practitioners	14	4	0.65×Fewer than typical	26	$44,538	64

Rank places for an industry Open Lumpkin County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 35,204 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 $263K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Dahlonega, Georgia: $36.03 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $263K; +80% vs FY2025
Per resident: $36.03; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 70%; 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

Department of the Army$201.5K77%
Defense Logistics Agency$61.2K23%
Defense Information Systems Agency$2890.1%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

4.9KFY2017
109.7KFY2018
27.5KFY2019
248.8KFY2020
19.8KFY2021
53.7KFY2022
73.9KFY2023
783.3KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Colleges, universities, and professional schools · 6113$185.2K70%
Other textile product mills · 3149$61.2K23%
Drycleaning and laundry services · 8123$11.8K4.5%
Waste collection · 5621$4,4791.7%
Wired and wireless telecommunications carriers · 5173$2890.1%

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Dahlonega, Georgia

THE CONTRACTOR SHALL PROVIDE LODGING, FACILITIES, MEALS, SUPPORT PERSONNEL, TRANSPORTATION, AND STEM FACILITIES CO-LOCATED FOR THE 387 CADETS AND 72 CADRE PARTICIPATING IN CAMP BIG FOOT STEM FROM 26-30 MAY 2026.$185.2K
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA· Lumpkin County, GA· Education & social services· May 21, 2026 – May 21, 2026· W9124D26PA121
LAUNDRY SERVICES (OMA)$46.1K
ARBER LLC· Lumpkin County, GA· Facilities & utilities· Mar 14, 2023 – Feb 26, 2026· W9124D23P0038

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 Dahlonega, Georgia, so they do not add up across cities.

Dahlonega, Georgia's figures are part of those of Lumpkin County, GA ($2M in FY2026), never added to them: 13% of that total.

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

See federal money in Lumpkin 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.

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

House

Richard McCormickR-GA-7 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 0.4%

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.

Lumpkin County49100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA57

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/1321240

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends