Roberta, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Roberta · Crawford County, Georgia
Population 1,235 (est. 2026: ~1,300)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 1.78% annual growth projection

Roberta, Georgia

Crawford County, Georgia · Population 813

Roberta sits at the heart of Crawford County in middle Georgia, about 30 miles southwest of Macon and roughly 100 miles south of Atlanta. It serves as the county seat of one of Georgia's smaller, more rural counties — Crawford County's total population of 12,130 is spread across a largely agricultural landscape of pines, pastures, and small farms. Roberta itself is a compact town where a significant share of the county's institutional life is anchored: the county schools, local government, and the public library are all here. The population skews young — median age of 30.3 — and the community carries real economic strain, but also the stability that comes from being the only incorporated place in the county that matters for day-to-day civic life.

People & Demographics

Roberta's ACS 2022 population count is 1,462, with 464 households averaging 2.96 persons per household. The racial composition is roughly 54% white (789 residents) and 44% Black (650 residents), with minimal Asian and Hispanic/Latino populations (0 and 4, respectively). The median age of 30.3 is notably young — pulled downward by 511 children under 18, who represent about 35% of the total population. Family households number 265 out of 464 total, reflecting a community where raising children is central to daily life.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Roberta is $41,500, and per capita income sits at $17,392. Both figures fall well below Georgia's statewide medians. The poverty picture is sobering: 563 residents fall below the poverty line out of a total population of 1,462 — roughly 38%. Of 515 residents in the labor force, 64 are unemployed, an unemployment rate of about 12.4%. The average one-way commute, derived from 10,745 aggregate minutes across 451 workers, works out to roughly 24 minutes — consistent with workers traveling to larger employment centers like Warner Robins or Macon for manufacturing, healthcare, and government jobs that Crawford County itself doesn't generate in large numbers.

Housing

Roberta has 546 total housing units, of which 464 are occupied and 82 sit vacant — a vacancy rate of about 15%. The ownership-to-rental split leans heavily toward rentals: 289 renter-occupied units versus 175 owner-occupied. That means roughly 62% of occupied housing is renter-occupied, which is unusual for a small Georgia town and suggests a population that is either younger, more transient, or constrained from purchasing. Median home value is $139,400 — modest even by rural Georgia standards — and median gross rent is $652 per month, making Roberta among the more affordable housing markets in the state in absolute dollar terms. For households at the median income, housing costs are manageable; for those below the poverty line, even $652 represents a significant burden.

Schools

All public K–12 students in Crawford County attend county-operated schools, all of which are located in or near Roberta:

Total K–12 enrollment across the four schools is approximately 1,562. There are no private or charter school alternatives in the immediate area, making the county system the singular option for local families.

Getting Around

Roberta is car-dependent. Of 451 total workers, 383 drove alone to work — about 85%. Carpooling accounted for 14 workers, 10 used public transit, 11 walked, and 28 worked from home. The presence of any public transit users at all (10) is worth noting for a town this size, though service is limited. Walking to work is possible for 11 residents, reflecting the small geographic footprint of the town. For anything beyond daily basics, a car is effectively required: the nearest significant retail, medical, and employment hubs are in Warner Robins (about 25 miles northeast) or Macon.

Healthcare

No hospital operates within Roberta or Crawford County. The nearest full-service hospitals are in Warner Robins (Houston Medical Center) and Macon (Atrium Health Navicent), both approximately 25–35 miles away. For local providers — physicians, dentists, therapists, and other credentialed practitioners with active NPI numbers in Roberta — the CMS NPI Registry provides a current directory.

Library

The Crawford County Public Library serves Roberta and the surrounding county. Phone: (478) 836-4478. As the only public library in Crawford County, it functions as a core civic resource for internet access, literacy programs, and community services that a county with limited infrastructure depends on disproportionately.

Parks & Recreation

Two significant National Park Service sites are within reasonable driving distance:

Natural Hazards

Crawford County has accumulated 15 federal disaster declarations since 2004, a frequency that reflects middle Georgia's genuine exposure to severe weather and its position in the path of Gulf Coast storms:

Tropical systems moving inland from the Gulf are the dominant recurring threat, with ice storms and tornadoes as secondary risks.

Government & Municipal Code

Roberta's municipal code is published through Municode and accessible at library.municode.com/ga/roberta-city-georgia. The city does not currently have an adopted building code on file with the publisher.

Weather

Current forecasts and conditions for Roberta are available through the National Weather Service forecast page. Active weather alerts for the area can be monitored at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest surface weather observation station is Fort Valley 10.0 N, approximately 8.3 miles away.

References

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