Dooling, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Dooling · Dooly County, Georgia
Population 37 (est. 2026: ~0)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + -2.7% annual growth projection

Dooling, Georgia

Dooly County, Georgia · Population 68

Dooling sits in the flat, agricultural interior of Dooly County, deep in southwest Georgia's cotton and peanut belt. The town is one of the smallest incorporated places in Georgia — a quiet crossroads community where the median resident is nearly 60 years old and more than a third of the housing stock sits vacant. It is not a suburb, not a commuter town, and not a tourist destination. It is a place where people have stayed, and where the rhythms of rural Georgia still shape daily life. The nearest substantial towns are Vienna (the Dooly County seat, roughly 10 miles away) and Cordele to the east, with Macon serving as the regional metro anchor to the north. Andersonville and Plains — two of Georgia's most historically significant small towns — lie within 40 miles.

People & Demographics

The ACS 2022 survey counted 41 residents in Dooling across 26 households, with a separate population figure of 68 used in county-level reporting. Either way, this is an extraordinarily small community. The median age of 59.4 is well above Georgia's statewide median, signaling a population that has aged in place with little in-migration of younger residents. Of the 41 counted residents, 17 identify as White and 13 as Black — a nearly even split that reflects the broader racial composition of rural Dooly County. The county as a whole holds 11,208 people.

Average household size is 1.58, among the lowest imaginable for an incorporated place, and only 10 of 26 households are family households. Just 2 children under 18 were counted in the entire town.

Economy & Employment

Of 31 people in the labor force, only 1 was counted as unemployed — a low raw number, though in a population this small, one or two data points swing percentages dramatically. Per capita income is $50,510, a figure that reads surprisingly high for rural southwest Georgia, though it should be interpreted cautiously given the tiny sample size and potential for ACS margin-of-error at this population level. Sixteen residents fall below the poverty line, which represents a substantial share of the total counted population. Median household income data was not available from the ACS for this community.

Dooly County's broader economy is anchored in agriculture — row crops including cotton, peanuts, and pecans — along with some light manufacturing and government employment in Vienna.

Housing

Dooling has 41 total housing units, 26 of which are occupied — leaving 15 vacant, a vacancy rate of roughly 37%. That is a significant figure even by rural Georgia standards. Of occupied units, 16 are owner-occupied and 10 are renter-occupied. The median home value is $63,300, which is well below Georgia's statewide median and reflects both the rural market and the age of the housing stock. Median rent data was not available for this community. There is no building code in effect for the town of Dooling.

Schools

Dooling students attend Dooly County Schools. There are no schools physically located in the town itself, but the county system operates:

All four schools are operated by the Dooly County School District and are located in or near Vienna.

Getting Around

All 30 counted workers drive to work — 19 alone and 11 in carpools. There is no public transit, no recorded walking, and no remote work counted in the ACS data. This is a fully car-dependent community. Aggregate travel time data was not available, but workers likely commute toward Vienna, Cordele, or points on I-75, which runs through Cordele roughly 15–20 miles east of the county.

Healthcare

Flint River Community Hospital serves the Montezuma area of Dooly County and is the nearest hospital facility to Dooling. Montezuma is the county's second largest town, located to the west. No emergency services rating or CMS quality rating was available in current data. For individual provider lookup, the CMS NPI Registry can be searched for providers in Dooling and surrounding zip codes at npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov.

Library

The Dooly County Library is located 1.9 miles from Dooling and can be reached at (229) 268-4687. It is the county's public library and the primary resource for residents without home internet access.

Parks & Recreation

Two National Park Service sites fall within a reasonable drive of Dooling:

The Plains High School Visitor Center and Museum lies 36.6 miles from Dooling. Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, with its visitor center, is approximately 49.5 miles north near Macon.

Natural Hazards

Dooly County has a long and active federal disaster declaration history, with 15 declarations since 1994. The county sits in the path of Gulf Coast hurricanes that track northeast through Georgia. Significant events include:

The pattern is clear: southwest Georgia faces recurring tropical storm and hurricane impacts, along with severe thunderstorm and flooding events. Hurricane Helene's 2024 declaration confirms this remains an active risk.

Government & Municipal Code

Dooling is an incorporated town in Georgia. Its municipal code is published through Municode and is publicly accessible at library.municode.com/ga/dooling-town-georgia. No local building code is in effect.

Weather

Current forecasts and active alerts for Dooling are available from the National Weather Service:

The nearest official weather observation station is in Vienna, approximately 1.7 miles away.

References

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