Scores by category

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

Safety70#4,641/15,637
Economy18#12,833/15,631
Housing16#12,601/14,977
Health40#9,398/15,609
Healthcare23#11,997/15,650
Environment94#873/15,453
Education68#5,013/15,649
Infrastructure32#10,719/15,650
Community84#2,534/15,651
Leisure & amenities46#8,453/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Access to exercise opportunities · high100.0%
100/100Georgia 74.6%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTowns County value
Property crime rate · low112 /100k
100/100Georgia 1,409 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2024Federal Bureau of InvestigationTowns County value
Pharmacies · high3.8 /10k
99/100Georgia 1.8 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTowns County value
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Georgia 14.1 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataTowns County value
Job growth · high4.0%
97/100Georgia 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataTowns County value
Hot days · low1 days
97/100Georgia 66 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationTowns County value

Weaknesses

Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.591
4/100Georgia 0.477United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Georgia 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTowns County value
Mental health providers · low46 /100k
5/100Georgia 201 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTowns County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high29.1%
5/100Georgia 14.0%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.5 /10k
6/100Georgia 4.9 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTowns County value
Average weekly wage · low$908
6/100Georgia $1,404United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTowns County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
815 (2015-2019) → 1,293 (2020-2024)
+59%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
2.1 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
48.7% (2015-2019) → 67.0% (2020-2024)
+18 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
69.3% (2015-2019) → 85.0% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
14.0% (2015-2019) → 29.1% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Child poverty rateImproving
30.4% (2015-2019) → 15.7% (2020-2024)
−15 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

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, Hiawassee, 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 points69.3% → 85.0%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Hiawassee, Georgia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	25.5 min2015-2019	13.3 min2020-2024	−12.2 min	Within the margin of error	99%
Bachelor's degree or higher	32.6%2015-2019	25.7%2020-2024	−6.9 points	Within the margin of error	4%
Broadband subscriptions	69.3%2015-2019	85.0%2020-2024	+16 points	Improved	82%
Effective property tax rate	0.49%2015-2019	0.48%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	18%
High school diploma or higher	89.6%2015-2019	87.2%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Home price to income ratio	6.2×2015-2019	9.1×2020-2024	+2.9×	Within the margin of error	1%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4692015-2019	0.5912020-2024	+0.122	Within the margin of error	3%
Median household income	$44,6432015-2019	$45,0002020-2024	+0.8%	Within the margin of error	8%
Poverty rate	10.4%2015-2019	17.7%2020-2024	+7.3 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	29.6%2015-2019	42.7%2020-2024	+13 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Rent-burdened households	48.7%2015-2019	67.0%2020-2024	+18 points	Within the margin of error	10%

“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 Hiawassee, Georgia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Hiawassee, 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, Hiawassee, Georgia itself moved −9.9 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

1,293 residents (±289)

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

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 70–79 women (−10.4 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,293 residents (±289)

Hiawassee, Georgia
Georgia share

White92%1,196
Black0.1%†1
Hispanic or Latino6.3%†81
Asian0.1%†1
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races1.1%†14

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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

982 residents (±187)

Hiawassee, Georgia
Georgia share

No high school diploma13%†126
High school or GED23%222
Some college26%†258
Associate degree13%†124
Bachelor's degree18%†174
Graduate degree7.9%†78

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: High school or GED (−6.6 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

514 households (±107)

Hiawassee, Georgia
Georgia share

Under $25k26%†133
$25k–50k28%†143
$50k–75k6.6%†34
$75k–100k15%†79
$100k–150k18%†90
$150k–200k1.9%†10
$200k or more4.9%†25

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $50k–75k (−12.0 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

514 households (±107)

Hiawassee, Georgia
Georgia share

Own58%298
Rent42%†216

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

205 households (±74)

Hiawassee, Georgia
Georgia share

Under $75025%†51
$750–1,00021%†44
$1,000–1,50019%†38

Home values

298 homes (±81)

Hiawassee, Georgia
Georgia share

Under $150k1.3%†4
$150k–250k12%†35
$250k–400k35%†105

Age of homes

831 homes (±132)

Hiawassee, Georgia
Georgia share

2010 or later9.3%†77
2000–200921%†172
1980–199944%365

Size of homes

831 homes (±132)

Hiawassee, Georgia
Georgia share

Studio7.8%†65
1 bedroom8.9%†74
2 bedrooms31%256

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

412 workers (±137)

Hiawassee, Georgia
Georgia share

Drive alone80%†329
Carpool1.5%†6
Public transit0.0%0
Walk3.2%†13
Bike0.0%0
Work from home15%†60
Other1.0%†4

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

352 workers (±132)

Hiawassee, Georgia
Georgia share

Under 15 min66%†234
15–29 min17%†59
30–44 min11%†40

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

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 Towns County, the county holding most of Hiawassee's residents.

Towns County has 320 employer establishments, 246 for every 10,000 residents (0.99× the US rate of 248; 1.04× Georgia's), with 3,053 paid employees at an average annual pay of $40,398. The Census Bureau also counts 1,477 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 320; 1,477 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 246; US 248 · Georgia 236
Paid employees: 3,053
Average annual pay: $40,398; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	36	27.7	1.51×More than typical	408	$22,164	6
Ambulatory health care services	22	16.9	0.81×About typical	190	$50,242	24
Specialty trade contractors	22	16.9	1.09×About typical	87	$48,391	158
Full-service restaurants	20	15.4	2.00×More than typical	240	$22,938	—
Lessors of real estate	14	10.8	0.87×About typical	39	$44,051	162
Religious organizations	14	10.8	1.94×More than typical	64	$19,422	—
Limited-service restaurants	12	9.2	1.15×About typical	167	$19,946	—
Construction of buildings	11	8.5	1.12×About typical	98	$111,990	91
Building equipment contractors	10	7.7	1.28×More than typical	57	$45,544	34
Traveler accommodation	9	6.9	3.83×Too few to compare	234	$37,359	10
Gasoline stations	8	6.2	1.90×Too few to compare	19	$26,053	3
Real estate agents and brokers	8	6.2	1.26×Too few to compare	27	$47,037	54

Rank places for an industry Open Towns County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 13,006 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 $3,178 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Hiawassee, Georgia: $2.46 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $3,178; −7.6% vs FY2025
Per resident: $2.46; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 42%; 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

Offices, Boards and Divisions$3,178100%

Top recipients

STAFFING ONE, INC.$3,178100%

Spending by fiscal year

259.5FY2018
3.2KFY2020
4.1KFY2021
5.8KFY2022
9.1KFY2023
4.1KFY2024
3.4KFY2025
3.2KFY2026

Top industries (NAICS)

Employment services · 5613$3,178100%

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

Hiawassee, Georgia's figures are part of those of Towns County, GA ($358.4K in FY2026), never added to them: 0.9% of that total.

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

See federal money in Towns 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.

Hiawassee, 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.

Towns County64100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Towns 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/1338124

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends