Scores by category

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

Safety88#1,816/15,637
Economy52#7,477/15,631
Housing35#9,673/14,977
Health76#3,674/15,609
Healthcare39#9,608/15,650
Environment39#9,424/15,453
Education56#6,865/15,649
Infrastructure36#9,988/15,650
Community37#9,883/15,651
Leisure & amenities48#8,211/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Nelson, 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
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
Property crime rate · low483 /100k
90/100Georgia 1,409 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCherokee County value
Primary care shortage · low0.0
90/100Georgia 8.2United States 6.2Oct 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
Loneliness · high38.3%
7/100Georgia 37.9%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
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
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.488
14/100Georgia 0.477United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Time spent in the emergency room · high208 min
17/100Georgia 168 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCherokee County value
Rent-burdened households · high65.7%
21/100Georgia 52.4%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
1,549 (2015-2019) → 1,166 (2020-2024)
−25%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
18.2% (2015-2019) → 65.7% (2020-2024)
+47 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedImproving
1.0 /1k (2021) → 3.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+231%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
21.9% (2015-2019) → 49.1% (2020-2024)
+27 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Child poverty rateImproving
8.3% (2015-2019) → 1.2% (2020-2024)
−7 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.378 (2015-2019) → 0.488 (2020-2024)
+29%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483

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, Nelson, Georgia improved on 0 of 11 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined1

Inequality+0.1090.378 → 0.488

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Nelson, Georgia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	32.8 min2015-2019	30.2 min2020-2024	−2.7 min	Within the margin of error	77%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.9%2015-2019	21.5%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Broadband subscriptions	88.1%2015-2019	89.5%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Within the margin of error	13%
High school diploma or higher	86.8%2015-2019	88.3%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.9×2020-2024	+0.5×	Within the margin of error	46%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3782015-2019	0.4882020-2024	+0.109	Declined	4%
Median household income	$75,9872015-2019	$89,3752020-2024	+18%	Within the margin of error	28%
Poverty rate	7.5%2015-2019	7.9%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	39%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	21.9%2015-2019	49.1%2020-2024	+27 points	Within the margin of error	1%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.8%2015-2019	9.7%2020-2024	−5.1 points	Within the margin of error	87%

“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 Nelson, Georgia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Nelson, 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, Nelson, Georgia itself moved −25.1 points in standing on average over the same 8 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

1,166 residents (±327)

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: 40–49 men (+7.8 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

1,166 residents (±327)

Nelson, Georgia
Georgia share

White85%989
Black1.7%†20
Hispanic or Latino9.2%†107
Asian1.0%†12
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races3.3%†38

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

820 residents (±211)

Nelson, Georgia
Georgia share

No high school diploma12%†96
High school or GED39%†320
Some college19%†156
Associate degree8.8%†72
Bachelor's degree12%†95
Graduate degree9.9%†81

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Graduate degree (+5.4 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 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

438 households (±128)

Nelson, Georgia
Georgia share

Under $25k12%†51
$25k–50k22%†98
$50k–75k10%†44
$75k–100k11%†47
$100k–150k25%†109
$150k–200k11%†49
$200k or more9.1%†40

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 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

438 households (±128)

Nelson, Georgia
Georgia share

Own77%†339
Rent23%†99

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

99 households (±59)

Nelson, Georgia
Georgia share

Under $75013%†13
$750–1,00037%†37
$1,000–1,50025%†25

Home values

339 homes (±107)

Nelson, Georgia
Georgia share

Under $150k25%†86
$150k–250k24%†80
$250k–400k29%†100

Age of homes

458 homes (±129)

Nelson, Georgia
Georgia share

2010 or later6.1%†28
2000–200922%†101
1980–199936%†167

Size of homes

458 homes (±129)

Nelson, Georgia
Georgia share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom0.0%0
2 bedrooms26%†120

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

588 workers (±178)

Nelson, Georgia
Georgia share

Drive alone78%†456
Carpool11%†66
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home10%†60
Other1.0%†6

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

528 workers (±157)

Nelson, Georgia
Georgia share

Under 15 min13%†70
15–29 min46%†242
30–44 min18%†95

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 Nelson'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 $6,556 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Nelson, Georgia: $5.62 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $6,556; −66% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5.62; 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$7,982100%
Department of Veterans Affairs$83013%

Top recipients

STAG ENTERPRISE, INC.$5,72587%
SEAS AND PEAKS, LLC$83013%

Spending by fiscal year

44.5KFY2017
56.6KFY2018
54.6KFY2019
32.7KFY2020
35.5KFY2021
17.4KFY2022
28.8KFY2023
11.3KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Converted paper product manufacturing · 3222$4,61270%
Other nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing · 3279$2,99546%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$1,12517%
Specialized freight trucking · 4842$83013%
Other miscellaneous manufacturing · 3399$5398.2%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$5167.9%

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

Nelson, Georgia's figures are part of those of Cherokee County, GA and Pickens County, GA ($28.5M 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: Nelson 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.

Nelson, 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.

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/1354572

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends