Quitman, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Quitman · Brooks County, Georgia
Population 4,046 (est. 2026: ~4,100)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 0.4% annual growth projection

Quitman, Georgia

Brooks County, Georgia · Population 4,064

Quitman sits in the flatlands of South Georgia, about 45 miles north of Tallahassee, Florida, and roughly 55 miles southeast of Valdosta. It is the county seat of Brooks County — a small agricultural county where the economy has long centered on timber, pecans, and row crops. The town itself is compact and quiet, with a courthouse square that anchors a modest downtown. For anyone arriving from a larger metro, Quitman will feel genuinely rural. That is not a criticism — it reflects what the place actually is: a small Southern county seat with deep roots, a majority-Black population, and an economy that runs lean.

People & Demographics

Quitman's population sits at 4,064 within a county of 16,301. The town accounts for roughly one in four Brooks County residents. The median age is 38.9.

Racially, the city is predominantly Black: 3,022 residents, or about 75% of the population. White residents number 1,003. The Hispanic and Latino population is approximately 100. There are 1,504 occupied households, averaging 2.66 people per household. Children under 18 account for 1,015 residents — about 25% of the population — which signals a community with families present even as the overall population remains small.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Quitman is $20,333. That figure is not a typo — it places the city well below Georgia's overall median, which consistently runs above $60,000. Per capita income is $27,583.

Of 4,050 residents counted, 1,607 live below the poverty line — nearly 40%. The labor force totals 1,547, with 94 unemployed at the time of the survey. That puts the local unemployment rate in the low single digits, but the income figures suggest that most available work is low-wage. Agriculture, public-sector employment, healthcare, and retail make up the backbone of what's available locally. Residents who want higher-wage employment typically commute toward Valdosta or cross into Florida toward Tallahassee.

Housing

There are 1,928 total housing units in Quitman, of which 1,504 are occupied and 424 sit vacant — a vacancy rate of about 22%, which is high and reflects both population loss and the limits of demand in a low-income market.

Of occupied units, 771 are renter-occupied and 733 are owner-occupied — a nearly even split, slightly tilted toward renting. The median home value is $136,300. Median gross rent is $660 per month. Both figures are meaningfully below statewide averages, which makes Quitman one of the more affordable places to live in Georgia in raw dollar terms. Whether that affordability is an asset depends heavily on employment prospects.

Schools

Quitman and Brooks County operate a unified set of public schools:

Total enrollment across all schools exceeds 1,700 students. Families in Quitman feed entirely into the Brooks County system — there are no separate Quitman city schools. The nearest four-year university is in Valdosta (Valdosta State University), roughly an hour's drive north.

Getting Around

Quitman is a car-required town. Of 1,375 workers, 903 drive alone and 263 carpool. Zero workers report using public transit, which reflects the absence of any meaningful transit infrastructure in Brooks County. Notably, 162 residents walk to work — a figure that stands out for a town this size and likely reflects the compact geography and the proximity of some employment to residential areas.

The average one-way commute, derived from an aggregate travel time of 21,390 minutes across 1,375 workers, works out to roughly 15–16 minutes. That is short by Georgia standards and consistent with a county seat where some workers are employed locally in government, education, or retail. Workers commuting to Valdosta or Tallahassee face significantly longer drives.

Healthcare

Archbold Brooks hospital serves Quitman and is located within the city. The facility is part of the Archbold Medical Center system based in Thomasville, Georgia. For specialized care not available locally, residents typically travel to Valdosta or Tallahassee, both of which have larger hospital systems.

Local healthcare providers registered with CMS can be searched through the NPI Registry for Quitman, GA.

Library

The Brooks County Public Library serves Quitman and the surrounding county. Phone: (229) 263-4412. It is part of the South Georgia Regional Library system.

Natural Hazards

Brooks County has accumulated a significant FEMA disaster declaration history. In 2024 alone, the county was included in four separate federal declarations tied to Hurricane Helene and Tropical Storm/Hurricane Debby. The 2023 Hurricane Idalia declaration added to a pattern that goes back through Hurricane Michael (2018), Hurricane Irma (2017), severe tornadoes and straight-line winds (2017), and Tropical Storm Frances (2004).

This is not a coincidence of geography — Brooks County sits in a corridor that repeatedly catches tropical systems moving inland from the Gulf of Mexico. Anyone buying or renting here should take wind and flooding risk seriously, review insurance options carefully, and understand that federal disaster declarations in this county are a recurring event, not a rarity.

Government & Municipal Code

Quitman's municipal code is published through Municode and available at library.municode.com/ga/quitman. The city does not maintain a locally adopted building code per available records — residents and contractors should confirm applicable standards directly with city or county offices.

Weather

The National Weather Service forecast for Quitman is available at forecast.weather.gov. Active alerts can be monitored at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest weather observation station is Quitman 2 NW, approximately 2.3 miles from town. South Georgia's climate means hot, humid summers, mild winters, and a persistent late-summer/fall window for tropical weather impacts.

References

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