Scores by category

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

Safety2#910/924
Economy27#675/925
Housing23#708/925
Health17#765/925
Healthcare41#541/923
Environment22#714/917
Education38#570/925
Infrastructure16#778/925
Community20#742/925
Leisure & amenities50#460/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Macon-Bibb County, GA metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Primary care physicians · high108 /100k
94/100Georgia 67 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
New business applications · high18.4 /1k
91/100Georgia 22.5 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Depression · low20.4%
90/100Georgia 19.3%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Comfortable days · high31.0%
85/100Georgia 31.5%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Job growth · high1.3%
83/100Georgia 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Cost of buying a home today · low27.9%
74/100Georgia 31.1%United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research

Weaknesses

Violent crime rate · high896 /100k
1/100Georgia 297 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Loneliness · high40.5%
1/100Georgia 37.9%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Homicide rate · high18.5 /100k
2/100Georgia 7.4 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Property crime rate · high2,458 /100k
4/100Georgia 1,409 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.504
4/100Georgia 0.477United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Firearm deaths · high29.7 /100k
4/100Georgia 16.7 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from countiesCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figure

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 71% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+71 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
53.3% (2010 & 2021) → 69.9% (2022 & 2024)
+17 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
75.3% (2015-2019) → 86.2% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
19.6% (Dec 2021) → 27.9% (Aug 2026)
+8.2 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
Arts, entertainment and recreationImproving
2.7 /10k (2020) → 3.7 /10k (2025)
+35%5 yearsUS 4.8 /10k → 5.5 /10k
Median household incomeImproving
$44,332 (2015-2019) → $59,526 (2020-2024)
+34%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

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, Macon-Bibb County, GA metro area improved on 11 of 30 measures with a comparison and declined on 6. 10 moved within the margin of error and 3 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.

Improved11

Libraries+7.5%0.4 /10k → 0.4 /10k
Arts & recreation+35%2.7 /10k → 3.7 /10k
Household income+34%$44,332 → $59,526
Restaurants+9.3%7.4 /10k → 8.0 /10k
Broadband+11 points75.3% → 86.2%

Declined6

Overdose deaths+80%11.2 /100k → 20.2 /100k
New businesses−13%21.0 /1k → 18.4 /1k
Grocery stores−13%1.6 /10k → 1.4 /10k
Traffic deaths+10%22.9 /100k → 25.3 /100k
Pharmacies−10%2.0 /10k → 1.8 /10k

All 30 measures

Change of every measure of Macon-Bibb County, GA metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.7 /10k2020	3.7 /10k2025	+35%	Improved	91%
Average commute time	23.6 min2015-2019	24.5 min2020-2024	+0.9 min	Within the margin of error	35%
Average weekly wage	$8892020	$1,0922025	+23%	Improved	46%
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.4%2015-2019	24.3%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Broadband subscriptions	75.3%2015-2019	86.2%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	69%
Child poverty rate	31.6%2015-2019	30.0%2020-2024	−1.5 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Distance to an airport	68 mi2020	68 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	96%
Drug overdose deaths	11.2 /100k2020	20.2 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+80%	Declined	4%
Effective property tax rate	1.09%2015-2019	0.88%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	76%
Firearm deaths	31.9 /100k2020	29.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−7%	Improved	61%
Grocery stores	1.6 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	−13%	Declined	20%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.0 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	+15%	Improved	65%
High school diploma or higher	85.7%2015-2019	88.0%2020-2024	+2.3 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+0.4×	Declined	55%
Homicide rate	23.6 /100k2020	18.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−22%	Improved	45%
Income adjusted for local prices	$46,2362019	$57,8912024	+25%	Improved	9%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5102015-2019	0.5042020-2024	−0.007	Within the margin of error	74%
Median household income	$44,3322015-2019	$59,5262020-2024	+34%	Improved	83%
New business applications	21.0 /1k2020	18.4 /1k2025	−13%	Declined	2%
Pharmacies	2.0 /10k2020	1.8 /10k2025	−10%	Declined	46%
Poverty rate	21.7%2015-2019	20.7%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Public libraries	0.4 /10k2019	0.4 /10k2024	+7.5%	Improved	89%
Public transit commuters	0.8%2015-2019	0.5%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Rent as share of income	32.5%2015-2019	33.2%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Rent-burdened households	54.2%2015-2019	55.3%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Restaurants and bars	7.4 /10k2020	8.0 /10k2025	+9.3%	Improved	78%
Suicide rate	14.9 /100k2020	15.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+3.6%	Little change	53%
Traffic deaths	22.9 /100k2015-2019	25.3 /100k2020-2024	+10%	Declined	44%
Unemployment rate	6.9%2020	3.9%2025	−3 points	Improved	52%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.5%2015-2019	14.8%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	33%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 786 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; 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 Macon-Bibb County, GA metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Macon-Bibb County, GA metro 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, Macon-Bibb County, GA metro area itself moved −1.9 points in standing on average over the same 28 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

234,943 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

88,590 households (±942)

Macon-Bibb County, GA metro area
United States share

Under $25k23%20,237
$25k–50k21%18,383
$50k–75k16%14,501

Homes

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

Owners and renters

88,590 households (±942)

Macon-Bibb County, GA metro area
United States share

Own62%54,816
Rent38%33,774

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

97,503 workers (±1,827)

Macon-Bibb County, GA metro area
United States share

Drive alone78%75,968
Carpool8.9%8,715
Public transit0.5%†522

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Macon-Bibb County, GA employ 22,850 people. 10 pay a median below the US median.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Macon-Bibb County, GA by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Registered Nurses3,100 jobs	3,100	$85,070US $97,550	−13%	1.5×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand3,070 jobs	3,070	$37,140US $40,240	−8%	1.7×
Fast Food and Counter Workers2,920 jobs	2,920	$25,000US $31,200	−20%	1.24×
Retail Salespersons2,800 jobs	2,800	$28,820US $35,410	−19%	1.18×
Cashiers2,300 jobs	2,300	$27,820US $32,880	−15%	1.22×
General and Operations Managers1,910 jobs	1,910	$90,500US $105,770	−14%	0.89×
Home Health and Personal Care Aides1,880 jobs	1,880	$28,150US $35,800	−21%	0.71×
Waiters and Waitresses1,660 jobs	1,660	$17,830US $35,230	−49%	1.19×
Stockers and Order Fillers1,630 jobs	1,630	$34,350US $37,330	−8%	0.94×
Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators1,580 jobs	1,580	$58,910US $78,000	−24%	7.96×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Macon-Bibb County, GA.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

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.

Macon-Bibb County, GA has 5,312 employer establishments, 225 for every 10,000 residents (0.91× the US rate of 248), with 90,105 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,324. The Census Bureau also counts 24,148 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 5,312; 24,148 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 225; US 248
Paid employees: 90,105
Average annual pay: $49,324; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Macon-Bibb County, GA by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	530	22.4	1.08×About typical	7,249	$72,491	1,391
Restaurants and other eating places	436	18.4	1.00×About typical	8,895	$18,597	105
Limited-service restaurants	249	10.5	1.31×More than typical	4,676	$16,740	37
Specialty trade contractors	236	10	0.65×Fewer than typical	2,189	$65,868	1,342
Offices of physicians	211	8.9	1.38×More than typical	2,892	$89,752	233
Lessors of real estate	202	8.5	0.69×Fewer than typical	823	$45,783	1,537
Religious organizations	187	7.9	1.43×More than typical	1,472	$25,135	—
Gasoline stations	164	6.9	2.14×More than typical	798	$27,069	16
Full-service restaurants	148	6.3	0.82×About typical	3,646	$20,998	29
Services to buildings and dwellings	136	5.8	0.85×About typical	1,888	$36,820	2,403
Legal services	135	5.7	1.06×About typical	774	$77,504	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	120	5.1	1.16×About typical	430	$63,547	397

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 236,345 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 $108.3M on contracts performed in Macon-Bibb County, GA metro area: $454 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $108.3M; +33% vs FY2025
Per resident: $454; US $1,995
Sole-source: 6.5%; US 30%
Single offer: 2.7%; 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

Federal Acquisition Service$87.2M81%
Department of the Air Force$11.5M11%
Defense Logistics Agency$4.4M4.1%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$2.8M2.6%
Forest Service$1.7M1.6%
Department of the Navy$1.1M1.0%
Department of the Army$546.5K0.5%
Public Buildings Service$240.8K0.2%

Top recipients

BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY$66.1M61%
GIGA, INC.$19.2M18%
GREENE MACHINE & MANUFACTURING INC$6.5M6.0%
THE CORPORATION OF MERCER UNIVERSITY$4.4M4.1%
DISMAS CHARITIES INC$2.8M2.6%

Spending by fiscal year

58.4MFY2017
58.7MFY2018
99.4MFY2019
87.3MFY2020
82.7MFY2021
102.6MFY2022
96.2MFY2023
93.2M

Top industries (NAICS)

Motor vehicle body and trailer manufacturing · 3362$66.1M61%
Machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers · 4238$15.5M14%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$7.3M6.7%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$6.1M5.6%
Other residential care facilities · 6239$2.8M2.6%
Cutlery and handtool manufacturing · 3322

Part of this section could not be loaded in time.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 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 $1.8B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Macon-Bibb County, GA metro area: $7,365 per resident (US $12,957).

Assistance · FY2026: $1.8B; +4.7% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,365; US $12,957
Loan face value: $61.1M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.4%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$856.3M49%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$202.9M12%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$147.6M8.4%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$89.4M5.1%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$75.2M4.3%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$74.8M4.3%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$67.5M3.8%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$36.7M2.1%

Top recipients (organizations)

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$122.7M7.0%
ATLANTA, GA
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF MACON BIBB COUNTY$38.1M2.2%
MACON, GA
TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM OF GEORGIA$34.1M1.9%
MACON, GA
MIDDLE GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY$27.5M1.6%
MACON, GA
MACON-BIBB COUNTY ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COUNCIL, INC.

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$1.2B67%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$225M13%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$123.7M7.0%
Department of Transportation
Department of Education$94.7M5.4%
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$38.1M

Assistance by fiscal year

1.7BFY2021
1.4BFY2022
1.5BFY2023
1.6BFY2024
1.7BFY2025
1.8BFY2026

County aggregates

80%

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 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Macon-Bibb County, 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.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Macon-Bibb CountyPrincipal city156,578

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
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M31420

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved11

Declined6

Metro and micro areas like Macon-Bibb County, GA metro 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

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Macon-Bibb County, 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

Improved11

Declined6

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

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

What was bought