Albany, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Albany · Dougherty County, Georgia
Population 67,939 (est. 2026: ~65,600)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + -1.05% annual growth projection

Albany, Georgia

Dougherty County, Georgia · Population 69,647

Albany sits in the flat, agricultural heart of southwest Georgia, roughly 90 miles south of Macon and 175 miles south of Atlanta. The Flint River runs through it. The city is the county seat of Dougherty County and by far the largest urban center in a region where the next-closest comparable cities are Valdosta to the south and Columbus to the northwest. Albany functions as the commercial, medical, and educational hub for a wide swath of southwest Georgia — people drive in from surrounding counties for healthcare, college, and work.

At nearly 70,000 residents, Albany holds about 81% of Dougherty County's total population of 85,790. That concentration is unusual even for Georgia county seats and reflects decades in which Albany absorbed regional growth while rural Dougherty stayed sparse. The city's median age of 34.7 skews younger than the state average, partly a product of two colleges and a large military presence historically tied to Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany.

People & Demographics

Albany's population of 68,926 (ACS 2022) is majority Black at 52,084 residents — roughly 75.6% of the total. White residents number 13,428 (about 19.5%), Asian residents 488, and the Hispanic or Latino population stands at 1,720. That demographic composition distinguishes Albany sharply from Georgia as a whole and reflects the city's deep roots in the civil rights movement; Albany was a major battleground in the early 1960s.

The city has 27,709 occupied households averaging 2.33 people. Of those households, 15,489 are family households. Children under 18 number 16,773, meaning roughly one in four residents is a minor — a meaningful share that puts pressure on schools and social services alike.

Economy & Employment

Albany's median household income of $43,724 sits well below the Georgia state median, which hovers near $65,000. Per capita income is $23,824. Poverty is significant: 19,372 residents — approximately 28% of the population — fall below the federal poverty line, nearly double Georgia's statewide poverty rate.

The labor force counts 29,964 people, with 3,073 unemployed, implying an unemployment rate around 10.3%. Major employment sectors include healthcare (anchored by Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, the region's dominant employer), education (Albany State University, Albany Technical College, and Dougherty County School System), government, and logistics. The military footprint of MCLB Albany contributes civilian and contractor jobs.

Albany Technical College (229-430-3500) offers workforce training and associate degrees. Albany State University (229-500-3500) is a historically Black university offering four-year and graduate programs, adding both jobs and a student population to the local economy.

Housing

Albany's median home value of $111,200 is low by Georgia standards and reflects both economic conditions and the city's age. Median rent runs $889 per month. Of 33,390 total housing units, 27,709 are occupied and 5,681 sit vacant — a vacancy rate of roughly 17%, which is elevated and signals some neighborhood disinvestment alongside affordability.

Renters outnumber owners substantially: 16,565 renter-occupied units versus 11,144 owner-occupied. That 60/40 renter-to-owner split is characteristic of lower-income urban cores and matters for neighborhood stability and local tax base.

Schools

Albany is served by the Dougherty County School System. High schools include Westover High School (grades 9–12, 1,360 students), Dougherty Comprehensive High School (grades 9–12, 1,204 students), and Monroe High School (grades 9–12, 1,078 students).

Middle schools: Radium Springs Middle School (grades 6–8, 919 students), Albany Middle School (grades 6–8, 833 students), Merry Acres Middle School (grades 6–8, 764 students), and Robert A. Cross Middle Magnet (grades 6–8, 529 students).

Elementary schools include Live Oak Elementary (805 students), Sherwood Acres Elementary (642 students), Lake Park Elementary (499 students), Robert H. Harvey Elementary (464 students), Turner Elementary (451 students), International Studies Elementary Charter School (447 students), Lincoln Elementary Magnet School (428 students), and Radium Springs Elementary (423 students).

The presence of magnet and charter options — Robert A. Cross Middle Magnet, Lincoln Elementary Magnet, and International Studies Elementary Charter — reflects deliberate efforts to diversify school programming within the district.

Getting Around

Albany is a car city. Of 26,137 total workers, 20,652 drive alone to work. Another 2,779 carpool. Public transit accounts for just 410 commuters, and 453 walk. Working from home covers 1,388 workers. Aggregate travel time across all commuters totals 498,830 minutes, implying an average one-way commute of roughly 19 minutes — short by metro standards, consistent with a mid-sized city where most destinations are close but transit options are minimal.

Anyone relocating without a car will find Albany difficult to navigate on a daily basis.

Healthcare

Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital is Albany's dominant healthcare institution and the regional referral center for southwest Georgia. It draws patients from a dozen or more surrounding counties for specialty care, surgery, and emergency services. For a region this size and this geographically isolated from major metro areas, Phoebe Putney functions as the healthcare anchor in a way few community hospitals do.

Local providers across all specialties can be searched through the CMS NPI Registry: Albany, GA providers.

Library

The Central Library serves Albany and Dougherty County and can be reached at 229-420-3200. It is the main branch of the Dougherty County Public Library system.

Parks & Recreation

Two National Park Service sites are accessible from Albany, though neither is in the city itself. Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in Plains, Georgia — about 35 miles northeast — preserves the home, farm, and boyhood landmarks of the 39th president. Andersonville National Historic Site, roughly 44 miles northeast, encompasses the site of the Civil War prisoner-of-war camp and includes the National Prisoner of War Museum. The Plains High School Visitor Center and Museum is also nearby at 35.1 miles.

Natural Hazards

Dougherty County has a significant and documented hazard history. FEMA disaster declarations going back to 1995 include two separate declarations in a single January 2017 week for severe storms, tornadoes, and straight-line winds, followed months later by Hurricane Irma (September 2017) and then Hurricane Michael (October 2018) — meaning the county absorbed three major storm-related federal disasters in less than two years.

Other events on record: Hurricane Helene (2024), COVID-19 pandemic declarations (2020), severe storms and flooding in 2009, tornadoes in 2007, Hurricane Katrina evacuation designation in 2005, Tropical Storm Frances in 2004, severe storms and flooding in 1998, and severe storms and tornadoes in 1995.

The pattern is clear: southwest Georgia sits in a corridor exposed to Atlantic and Gulf storm systems tracking inland, with tornadoes and flooding as recurring risks. Fifteen separate federal declarations since 1995 is a high count for any county.

Government & Municipal Code

Albany's municipal code is published through Municode and available at library.municode.com/ga/albany. No separate local building code is on file — the city operates under state building codes.

Weather

Current conditions and forecasts for Albany are available from the National Weather Service: NWS Forecast for Albany, GA. Active weather alerts can be monitored at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest official weather observation station is Albany 3 SE, located 2.1 miles from the city center.

References

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