Bainbridge, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Bainbridge · Decatur County, Georgia
Population 14,353 (est. 2026: ~14,500)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 0.36% annual growth projection

Bainbridge, Georgia

Decatur County, Georgia · Population 14,468

Bainbridge sits at the confluence of the Flint and Chattahoochee rivers in the southwestern corner of Georgia, about 40 miles north of Tallahassee, Florida. It is the county seat of Decatur County and the largest city in the immediate region — a working town built around agriculture, light manufacturing, and the services that support a rural county of roughly 29,000 people. The nearest metro area of any size is Tallahassee to the south, though Albany, Georgia, about 55 miles northeast, draws some regional traffic. Bainbridge is not a suburb of anywhere. It functions as its own center of gravity for the communities around it.

People & Demographics

Bainbridge holds 14,468 residents, representing nearly half of Decatur County's total population of 29,367. The ACS 2022 estimate puts the city population at 14,234 with a median age of 36.2 years — a working-age community with a meaningful young cohort: 3,881 residents are children under 18.

The city is majority Black at 7,908 residents, with 5,331 white residents. The Hispanic and Latino population stands at 770. The Asian population is 67. Average household size is 2.60 across 5,210 occupied households, of which 3,364 are family households.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Bainbridge is $42,093 — well below the Georgia statewide median, which consistently runs in the low-to-mid $60,000s. Per capita income sits at $23,115. Of the 14,234 residents counted, 3,647 fall below the federal poverty line, a poverty rate approaching 26 percent — a figure that reflects the broader economic reality of rural southwest Georgia.

The labor force numbers 5,377 people, with 497 counted as unemployed. The local economy draws on food processing, agribusiness tied to the surrounding farmland, retail trade serving the county, healthcare, and local government and schools. Memorial Hospital and Manor provides both healthcare services and stable employment in a sector that anchors many small Southern county seats.

Housing

Total housing stock stands at 6,468 units, of which 5,210 are occupied and 1,258 are vacant — a vacancy rate of roughly 19 percent, which is elevated but not unusual for a small Southern city that has experienced population shifts over decades.

The city splits almost evenly between renters and owners: 2,663 renter-occupied units versus 2,547 owner-occupied. Median home value is $137,900, and median gross rent is $767 per month. These figures make Bainbridge genuinely affordable by Georgia standards — buyers and renters from higher-cost markets will find costs substantially lower here, though income levels are also lower, so the affordability picture is relative.

Schools

Bainbridge is served by Decatur County Schools. Within the city, the public school pipeline runs through two primary schools, one elementary school, a middle school, and a high school:

Two additional options serve students outside the traditional track:

Getting Around

Bainbridge is a car-dependent city. Of 4,766 total workers, 3,869 drove alone to work and 627 carpooled. Zero workers used public transit. Only 12 walked. A modest 111 worked from home. The aggregate commute time across all workers is 74,765 minutes, averaging roughly 16 minutes per worker — consistent with a small city where most jobs are within a short drive. There is no public bus system to speak of.

Healthcare

Memorial Hospital and Manor is the primary hospital serving Bainbridge and Decatur County. It operates as a community hospital providing inpatient and outpatient services for a county population of nearly 30,000. For higher-acuity or specialized care, residents typically travel to Tallahassee or Albany. A full directory of individual providers practicing in Bainbridge can be searched through the NPI Registry.

Library

The Decatur County–Gilbert H. Gragg Library serves Bainbridge and the surrounding county. Contact: (229) 248-2665. It functions as the public library anchor for a county without a large college library presence.

Parks & Recreation

The Flint River corridor provides recreational opportunities close to town. Hales Landing Park and Faceville Landing Park both offer river access in the Bainbridge area, suited to fishing, boating, and outdoor recreation that defines leisure in southwest Georgia's river country.

Natural Hazards

Decatur County has a long and serious federal disaster declaration history. Since 1998, the county has been included in 15 federal emergency or major disaster declarations:

The pattern is clear: this part of southwest Georgia sits in the path of Gulf Coast tropical systems tracking northeast and is also subject to severe convective weather. Residents should carry flood and wind awareness year-round, particularly August through October.

Government & Municipal Code

Bainbridge's municipal code is published through Municode and available at library.municode.com/ga/bainbridge. The city does not have a locally adopted building code on file through this publisher.

Weather

Current forecasts for Bainbridge are available through the National Weather Service. Active weather alerts can be monitored at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest official weather observation station is Bainbridge 2.3 ESE, located 2.9 miles from the city center.

References

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