Sardis, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Sardis · Burke County, Georgia
Population 920 (est. 2026: ~900)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + -0.87% annual growth projection

Sardis, Georgia

Burke County, Georgia · Population 995

Sardis sits in the upper coastal plain of eastern Georgia, about 30 miles southwest of Augusta along U.S. Route 25. It is a small, tight-knit city within Burke County — one of Georgia's larger rural counties by land area, anchored by the county seat of Waynesboro roughly nine miles to the east. Sardis is not a suburb or a bedroom community in any conventional sense. It is a self-contained rural town where most residents have deep roots, where nearly every household knows its neighbors, and where the pace of daily life is shaped more by agriculture and local employment than by any metro economy. Augusta is close enough to matter for hospitals, shopping, and professional services — but far enough that Sardis functions on its own terms.

People & Demographics

The ACS 2022 estimates place Sardis's population at 1,108, though the city's official count sits closer to 995. The median age is 43.6, which skews older than most Georgia communities and reflects a common pattern in small rural towns where younger residents leave for education or work. The racial composition is majority Black — 611 residents — with 490 white residents. There is no recorded Asian or Hispanic/Latino population in the ACS data.

There are 620 total households with an average size of just 1.79 people per household, well below typical American household sizes. Family households number only 207, and children under 18 account for 166 residents. This demographic picture — older, smaller households, relatively few children — describes a community that has contracted over time and stabilized rather than grown.

Burke County as a whole has a population of 24,596, making Sardis one of its smaller incorporated places.

Economy & Employment

The labor force in Sardis numbers 664 residents, with 35 unemployed — an unemployment rate of roughly 5.3%. Median household income is $50,636, which is below Georgia's statewide median but represents reasonable footing for a rural community of this size. Per capita income is $32,379. There are 166 residents living below the poverty line, representing about 15% of the population.

The local economy is characteristic of rural Burke County: agriculture, light industry, public sector employment, and service work. Many residents who work outside Sardis travel to Waynesboro or Augusta for employment.

Housing

Sardis has 701 total housing units, of which 620 are occupied and 81 are vacant — a vacancy rate of about 11.6%. Owner-occupied units dominate heavily at 522, compared to just 98 renter-occupied units. That 84% homeownership rate is exceptionally high and suggests a stable, long-established residential population with strong ties to their properties.

Median rent is $720 per month, which makes Sardis accessible for renters relative to Georgia's broader market. Median home value data was not available in the underlying dataset.

Schools

Elementary-age children in Sardis attend S G A Elementary School, which serves grades pre-K through 5 with an enrollment of 274 students. For middle and high school, students feed into Burke County's consolidated school system, with Waynesboro serving as the district hub. Burke County School District handles secondary education for the entire county.

Getting Around

Sardis is car-dependent. Of 622 total workers, 488 drive alone to work — about 78%. Another 40 carpool. There is no recorded public transit use. Notably, 39 residents walk to work and 45 work from home, both meaningful numbers for a town of this size. The aggregate commute travel time is 13,025 minutes across all workers, averaging roughly 21 minutes per commute — consistent with short rural drives to Waynesboro or nearby employment.

There are no transit connections to Augusta or elsewhere. A personal vehicle is essential.

Healthcare

Burke County is served by Burke Medical Center in Waynesboro, approximately nine miles from Sardis. The facility provides the primary acute care access for county residents. For specialized care, trauma services, or major procedures, Augusta — home to AU Health and Doctors Hospital — is the practical destination.

Local provider listings for Sardis can be searched through the CMS NPI Registry.

Library

The Sardis Public Library serves the community and can be reached at (478) 569-4866. It is part of the local fabric of civic infrastructure that keeps smaller Georgia towns functioning as genuine communities rather than just residential clusters.

Natural Hazards

Burke County has an extensive FEMA disaster declaration history that reflects the serious weather exposure of this part of Georgia. Since 2014, the county has been included in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations.

The most significant events include Hurricane Helene (2024), which generated both a major disaster declaration and an emergency declaration within days of each other in late September 2024 — indicating serious impact. Tropical Storm Debby (2024) and Hurricane Debby (2024) added two more declarations in the same year, making 2024 an unusually active storm season for the region.

Earlier impacts include Hurricane Michael (2018), Hurricane Irma (2017), Hurricane Matthew (2016), and severe winter storms in both 2014 and early 2026. The COVID-19 pandemic generated two additional federal declarations in 2020.

The pattern is clear: Burke County sits in a corridor that Atlantic and Gulf storms reliably reach, even well inland. Residents should treat hurricane preparedness as a routine annual concern, not a rare contingency.

Government & Municipal Code

Sardis operates under a city government with a municipal code published through Municode. The full code is available at library.municode.com/ga/sardis-city-georgia. The city does not currently have an adopted local building code on record.

Weather

Current forecasts for the Sardis area are available through the National Weather Service. Active weather alerts can be monitored at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest official weather observation station is Waynesboro 10.9 E, located 8.4 miles from town.

References

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