Homer, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Homer · Banks County, Georgia
Population 1,628 (est. 2026: ~2,700)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 16.22% annual growth projection

Homer, Georgia

Banks County, Georgia · Population 1,264

Homer sits at the center of Banks County in the northeastern Georgia Piedmont, roughly 75 miles northeast of Atlanta and about 20 miles south of the South Carolina line. It is the county seat of one of Georgia's smaller counties — Banks County holds just over 18,000 people — and Homer carries that weight with a population of 1,264. This is not a suburb, not a resort town, and not an exurban bedroom community in the typical sense. It is a small Southern county seat where the courthouse anchors the square, the school system serves children from across the county, and most working adults drive somewhere else to earn a living. The nearest significant city is Gainesville, about 25 miles southwest.

People & Demographics

The ACS 2022 estimates put Homer's population at 1,659 — slightly higher than the official 1,264 figure, reflecting the survey's margin and timing. The town skews notably young: the median age is 31.8, well below Georgia's statewide median of around 37. Children under 18 number 505, a striking figure in a town this size and a sign that Homer is raising families, not retiring them.

The racial composition is predominantly white at 1,326 residents, with 127 Black residents and 72 Asian residents. The Hispanic/Latino population stands at 8. Average household size is 2.89 — large by Georgia small-town standards — and 426 of 574 total households are family households. These are the numbers of a place organized around raising children.

Economy & Employment

Median household income in Homer is $73,542, which compares favorably to Georgia's statewide median of roughly $61,000. Per capita income of $30,296 is more modest, reflecting that many households include multiple earners and children rather than high individual wages. Poverty affects 283 residents, or about 17% of the population — a rate worth noting against that income figure.

The labor force counts 741 residents, with 35 unemployed at the time of the survey. The unemployment rate of roughly 4.7% is close to typical for rural Georgia. The county's economy draws on agriculture, manufacturing, and light industry distributed across the region; Homer itself functions more as a residential and governmental center than an employment hub.

Housing

Homer's 643 total housing units are nearly all occupied — 574 in use, 69 vacant, for a vacancy rate of about 10.7%. Owner-occupied units number 343 against 231 rentals, putting the homeownership rate at around 60%.

Median home value is $240,700. Median rent is $991 per month. These figures are moderate by Georgia standards and significantly below Atlanta-area prices, which is part of what draws families here while requiring the long commutes discussed below.

Schools

All four schools serving Homer students operate under Banks County Schools, a single-county district.

Total enrollment across the district runs to roughly 2,843 students. The fact that the high school enrollment of 857 exceeds Homer's official population underscores how the schools draw from the entire county, not just the town itself.

Getting Around

Homer is a car-required town. Of 693 total workers, 603 drive alone and 52 carpool. Zero residents use public transit — there is none. Thirteen walk to work. Twenty-five work from home.

Aggregate commute time across all workers totals 22,880 minutes, putting the average one-way commute at roughly 33 minutes. That is the math of a county-seat town where most professional and industrial employment sits in Gainesville, Commerce, or further out. Expect to drive.

Healthcare

No hospitals operate within Homer itself. The nearest significant medical facilities are in Gainesville (Northeast Georgia Medical Center, roughly 25 miles southwest) and Commerce. For a current list of licensed providers holding NPI registrations in Homer, the CMS NPI Registry maintains a searchable database: NPI Registry — Homer, GA.

Library

The Banks County Public Library serves Homer and the surrounding county. Contact: (706) 677-3164. It is part of the Northeast Georgia Regional Library System.

Natural Hazards

Banks County has accumulated 15 federal disaster declarations since 1993, a record that reflects the county's exposure to both Gulf weather systems and Appalachian winter storms.

Tropical systems have hit repeatedly: Hurricane Opal (1995), Hurricane Ivan (2004), Tropical Storm Zeta (2021), Hurricane Irma (2017, both an emergency and major disaster declaration), and most recently Hurricane Helene in September 2024 — which generated two separate federal actions within four days. Winter storms have also been declared disasters in 1993, 2000, 2014, and 2015. The county also activated during Hurricane Katrina's evacuation in 2005 and through the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The pattern is consistent: northeasters and remnant Gulf hurricanes are the primary hazards here. Helene's 2024 impact was severe enough to warrant both an emergency declaration and a major disaster declaration. A severe winter storm declaration followed in January 2026. Anyone moving to Banks County should carry flood and wind coverage regardless of proximity to named water bodies.

Government & Municipal Code

Homer's municipal code is published and maintained through Municode: https://library.municode.com/ga/homer

The town does not have a locally adopted building code on record in the available data.

Weather

Current forecasts for Homer are available through the National Weather Service: NWS Forecast — Homer, GA

Active weather alerts: NWS Alerts

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)