Gillsville, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Gillsville · Banks County, Georgia
Population 315 (est. 2026: ~1,100)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 44.13% annual growth projection

Gillsville, Georgia

Banks County, Georgia · Population 306

Gillsville sits in the northeastern Georgia piedmont, a small incorporated city tucked into Banks County about 60 miles northeast of Atlanta. With just over 300 residents, it functions as a quiet residential node rather than a commercial center — most people here drive to nearby Commerce, Gainesville, or the broader I-85 corridor to work and shop. The city is small enough that its entire housing stock fits on one short census table, yet it carries the full apparatus of municipal government, including a codified city ordinance and a seat within one of Georgia's smaller county school systems.

People & Demographics

The ACS 2022 count puts Gillsville at 286 residents across 96 households — a compact community by any measure. Banks County as a whole counts about 18,035 people, meaning Gillsville holds roughly 1.6% of county population.

The median age is 39.7 years. Households average 2.98 people, and 83 of the town's residents are children under 18 — a meaningful share that reflects the family-oriented character of the housing stock. Of 96 occupied households, 75 are family households.

The population is overwhelmingly white (283 of 286 residents), with 3 Black residents and no Asian or Hispanic/Latino residents recorded in the ACS sample.

Economy & Employment

The labor force stands at 136, with only 2 people counted as unemployed — an unemployment rate of roughly 1.5%, well below typical state figures. Total workers counted in commuting data: 125.

Median household income is $69,000, which compares favorably to Georgia's statewide median and reflects a workforce that, while not highly credentialed, is steadily employed. Per capita income sits at $24,916. Sixteen residents fall below the federal poverty line, representing about 5.6% of the ACS population — a relatively low poverty share compared to many rural Georgia communities.

There is no dominant local employer visible in the data. Given the commute profile and county context, residents likely work in manufacturing, trades, and service industries accessible along the U.S. 441 and GA-51 corridors toward Commerce and Gainesville.

Housing

Gillsville has 105 total housing units, 96 of them occupied and 9 vacant — a vacancy rate of about 8.6%. Owner-occupied units account for 84 of the 96 occupied homes; only 12 households rent. That owner-occupancy rate of roughly 87.5% is exceptionally high.

Median home value is $250,000. Median rent is $943 per month. For a town this size, these figures suggest modest but not cheap housing — consistent with the broader northeast Georgia piedmont market, which has seen pressure from Atlanta exurban growth.

Schools

Gillsville falls within Banks County Schools, a countywide district that serves the entire county rather than individual city zones. Students from Gillsville attend the same schools as the rest of Banks County.

The district operates the following schools (NCES CCD 2022 enrollment):

The county also operates three additional elementary campuses serving specific zones: - Maysville Elementary School (Grades PreK–5): 433 students - Baldwin Elementary School (Grades PreK–5): 406 students - Lula Elementary School (Grades PreK–5): 401 students

Banks County High School, with 857 students, is the single high school serving the entire county.

Getting Around

Gillsville is entirely car-dependent. Of 125 workers, 108 drove alone to work and 5 carpooled. Two people walked. Zero used public transit, and zero worked from home.

Aggregate commute travel time totals 3,240 minutes across all workers, putting the average one-way commute at roughly 26 minutes — typical for a rural community within reach of Commerce or Gainesville but not adjacent to any major employment center.

There is no local transit infrastructure.

Healthcare

No hospitals are located within Gillsville itself. The nearest significant medical facilities serving Banks County residents are in Gainesville (Hall County) to the southwest, home to Northeast Georgia Medical Center, one of the larger regional hospitals in northeast Georgia. Commerce also has clinic-level services along the U.S. 441 corridor.

For a current list of licensed healthcare providers with a Gillsville address on file, the CMS NPI Registry can be searched directly: NPI Registry — Gillsville, GA

Library

Banks County Public Library Approximately 1.6 miles from Gillsville · Phone: (706) 677-3164

The Banks County Public Library serves as the county's primary public library resource for Gillsville residents.

Natural Hazards

Banks County has accumulated 15 federal disaster and emergency declarations since 1993, a record that reflects northeast Georgia's exposure to Atlantic storm systems, ice events, and severe winter weather.

Major events on record:

The pattern is clear: tropical systems that move inland from the Gulf and Atlantic coast regularly reach northeast Georgia with enough force to trigger federal declarations, and winter ice storms are a recurring hazard that the county has faced multiple times across three decades.

Government & Municipal Code

Gillsville maintains a codified municipal code published through Municode: Gillsville City Code — Municode Library

Note: No local building code is on file for Gillsville. Construction and building standards default to state-level requirements.

Weather

Current National Weather Service forecasts for Gillsville are available at: NWS Forecast — Gillsville, GA

Active weather alerts for the area: NWS Alerts — Gillsville, GA

The nearest weather observation station is Commerce 4 NNW, approximately 3.3 miles away.

References

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