Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety2#902/924
Economy8#853/925
Housing17#769/925
Health4#886/925
Healthcare28#668/923
Environment13#799/917
Education7#858/925
Infrastructure5#880/925
Community1#916/925
Leisure & amenities44#522/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Cordele, GA micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Distance to an emergency room · low3.1 mi
98/100Georgia 7.4 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
Public EV charging ports · high21.8 /10k
97/100Georgia 6.7 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties
Pharmacies · high2.6 /10k
94/100Georgia 1.8 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Grocery stores · high2.6 /10k
93/100Georgia 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Unemployment rate · low3.3%
82/100Georgia 3.4%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year
Comfortable days · high30.4%
81/100Georgia 31.5%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Loneliness · high41.0%
0/100Georgia 37.9%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Broadband subscriptions · low75.5%
2/100Georgia 91.0%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Adult obesity · high44.9%
2/100Georgia 39.1%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Violent crime rate · high750 /100k
2/100Georgia 297 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Premature death · high16,367 /100k
2/100Georgia 9,221 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Median household income · low$45,105
2/100Georgia $79,912United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 72% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+72 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Arts, entertainment and recreationImproving
0.5 /10k (2020) → 1.6 /10k (2025)
+213%5 yearsUS 4.8 /10k → 5.5 /10k
Gyms and fitness centersImproving
0.5 /10k (2020) → 1.0 /10k (2025)
+109%5 yearsUS 1.2 /10k → 1.3 /10k
Violent crime rateWorsening
387 /100k (2020) → 750 /100k (2025)
+94%5 yearsUS 389 /100k → 328 /100k
Child poverty rateImproving
49.9% (2015-2019) → 31.2% (2020-2024)
−19 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
31.0% (2010 & 2021) → 46.1% (2022 & 2024)
+15 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%

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, Cordele, GA micropolitan area improved on 12 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 7. 8 moved within the margin of error and 4 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved12

Arts & recreation+213%0.5 /10k → 1.6 /10k
Poverty−8.5 points31.9% → 23.3%
Child poverty−19 points49.9% → 31.2%
Gyms+109%0.5 /10k → 1.0 /10k
Libraries+15%0.4 /10k → 0.5 /10k

Declined7

Violent crime+94%387 /100k → 750 /100k
Traffic deaths+69%16.7 /100k → 28.3 /100k
New businesses−20%19.2 /1k → 15.5 /1k
Grocery stores−26%3.5 /10k → 2.6 /10k
Overdose deaths+18%15.0 /100k → 17.7 /100k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Cordele, GA micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	0.5 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	+213%	Improved	100%
Average commute time	20.8 min2015-2019	20.6 min2020-2024	−0.3 min	Within the margin of error	71%
Average weekly wage	$7422020	$9192025	+24%	Improved	56%
Bachelor's degree or higher	14.1%2015-2019	15.3%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Broadband subscriptions	60.6%2015-2019	75.5%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	91%
Child poverty rate	49.9%2015-2019	31.2%2020-2024	−19 points	Improved	100%
Distance to an airport	123 mi2020	123 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	15.0 /100k2020	17.7 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+18%	Declined	18%
Effective property tax rate	0.88%2015-2019	0.94%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	2%
Firearm deaths	20.2 /100k2020	23.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+15%	Declined	29%
Grocery stores	3.5 /10k2020	2.6 /10k2025	−26%	Declined	6%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.5 /10k2020	1.0 /10k2025	+109%	Improved	97%
High school diploma or higher	82.8%2015-2019	83.8%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	+0.8×	Declined	20%
Homicide rate	15.3 /100k2020	15.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−2%	Little change	24%
Income adjusted for local prices	$43,5822019	$58,0342024	+33%	Improved	60%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5552015-2019	0.5022020-2024	−0.052	Within the margin of error	99%
Median household income	$36,0422015-2019	$45,1052020-2024	+25%	Improved	39%
New business applications	19.2 /1k2020	15.5 /1k2025	−20%	Declined	1%
Pharmacies	2.5 /10k2020	2.6 /10k2025	+4.3%	Little change	82%
Poverty rate	31.9%2015-2019	23.3%2020-2024	−8.5 points	Improved	100%
Property crime rate	3,591 /100k2020	2,126 /100k2025	−41%	Improved	66%
Public libraries	0.4 /10k2019	0.5 /10k2024	+15%	Improved	94%
Rent as share of income	33.4%2015-2019	30.8%2020-2024	−2.6 points	Within the margin of error	90%
Rent-burdened households	53.9%2015-2019	50.8%2020-2024	−3.1 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Restaurants and bars	6.5 /10k2020	7.8 /10k2025	+20%	Improved	92%
Suicide rate	16.5 /100k2020	17.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+4.8%	Little change	49%
Traffic deaths	16.7 /100k2015-2019	28.3 /100k2020-2024	+69%	Declined	2%
Unemployment rate	9.2%2020	3.3%2025	−5.9 points	Improved	97%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	19.2%2015-2019	17.7%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Violent crime rate	387 /100k2020	750 /100k2025	+94%	Declined	1%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Cordele, GA micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Cordele, GA micropolitan area 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, Cordele, GA micropolitan area itself moved +1.5 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

19,790 residents

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

7,908 households (±285)

Cordele, GA micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k28%2,200
$25k–50k27%2,136
$50k–75k12%†930

Homes

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

Owners and renters

7,908 households (±285)

Cordele, GA micropolitan area
United States share

Own56%4,389
Rent44%3,519

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

7,832 workers (±633)

Cordele, GA micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone81%6,349
Carpool8.4%†654
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 no occupation wages for Cordele, GA micropolitan area.

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.

Cordele, GA has 503 employer establishments, 256 for every 10,000 residents (1.03× the US rate of 248), with 7,557 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,335. The Census Bureau also counts 1,932 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 503; 1,932 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 256; US 248
Paid employees: 7,557
Average annual pay: $43,335; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	43	21.9	1.05×About typical	634	$52,850	85
Restaurants and other eating places	38	19.4	1.05×About typical	890	$16,915	9
Gasoline stations	22	11.2	3.46×More than typical	209	$30,110	7
Limited-service restaurants	22	11.2	1.40×More than typical	577	$15,206	5
Lessors of real estate	21	10.7	0.87×About typical	111	$40,883	115
Offices of physicians	19	9.7	1.50×More than typical	238	$71,668	7
Grocery and convenience stores	16	8.2	2.75×More than typical	180	$29,744	10
Religious organizations	16	8.2	1.47×More than typical	109	$19,826	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	15	7.6	1.52×More than typical	68	$37,971	55
Full-service restaurants	14	7.1	0.93×About typical	255	$21,380	4
Specialty trade contractors	13	6.6	0.43×Fewer than typical	66	$57,015	81
Traveler accommodation	13	6.6	3.67×More than typical	269	$24,777	3

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 19,626 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $0 on contracts performed in Cordele, GA micropolitan area: $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

39.9KFY2017
2.8MFY2018
2.3MFY2019
623.6KFY2020
467.6KFY2021
361KFY2022
61.2KFY2024

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $143.3M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Cordele, GA micropolitan area: $7,447 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $143.3M; +4.2% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,447; US $12,955
Loan face value: $2.5M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 12%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$74.7M52%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$12.9M9.0%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$11.9M8.3%
10.990 · Farmer Bridge Assistance Program$9.2M6.4%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$8M5.6%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$7.7M5.4%
10.988 · Supplemental Disaster Relief Program$2.4M1.7%
10.427 · Rural Rental Assistance Payments$1.7M1.2%

Top recipients (organizations)

CORDELE HOUSING AUTHORITY$2.7M1.9%
CORDELE, GA
CRISP REGIONAL HOSPITAL, INC.$2M1.4%
CORDELE, GA
GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$1.5M1.0%
ATLANTA, GA
HILLTOP APT LTD$372.2K0.3%
COLUMBIA, SC
CORDELE HERITAGE OAKS, LP$239.4K

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$103.3M72%
Farm Service Agency$15.4M11%
Department of Agriculture
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$13.5M9.4%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$2.7M1.9%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Health Resources and Services Administration

Assistance by fiscal year

114MFY2021
127.6MFY2022
123.1MFY2023
126.3MFY2024
137.5MFY2025
143.3MFY2026

County aggregates

82%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Cordele, GA

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Crisp CountyCentral county219,237

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

CordelePrincipal city9,994

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Georgia

Areas based in Georgia, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M18380

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved12

Declined7

Metro and micro areas like Cordele, GA micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Cordele, GA

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Georgia

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved12

Declined7

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type