Blythe, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Blythe · Burke County, Georgia
Population 863 (est. 2026: ~700)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + -6.6% annual growth projection

Blythe, Georgia

Burke County, Georgia · Population 744

Blythe sits in the upper reaches of Burke County, about fifteen miles east of Augusta along U.S. Highway 1. It is one of the smaller incorporated places in a rural county that stretches toward the Savannah River. The town is close enough to Augusta to function as a bedroom community — most working adults drive west into the metro — but it maintains its own identity, its own elementary school, and a housing market that remains accessible by almost any Georgia standard. Burke County's economy has long centered on agriculture and, more recently, on Plant Vogtle, the nuclear generating station on the Savannah River that is one of the largest employers in the region.

People & Demographics

Blythe's ACS-estimated population of 672 skews young. The median age is 33.5, noticeably below Georgia's statewide median, which reflects the number of families with children in residence. Of 232 occupied households, 151 are family households, and the average household size of 2.87 persons is above the national average. Children under 18 account for 195 residents — roughly 29 percent of the population.

Racially, the town is predominantly white (524 residents), with a Black population of 97 and a Hispanic or Latino population of 34. Five residents identified as Asian. Burke County as a whole has a substantially larger Black population share than Blythe specifically, making the town's demographics somewhat distinct from the broader county.

Economy & Employment

The labor force stands at 325 residents, with 16 counted as unemployed — an unemployment rate of roughly 4.9 percent. The median household income of $48,611 trails Georgia's statewide median by a meaningful margin, though per capita income of $26,144 reflects the relatively large household sizes rather than individual earnings alone. Seventy-one residents fall below the federal poverty line, representing about 10.6 percent of the ACS-counted population.

The proximity to Augusta and to Plant Vogtle shapes where people work. Burke County's industrial base — anchored by the nuclear plant, agribusiness, and distribution — provides employment for county residents, but many Blythe workers commute out. There are no major employers operating within Blythe's own small footprint.

Housing

Blythe's 262 total housing units include 232 occupied units and 30 vacant — a vacancy rate of about 11.5 percent. Of occupied units, 204 are owner-occupied and only 28 are renter-occupied, making this one of the more ownership-heavy small towns in the Augusta region. That 88 percent owner-occupancy rate signals an established, rooted population rather than a transient one.

The median home value of $122,900 is well below Georgia's statewide median, making Blythe one of the more affordable places to buy within commuting distance of Augusta. Median rent of $913 is moderate and consistent with rural Burke County pricing. Anyone priced out of Augusta's growing housing market should look closely at what Blythe offers.

Schools

Blythe Elementary School serves grades pre-K through 5 with 292 students. For middle and high school, Blythe students feed into Burke County's consolidated school system. Burke County is a single-district county, so secondary school assignments and facilities are shared across the county's towns and unincorporated areas. The district's main high school and middle school are located in Waynesboro, the county seat, roughly 25 miles south.

Getting Around

Of 307 workers counted, 254 drive alone to work — 82.7 percent. Thirty carpool, ten walk, and twelve work from home. Zero residents use public transit. Blythe is unambiguously car-dependent; there is no local transit service, and the road network funnels most commuters toward Augusta via U.S. 1 or Interstate 20. The aggregate commute travel time of 10,210 minutes across all workers implies an average one-way commute of roughly 33 minutes — consistent with the Augusta metro commute shed.

Healthcare

Burke Medical Center serves as the county's primary hospital, located in Waynesboro. Rating and emergency service classification data are not available for this facility from CMS Hospital Compare at this time. For detailed provider lookup in Blythe specifically, the NPI Registry can be queried directly at npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov. Augusta's hospital system — including Augusta University Medical Center — is accessible within the commute window for anything beyond routine care.

Library

The nearest public library branch is the Diamond Lakes Branch, located 8.0 miles from Blythe. It can be reached at (706) 772-2432. The branch is part of the Augusta-Richmond County library system, reflecting the practical reality that Blythe residents often access services in the Augusta metro rather than Waynesboro.

Natural Hazards

Burke County has accumulated one of the longer FEMA disaster declaration records in east Georgia. The county has been included in 15 federal declarations since 2014, covering an unusually broad range of hazard types.

Tropical weather dominates the list. Hurricane Irma (2017), Hurricane Michael (2018), Hurricane Idalia (2023), Tropical Storm Debby (2024), Hurricane Debby (2024), and Hurricane Helene (2024) all generated federal disaster or emergency declarations for Burke County. Helene, which struck in late September 2024, produced two separate declarations — an emergency declaration (EM-3616) followed by a major disaster declaration (DR-4830) — indicating the scope of damage. A severe winter storm in January 2026 added another emergency declaration (EM-3642).

The pattern is clear: Burke County sits in the path of systems that intensify over the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic and track inland through Georgia's coastal plain. Residents should maintain flood insurance awareness and hurricane preparedness regardless of the county's inland position. The COVID-19 pandemic also generated two federal declarations beginning in March 2020.

Government & Municipal Code

Blythe is a incorporated city with its own municipal code, published through Municode and accessible at library.municode.com/ga/blythe-city-georgia. The city does not have a separate local building code on record — construction projects in Blythe operate under state and county building standards.

Weather

Current forecasts for Blythe are available through the National Weather Service at forecast.weather.gov. Active weather alerts for the area can be checked at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest official weather observation station is BLYTHE 2.8 SW, located 2.9 miles from town.

Summers are hot and humid with afternoon thunderstorms common from June through September. That same window is peak tropical storm season, as the FEMA record demonstrates.

References

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