Vienna, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Vienna · Dooly County, Georgia
Population 2,879 (est. 2026: ~2,900)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 0.07% annual growth projection

Vienna, Georgia

Dooly County, Georgia · Population 2,928

Vienna sits at the heart of Dooly County in southwest Georgia's coastal plain, roughly equidistant between Macon and Albany along U.S. Highway 41. This is deep agricultural Georgia — flat, pine-framed, and shaped by cotton and peanut farming across generations. As the Dooly County seat, Vienna punches above its size in administrative terms, hosting county government and services for a rural county of 11,208 people. It is not a suburb of anything. The nearest metro is Macon, about 65 miles north, and Warner Robins sits a similar distance away. Vienna stands on its own, which means the community depends on what it builds locally.

People & Demographics

Vienna's population of 2,944 skews toward a mature demographic, with a median age of 39.1. The racial composition reflects the broader pattern of southwest Georgia's Black Belt: 2,272 residents identify as Black, 430 as white, and 338 as Hispanic or Latino. The town has no Asian-identified residents in the current survey data.

There are 1,097 households, 712 of which are family households. The average household size of 2.66 persons is close to the national norm, and 697 children under 18 live in the community — a meaningful share of the population with implications for school enrollment and family services.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Vienna is $38,371 — well below Georgia's statewide median, which runs near $65,000. Per capita income comes in at $18,273. Of the 2,010 residents aged 25 and older, poverty touches a significant portion of the community: 1,034 residents fall below the poverty line, a poverty rate that exceeds 35 percent. That figure places Vienna among the more economically stressed small cities in the state.

The labor force counts 1,179 residents, with 183 unemployed — an unemployment figure of roughly 15.5 percent among those in the labor force. Agriculture, county government, and regional healthcare services anchor the local economy. Dooly County's agricultural heritage — especially peanuts and cotton — remains visible in the landscape and the employment base even as farm mechanization has reduced headcount over decades.

Housing

Vienna's housing stock runs 1,342 total units, with 1,097 occupied and 245 vacant. That 18.3 percent vacancy rate reflects the demographic pressure common to rural Georgia counties losing working-age population. Of occupied units, 449 are owner-occupied and 649 are renter-occupied — a notably renter-heavy split for a town this size, suggesting limited wealth accumulation in the local real estate market.

The median home value of $96,900 is low by any Georgia comparison, making Vienna one of the more affordable places to buy a home in the state. Median rent runs $738 per month. For buyers willing to invest in a small county seat with low acquisition costs, the entry point is real — but so is the need to understand what drives that affordability.

Schools

Secondary students in Vienna attend Dooly County High School, serving grades 9–12 with 340 students. The county also operates Dooly County Prep Academy, a grades 7–12 alternative program with 12 students enrolled. Both schools are operated by the Dooly County School System. Elementary and middle grades feed into the high school pipeline within the county system. Residents seeking four-year higher education typically look toward Macon — Middle Georgia State University is the closest regional option — or Columbus State University to the southwest.

Getting Around

Vienna is car country. Of 996 workers, 862 drive alone and 104 carpool. Zero use public transit and zero walk to work, reflecting a community with no meaningful transit infrastructure and where destinations are spread out across a rural county. Thirty residents work from home. The aggregate travel time across all commuters is 23,305 minutes, working out to roughly 23.4 minutes per worker per trip — consistent with commutes reaching Warner Robins, Cordele, or Albany for employment.

Healthcare

Flint River Community Hospital serves the immediate area. For specialized care, residents typically travel to Crisp Regional Hospital in Cordele (approximately 20 miles) or larger medical centers in Macon or Albany. A full search of licensed healthcare providers registered in Vienna is available through the CMS NPI Registry.

Library

The Dooly County Library serves Vienna and the surrounding county. Contact: (229) 268-4687. The library functions as a core community resource in a county where internet access and educational support services are unevenly distributed.

Parks & Recreation

Two National Park Service sites sit within driving distance. Andersonville National Historic Site — home to the National Prisoner of War Museum — is approximately 20.8 miles away and remains one of the most significant Civil War and POW history sites in the country. Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in Plains is about 35.4 miles to the southwest, preserving the hometown of the 39th president. The Plains High School Visitor Center and Museum adds further depth to that corridor. These parks make Vienna a practical base for touring a historically rich stretch of southwest Georgia.

Natural Hazards

Dooly County carries one of the longer FEMA disaster declaration histories in Georgia. Since 1994, federal disaster or emergency declarations have been issued for:

The Gulf Coast hurricane track sends storm remnants directly through this part of Georgia. Flooding is a recurring threat. Helene's 2024 declarations indicate the county took measurable damage from that storm. Anyone moving to Vienna should carry flood awareness as a baseline assumption and review FEMA flood map data before purchasing property.

Government & Municipal Code

Vienna's municipal code is published through Municode and available at library.municode.com/ga/vienna. The city does not currently have a locally adopted building code on file through Municode. Residents and contractors should verify applicable construction standards directly with city or county offices.

Weather

Current forecasts for Vienna are provided by the National Weather Service: NWS Forecast for Vienna, GA. Active weather alerts are available at NWS Alerts. The nearest observation station is Vienna, approximately 1.7 miles from the town center.

References

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