City · Franklin County, Georgia

Royston, Georgia

Royston is a city in Franklin County, Georgia, part of the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area. It has 2,258 residents. Royston, Georgia has a quality-of-life score of 7 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,491 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Georgia it ranks #267 of 386 cities and towns. It ranks best on pharmacies (high), time spent in the emergency room (low) and child care cost burden (low). It ranks worst on median household income (low), dentists (low) and dental care shortage (high).

7Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,491 of 15,651 cities and towns
Georgia: #267 of 386 in GA
Population: 2,258 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 679.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 1367452

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 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.

Safety38#9,752/15,637
Economy9#14,218/15,631
Housing34#9,948/14,977
Health14#13,419/15,609
Healthcare9#14,235/15,650
Environment48#7,973/15,453
Education24#11,912/15,649
Infrastructure1#15,463/15,650
Community22#12,183/15,651
Leisure & amenities22#12,134/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Royston, Georgia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Franklin 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 · high3.8 /10k
99/100Georgia 1.8 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFranklin County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low104 min
95/100Georgia 168 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesFranklin County value
Child care cost burden · low21.9%
89/100Georgia 23.0%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin County value
Social associations · high13.3 /10k
84/100Georgia 8.8 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin County value
Comfortable days · high30.7%
81/100Georgia 31.5%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationFranklin County value
High ozone days · low0 days
76/100Georgia 1 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyFranklin County value

Weaknesses

Median household income · low$34,435
3/100Georgia $79,912United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Dentists · low16 /100k
3/100Georgia 54 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin County value
Dental care shortage · high19.0
3/100Georgia 5.9United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationFranklin County value
Loneliness · high39.5%
4/100Georgia 37.9%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.550
4/100Georgia 0.477United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Broadband subscriptions · low68.3%
5/100Georgia 91.0%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
2,777 (2015-2019) → 2,258 (2020-2024)
−19%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
54.4% (2015-2019) → 30.7% (2020-2024)
−24 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
13.8% (2015-2019) → 27.2% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Poverty rateImproving
35.3% (2015-2019) → 22.2% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$21,125 (2015-2019) → $34,435 (2020-2024)
+63%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Average commute timeWorsening
22.7 min (2015-2019) → 36.1 min (2020-2024)
+59%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min

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, Royston, Georgia improved on 4 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 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.

Improved4

Poverty−13 points35.3% → 22.2%
Bachelor's++13 points13.8% → 27.2%
Rent burden−24 points54.4% → 30.7%
Household income+63%$21,125 → $34,435

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Royston, Georgia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.7 min2015-2019	36.1 min2020-2024	+13.3 min	Within the margin of error	1%
Bachelor's degree or higher	13.8%2015-2019	27.2%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	96%
Broadband subscriptions	58.3%2015-2019	68.3%2020-2024	+10 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Child poverty rate	40.8%2015-2019	31.3%2020-2024	−9.5 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Effective property tax rate	1.07%2015-2019	0.68%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	84%
High school diploma or higher	79.3%2015-2019	79.5%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Home price to income ratio	4.7×2015-2019	6.4×2020-2024	+1.7×	Within the margin of error	6%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4992015-2019	0.5502020-2024	+0.051	Within the margin of error	16%
Median household income	$21,1252015-2019	$34,4352020-2024	+63%	Improved	92%
Poverty rate	35.3%2015-2019	22.2%2020-2024	−13 points	Improved	96%
Rent as share of income	31.3%2015-2019	23.8%2020-2024	−7.5 points	Within the margin of error	89%
Rent-burdened households	54.4%2015-2019	30.7%2020-2024	−24 points	Improved	96%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.9%2015-2019	16.6%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 Royston, Georgia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Royston, 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, Royston, Georgia itself moved +9.5 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

2,258 residents (±404)

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

974 households (±180)

Royston, Georgia
Georgia share

Under $25k35%†344
$25k–50k27%†267
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

974 households (±180)

Royston, Georgia
Georgia share

Own61%597
Rent39%377

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+18.1 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

748 workers (±207)

Royston, Georgia
Georgia share

Drive alone75%†562
Carpool15%†109
Public transit

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 Athens-Clarke County, 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 Franklin County, the county holding most of Royston's residents.

Franklin County has 515 employer establishments, 207 for every 10,000 residents (0.83× the US rate of 248; 0.88× Georgia's), with 7,184 paid employees at an average annual pay of $45,960. The Census Bureau also counts 2,125 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 515; 2,125 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 207; US 248 · Georgia 236
Paid employees: 7,184
Average annual pay: $45,960; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	54	21.7	1.18×About typical	1,018	$21,115	8
Specialty trade contractors	33	13.3	0.86×About typical	199	$58,312	222
Ambulatory health care services	30	12.1	0.58×Fewer than typical	290	$65,386	55
Religious organizations	30	12.1	2.17×More than typical	154	$16,727	—
Full-service restaurants	26	10.5	1.36×More than typical	405	$21,635	4
Limited-service restaurants	23	9.2	1.15×About typical	567	$21,081	3
Building equipment contractors	17	6.8	1.14×About typical	115	$66,304	39
Automotive repair and maintenance	16	6.4	1.28×More than typical	200	$46,470	62
Construction of buildings	15	6	0.80×Fewer than typical	25	$46,680	147
Gasoline stations	14	5.6	1.74×More than typical	179	$31,782	3
Truck transportation	14	5.6	1.11×About typical	143	$55,490	61
Electrical contractors and wiring installation	13	5.2	2.11×More than typical	97	$68,454	19

Rank places for an industry Open Franklin County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 24,875 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Franklin 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.

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

House

Mike CollinsR-GA-10 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 2.1%

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.

Athens-Clarke County, GA53

Other cities and towns in Franklin 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/1367452

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends