Garfield, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Garfield · Emanuel County, Georgia
Population 222 (est. 2026: ~400)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 21.62% annual growth projection

Garfield, Georgia

Emanuel County, Georgia · Population 257

Garfield sits in the flat, pine-heavy interior of Emanuel County in east-central Georgia, roughly halfway between Savannah and Macon. It is a small incorporated city in every practical sense — fewer than 300 residents, one ZIP code, and no traffic lights. The nearest city of consequence is Swainsboro, the Emanuel County seat, about 10 miles to the west, and that is where Garfield residents go for groceries, county services, schools, and most everything else. This is deep rural Georgia, and Garfield reflects that plainly: modest incomes, low housing costs, strong household and family formation rates, and a community that has weathered a long string of named storms without relocating anywhere.

People & Demographics

The ACS 2022 estimate puts Garfield's population at 205 within the survey sample, against a broader city population of 257. The median age is 37.5. The racial composition is roughly split — 119 residents identify as Black and 86 as White, with no Asian or Hispanic/Latino residents counted in the sample. There are 73 occupied households, 58 of which are family households, with an average household size of 2.73 people. Children under 18 number 56, meaning roughly one in four residents is a minor. Emanuel County as a whole holds 22,768 people, making Garfield one of the county's smaller incorporated places.

Economy & Employment

The labor force in Garfield numbers 103, with 19 people unemployed — an unemployment rate of about 18.4% within the sample, well above typical Georgia averages. Of the 84 workers counted in commuting data, the employment base appears largely tied to the broader Emanuel County economy: agriculture, light manufacturing, healthcare, and public sector work anchored in Swainsboro.

Median household income is $60,368 — surprisingly competitive for a community this size in rural Georgia, though per capita income of $19,201 reflects the multi-person household structure rather than high individual wages. Fifty-six residents fall below the federal poverty line, representing a meaningful share of a town this small.

Housing

Garfield has 97 total housing units, 73 occupied and 24 vacant — a vacancy rate of nearly 25%. Of occupied units, 45 are owner-occupied and 28 are renter-occupied, giving an ownership rate of about 62%. The median home value is $90,400, which is low even by rural Georgia standards and represents genuine affordability for buyers who can secure financing. No median rent figure is available from the ACS sample. The high vacancy rate is common in small Georgia towns and reflects both outmigration and aging housing stock rather than a surfeit of new construction.

Schools

Garfield falls within the Emanuel County school system, centered on Swainsboro. Students are served by the following NCES-listed schools:

All schools are in Swainsboro or nearby Twin City, meaning every Garfield student is a bus rider. Emanuel County Institute operates as an alternative public school option within the county.

Getting Around

Garfield is a car-required town without exception. Of 84 workers, 62 drive alone and 22 carpool. No residents reported using public transit, walking, or working from home. The aggregate commute time across all workers is 3,555 minutes, which works out to roughly 42 minutes per worker round-trip — consistent with driving to Swainsboro or beyond for employment. There is no local transit infrastructure.

Healthcare

Emanuel Medical Center serves as the county's hospital, located in Swainsboro approximately 10 miles west of Garfield. No quality rating or emergency services rating is available in current CMS data. For specific providers practicing in or near Garfield, the NPI Registry lists licensed providers by city. For anything beyond routine care, residents are within roughly 60–70 miles of larger regional medical facilities in Augusta or Savannah.

Library

The nearest public library is Franklin Memorial Library, approximately 10.9 miles from Garfield, reachable at (478) 237-7791. It is the main branch serving Emanuel County and provides the closest access to physical collections, public computers, and library programs for Garfield residents.

Natural Hazards

Emanuel County has a documented and extensive federal disaster history. Since 2014, the county has received 15 FEMA disaster or emergency declarations:

The pattern is unmistakable: this county sits in Georgia's interior hurricane impact corridor. Storms that make landfall on the Gulf Coast or Florida's Atlantic shore consistently track northeast and retain enough energy to cause flooding, wind damage, and extended power outages across Emanuel County. Residents need to treat hurricane season, June through November, as an active planning period, not a coastal concern.

Government & Municipal Code

Garfield operates as an incorporated city under Georgia law. The municipal code is published through Municode and accessible at library.municode.com/ga/garfield-city-georgia. The city does not have an adopted local building code on file with Municode. Permitting and construction standards default to state minimums in the absence of a local code.

Weather

Current forecasts for the Garfield area are available through the National Weather Service. Active weather alerts for the area can be monitored at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest weather observation station is GARFIELD 2.7 N, located 8.3 miles from town.

References

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