Alma, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Alma · Bacon County, Georgia
Population 3,441 (est. 2026: ~3,400)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + -0.44% annual growth projection

Alma, Georgia

Bacon County, Georgia · Population 3,433

Alma sits at the geographic and administrative heart of Bacon County in southeast Georgia's coastal plain, about 60 miles north of Waycross and roughly 75 miles west of Brunswick. The county seat of one of Georgia's smaller counties, Alma is a small town built around agriculture, timber, and the blueberry industry — Bacon County has historically been one of the top blueberry-producing counties in the state. Downtown Alma is compact, services are local, and the nearest metro area is Savannah, about 90 miles to the east. Life here runs on cars, community institutions, and proximity to family. Anyone moving here from a larger city should know what they're getting: affordable, close-knit, and genuinely rural.

People & Demographics

Alma's 3,433 residents make up about 31% of Bacon County's total population of 11,140, meaning the town holds nearly a third of the county while serving as its central hub. The median age is 33.5 — a relatively young community. The racial composition is roughly balanced between Black residents (1,577) and white residents (1,315), with a Hispanic/Latino population of 410 and an Asian population of 42. That diversity is more pronounced than many rural Georgia towns of comparable size.

There are 1,127 households, 658 of which are family households. The average household size is 2.54 people, and 955 residents are children under 18 — nearly 28% of the total population. This is a town with a lot of young families.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Alma is $35,354, and per capita income sits at $18,231. Both figures fall well below Georgia's statewide medians, reflecting the economic realities of rural south Georgia. Of the 1,055 residents counted in the labor force, only 21 are unemployed — a low unemployment rate — though the income data suggests that available jobs are predominantly in lower-wage sectors like agriculture, food processing, retail, and local services.

662 residents fall below the federal poverty line, representing roughly 19% of the population. That rate is high by state standards and points to the structural limits of a small-county economy with few professional or industrial anchors beyond agriculture and timber.

Housing

Housing in Alma is genuinely affordable. The median home value is $85,900, and median rent is $650 per month — figures that make the town accessible to buyers and renters who cannot compete in Georgia's larger markets. Of 1,414 total housing units, 1,127 are occupied. The 287 vacant units represent a vacancy rate of about 20%, which is common in rural towns where population has been relatively stable or declining.

Owner-occupied units number 610; renter-occupied units number 517. That's roughly a 54/46 split — more balanced than many rural communities, suggesting a real rental market exists here rather than near-total owner dominance.

Schools

All public schools serving Alma are part of the Bacon County school system:

Total K–12 enrollment across the four schools is approximately 2,128 students. The district runs on a single-campus-per-grade-band model, meaning each school draws from the entire county rather than from neighborhood zones.

Educational attainment among adults is an ongoing challenge. Of 2,234 residents aged 25 and older, 626 hold a high school diploma as their highest credential. Only 50 hold bachelor's degrees and 87 hold master's degrees. Thirteen residents hold doctorates. These numbers reflect both the town's demographics and the historical absence of nearby higher education options.

Getting Around

Alma is a car-required town. Of 1,013 workers, 851 drive alone to work and 95 carpool. Forty people walk to work — notable for a town this size — and 17 work from home. Public transit use registers at zero. There is no local bus or rail service.

Average commute time works out to roughly 19 minutes when calculated from the aggregate travel time data, which aligns with a pattern of short local commutes and some workers driving to larger nearby towns like Waycross or Douglas for employment.

Healthcare

Bacon County Hospital serves Alma and the surrounding county. The hospital is a local critical access facility — the kind of institution that anchors rural health in communities where the next nearest hospital is a significant drive away. For provider-level searches, the NPI Registry lists practitioners active in Alma: Search Alma, GA providers.

Residents with complex or specialty needs typically travel to larger facilities in Waycross, Brunswick, or Savannah.

Library

The Alma-Bacon County Public Library serves the town and county. Contact: (912) 632-4710. As the only public library in Bacon County, it functions as a community resource well beyond books — providing internet access, programming, and services that matter more in a rural county with limited alternatives.

Natural Hazards

Bacon County has a long and active FEMA disaster declaration history. Anyone moving here should understand that southeast Georgia sits squarely in the path of Atlantic storm systems. Declared disasters on record for this county include:

That's 15 federal declarations across roughly two decades — nearly one per year on average. Wind, flooding, and tropical systems are not rare events here. They are a recurring feature of life in this part of Georgia.

Government & Municipal Code

Alma's municipal code is published through Municode and available at library.municode.com/ga/alma. The code does not include a locally adopted building code, meaning construction and renovation work defaults to state-level standards rather than local supplemental requirements.

Weather

Current forecasts for Alma are available through the National Weather Service: NWS Forecast for Alma, GA. Active alerts can be monitored at Weather Alerts. The nearest official weather observation station is Alma Bacon County Airport, located 3.1 miles from town center.

References

The law belongs to the people. Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 590 U.S. (2020)