Population 17,798 (est. 2026: ~20,400)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 4.23% annual growth projection
Villa Rica, Georgia
Carroll County, Georgia · Population 16,970
Villa Rica sits along U.S. Highway 78 in the eastern edge of Carroll County, roughly 35 miles west of downtown Atlanta. It was founded on gold — literally. The name comes from "Rich Town," a nod to the gold rush that brought settlers here in the 1820s, making it one of the earliest gold-mining towns in American history. Today the gold is long gone, but Villa Rica has grown into one of Carroll County's largest cities, pulled along by Atlanta's suburban sprawl while still maintaining its own distinct identity. It is not a bedroom community in the hollow sense — it has its own schools, its own hospital campus, and a population large enough to function as a regional hub for the communities surrounding it.
People & Demographics
Villa Rica's 17,354 residents make it a significant city within Carroll County, which counts 119,148 people total. The city is roughly split between its two largest racial groups: 7,478 residents identify as White and 7,759 as Black, making Villa Rica one of the more evenly balanced communities in the region by race. The Hispanic and Latino population stands at 1,455, and 719 residents identify as Asian.
The median age is 34.0 — a relatively young population. There are 5,125 children under 18 living here, spread across 5,862 occupied households. The average household size of 2.96 reflects a community built significantly around families, with 4,420 of those households classified as family households.
Economy & Employment
The median household income in Villa Rica is $82,373 — a number that holds up reasonably well against Georgia's broader economic landscape and meaningfully above Carroll County's rural fringe. Per capita income comes in at $32,131. The labor force includes 9,292 residents, with 407 counted as unemployed.
Poverty touches 1,354 residents, a number worth watching in a city where growth has been rapid and housing costs are climbing. The economy here mixes local services, healthcare employment through the Tanner Medical Center campus, retail along the Highway 78 corridor, and a significant share of workers who commute east toward the Atlanta metro for white-collar employment.
Housing
Villa Rica's housing market reflects its position as an Atlanta exurb absorbing real demand. The median home value is $219,800 across 6,435 total housing units. Of the 5,862 occupied units, 3,748 are owner-occupied and 2,114 are renter-occupied — a homeownership rate of roughly 64 percent. Median rent runs $1,296 per month, which reflects both the city's growth pressure and its relative affordability compared to closer-in Atlanta suburbs. The vacancy rate is low at 573 units, or about 8.9 percent of the total stock, suggesting continued housing demand.
Schools
Villa Rica operates a full local school pipeline within Carroll County Schools. The flagship is Villa Rica High School, serving grades 9–12 with 1,807 students — one of the larger high schools in the county. Feeding into it is Bay Springs Middle School, grades 6–8, with 930 students.
Five elementary schools serve the younger population:
- Ithica Elementary — 778 students, grades PK–5
- Glanton-Hindsman Elementary — 706 students, grades PK–5
- Mirror Lake Elementary School — 605 students, grades PK–5
- Villa Rica Elementary School — 432 students, grades PK–5
- New Georgia Elementary School — 427 students, grades PK–5
The combined elementary enrollment across those five schools exceeds 2,900 students, underscoring just how many families with young children have planted roots here in recent years.
Getting Around
Villa Rica is car country. Of 8,770 total workers, 6,976 drive alone to work. Another 627 carpool. Public transit accounts for just 89 workers, and only 23 walk to work. Working from home has become a genuine factor — 927 residents, or about 10.6 percent of the workforce, work remotely, which tracks with the city's strong professional household income numbers.
Average one-way commute time works out to roughly 28.7 minutes based on aggregate travel time data — long enough to confirm that a meaningful share of the workforce is making the Atlanta run daily. Highway 78 is the artery that makes it possible.
Healthcare
Villa Rica has its own hospital campus: Tanner Medical Center Villa Rica, part of the Tanner Health System that anchors Carroll County's healthcare infrastructure. The flagship system hospital, Tanner Medical Center – Carrollton, sits in Carrollton to the west and provides a broader range of specialty services. For local provider searches, the NPI Registry maintains a full directory of healthcare providers in Villa Rica: NPI Registry – Villa Rica, GA.
Library
The Villa Rica Public Library serves the community and can be reached at (770) 459-7012. It operates as part of the West Georgia Regional Library System, connecting Villa Rica residents to a broader network of collections and services across Carroll County.
Parks & Recreation
Three National Park Service units sit within reasonable range of Villa Rica:
- Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park — approximately 26 miles east, with a visitor center on site. One of the most visited Civil War sites in the Southeast.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park — approximately 31.5 miles east in Atlanta's Sweet Auburn neighborhood.
- Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area — approximately 38.5 miles east, offering river access, trails, and paddling along the Chattahoochee corridor.
Natural Hazards
Carroll County's FEMA disaster declaration history is extensive and covers a genuine range of threats. Severe winter storms have struck multiple times — declarations issued in 2000, 2014 (twice), and again in January 2026. Tropical systems have reached the county too: Hurricane Ivan (2004), Hurricane Katrina evacuation support (2005), Hurricane Irma (two declarations in September 2017), Tropical Storm Zeta (2021), and Hurricane Helene (September 2024). Severe storms and flooding produced declarations in 2009 and 2016, and a tornado outbreak was declared in May 2008. The COVID-19 pandemic generated both an emergency and a major disaster declaration in March 2020.
The practical takeaway: winter ice storms and tropical remnants are the recurring threats. Carroll County is not on the coast, but it is not insulated from named storms that weaken but retain dangerous rainfall as they push inland.
Government & Municipal Code
Villa Rica's municipal code is published and maintained through Municode: library.municode.com/ga/villa_rica
Note that the city does not maintain a locally adopted building code through this publication. Residents and contractors should verify current building requirements directly with Carroll County or city offices.
Weather
Current forecasts and active alerts for Villa Rica are available through the National Weather Service:
The nearest observation station is Villa Rica 1.1 SSE, located approximately 2.0 miles from the city center.
References
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2022 5-Year Estimates — Tables B01001, B01002, B02001, B03001, B09001, B11001, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25001, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25064, B25077, B08006, B08013
- National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022
- FEMA Disaster Declarations — Carroll County, Georgia
- CMS Hospital Compare — Tanner Medical Center Villa Rica; Tanner Medical Center Carrollton
- Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) — Villa Rica Public Library
- National Park Service — Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park; Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park; Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
- CMS NPI Registry — Villa Rica, GA Provider Search
- NOAA National Weather Service — Villa Rica forecast point (33.7278, -84.9458)
- Municode — Villa Rica, Georgia Municipal Code
The law belongs to the people. Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 590 U.S. (2020)