Scores by category

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

Safety13#13,645/15,637
Economy4#15,069/15,631
Housing29#10,639/14,977
Health10#14,037/15,609
Healthcare19#12,628/15,650
Environment5#14,662/15,453
Education9#14,304/15,649
Infrastructure3#15,231/15,650
Community9#14,288/15,651
Leisure & amenities9#14,206/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Pharmacies · high2.9 /10k
95/100Georgia 1.8 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMitchell County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low109 min
93/100Georgia 168 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMitchell County value
Students per teacher · low11.6×
90/100Georgia 14.1×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsMitchell County value
Comfortable days · high32.7%
89/100Georgia 31.5%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMitchell County value
Public libraries · high1.5 /10k
86/100Georgia 0.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesMitchell County value
Child care cost burden · low23.9%
81/100Georgia 23.0%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMitchell County value

Weaknesses

Loneliness · high42.9%
1/100Georgia 37.9%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Restaurants and bars · low2.4 /10k
1/100Georgia 8.5 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMitchell County value
Dental care shortage · high20.0
1/100Georgia 5.9United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMitchell County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · low5.1%
2/100Georgia 35.0%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Adult obesity · high47.7%
2/100Georgia 39.1%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Dentists · low14 /100k
2/100Georgia 54 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMitchell County value

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
31.5% (2015-2019) → 46.7% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
67.3% (2015-2019) → 82.3% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
19.9% (2015-2019) → 27.5% (2020-2024)
+7.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Average commute timeImproving
21.5 min (2015-2019) → 15.7 min (2020-2024)
−27%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Median household incomeImproving
$31,173 (2015-2019) → $39,023 (2020-2024)
+25%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
15.7% (2015-2019) → 20.5% (2020-2024)
+4.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

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, Pelham, Georgia improved on 1 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 13 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+15 points67.3% → 82.3%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Pelham, Georgia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.5 min2015-2019	15.7 min2020-2024	−5.8 min	Within the margin of error	93%
Bachelor's degree or higher	9.9%2015-2019	5.1%2020-2024	−4.8 points	Within the margin of error	7%
Broadband subscriptions	67.3%2015-2019	82.3%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	80%
Child poverty rate	33.8%2015-2019	32.5%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Effective property tax rate	0.96%2015-2019	1.33%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	1%
High school diploma or higher	70.6%2015-2019	75.2%2020-2024	+4.6 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Home price to income ratio	2.4×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	+0.0×	Within the margin of error	77%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3762015-2019	0.4202020-2024	+0.044	Within the margin of error	19%
Median household income	$31,1732015-2019	$39,0232020-2024	+25%	Within the margin of error	44%
Poverty rate	24.8%2015-2019	22.9%2020-2024	−2 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	19.9%2015-2019	27.5%2020-2024	+7.6 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Rent-burdened households	31.5%2015-2019	46.7%2020-2024	+15 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	15.7%2015-2019	20.5%2020-2024	+4.8 points	Within the margin of error	11%

“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 Pelham, Georgia five years ago that improved

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

3,433 residents (±16)

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: 50–59 men (+2.7 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

3,433 residents (±16)

Pelham, Georgia
Georgia share

White42%1,444
Black54%1,841
Hispanic or Latino1.5%†51
Asian0.0%0
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races2.8%†97

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

2,225 residents (±234)

Pelham, Georgia
Georgia share

No high school diploma25%†552
High school or GED28%†620
Some college30%†665
Associate degree12%†274
Bachelor's degree2.7%†59
Graduate degree2.5%†55

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 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

1,267 households (±177)

Pelham, Georgia
Georgia share

Under $25k37%†472
$25k–50k23%†291
$50k–75k9.9%†126
$75k–100k23%†295
$100k–150k5.2%†66
$150k–200k0.5%†6
$200k or more0.9%†11

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $75k–100k (+17.2 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

1,267 households (±177)

Pelham, Georgia
Georgia share

Own46%†587
Rent54%680

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

631 households (±161)

Pelham, Georgia
Georgia share

Under $75045%†282
$750–1,00029%†181
$1,000–1,50023%†143

Home values

587 homes (±179)

Pelham, Georgia
Georgia share

Under $150k78%†458
$150k–250k13%†75
$250k–400k7.7%†45

Age of homes

1,430 homes (±191)

Pelham, Georgia
Georgia share

2010 or later3.2%†46
2000–20090.4%†5
1980–199917%†237

Size of homes

1,430 homes (±191)

Pelham, Georgia
Georgia share

Studio2.0%†29
1 bedroom8.5%†121
2 bedrooms21%†306

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

981 workers (±208)

Pelham, Georgia
Georgia share

Drive alone77%760
Carpool18%†177
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.8%†8
Bike0.0%0
Work from home3.7%†36
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

945 workers (±207)

Pelham, Georgia
Georgia share

Under 15 min64%†601
15–29 min21%†202
30–44 min11%†101

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 Mitchell County, the county holding most of Pelham's residents.

Mitchell County has 360 employer establishments, 173 for every 10,000 residents (0.70× the US rate of 248; 0.73× Georgia's), with 5,013 paid employees at an average annual pay of $38,142. The Census Bureau also counts 1,929 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 360; 1,929 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 173; US 248 · Georgia 236
Paid employees: 5,013
Average annual pay: $38,142; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	25	12	0.66×Fewer than typical	313	$14,425	19
Specialty trade contractors	19	9.2	0.59×Fewer than typical	80	$49,338	126
Religious organizations	18	8.7	1.56×More than typical	73	$17,233	—
Ambulatory health care services	17	8.2	0.39×Fewer than typical	80	$53,325	88
Gasoline stations	17	8.2	2.53×More than typical	71	$22,887	—
Limited-service restaurants	16	7.7	0.96×About typical	217	$15,774	9
Automotive repair and maintenance	10	4.8	0.96×About typical	40	$36,350	49
Health and personal care stores	10	4.8	1.82×More than typical	70	$34,257	19
Insurance agencies and brokerages	10	4.8	1.10×About typical	30	$30,033	23
Full-service restaurants	9	4.3	0.56×Too few to compare	96	$11,375	8
Legal services	9	4.3	0.81×Too few to compare	22	$30,091	3
Lessors of real estate	9	4.3	0.35×Too few to compare	19	$21,789	128

Rank places for an industry Open Mitchell County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 20,759 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 Pelham, 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

1.8KFY2017
0FY2024

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

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

See federal money in Mitchell 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.

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

House

Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.D-GA-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 93%Missed 1.9%

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.

Mitchell County3100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Mitchell 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/1359976