Summertown, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Summertown · Emanuel County, Georgia
Population 220 (est. 2026: ~200)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + -4.55% annual growth projection

Summertown, Georgia

Emanuel County, Georgia · Population 121

Summertown sits in the coastal plain of southeast Georgia, tucked inside Emanuel County roughly halfway between Savannah and Macon. It is one of the smallest incorporated places in the county — 121 residents by the most recent count — surrounded by farmland and pine timber land that defines this stretch of Georgia. The nearest regional hub is Swainsboro, the Emanuel County seat, a short drive away, where residents go for groceries, medical care, courts, and most of the county's commercial activity. This is rural Georgia in a straightforward sense: small, tight-knit, and economically modest, with a population that skews toward families rather than singles and a housing market that is among the most affordable in the state.

People & Demographics

The ACS 2022 estimates put Summertown's population at 260, with a median age of 39. The racial breakdown is nearly even — 113 residents identifying as white and 131 as Black. No Asian or Hispanic/Latino residents were counted in this sample period.

Households number 72, and 57 of those are family households. The average household size of 3.61 is notably high — well above the Georgia statewide figure that typically runs closer to 2.6 — which reflects a community built around families with children. There are 106 children under 18, which is a substantial share of a total population of 260. Emanuel County as a whole counts 22,768 residents, meaning Summertown represents a small fraction of the county but reflects many of the same demographic patterns seen across rural Emanuel.

Economy & Employment

The labor force in Summertown stands at 86 people, with 17 unemployed — an unemployment rate of roughly 20%, which is significantly higher than Georgia's statewide average and a marker of the economic difficulty common to small rural communities across the coastal plain. Per capita income is $19,870.

The poverty count stands at 59 residents, a figure that represents a substantial portion of the total population and signals real economic stress. The median household income figure was not available in the underlying data.

Housing

Summertown has 74 total housing units. Only 2 are vacant, giving the community a 97% occupancy rate — a tight inventory for such a small place. Of the 72 occupied units, 50 are owner-occupied and 22 are renter-occupied, a roughly 70/30 split that leans toward homeownership.

The median home value is $66,300, which is strikingly low even by rural Georgia standards and places Summertown among the most affordable housing markets in the state. The median gross rent is $578 per month. For buyers and renters alike, Summertown's housing costs are accessible — but that affordability reflects limited economic opportunity rather than hidden bargain status.

Schools

Summertown students attend Emanuel County public schools, which are centered in Swainsboro. The full set of county schools includes:

Emanuel County Institute serves as an alternative pathway for middle and high school students in the county. All enrollment figures are from NCES CCD 2022.

Getting Around

Of 69 total workers, 60 drive alone to work and 7 carpool. No one reported using public transit or walking to work, and only 2 work from home. The aggregate commute time across all workers totals 2,940 minutes, averaging out to roughly 43 minutes per worker — consistent with a community that sends most of its working residents out of town to Swainsboro or beyond. Summertown is entirely car-dependent, as is the case for virtually every community of this size in rural Georgia.

Healthcare

Emanuel Medical Center serves as the county hospital for Summertown residents. For provider-level searches, the CMS NPI Registry can be queried directly for providers listed in Summertown, GA.

Library

The nearest public library is Franklin Memorial Library, located 10.9 miles from Summertown. It can be reached at (478) 237-7791 and serves as the primary public library access point for Emanuel County residents.

Natural Hazards

Emanuel County has a long and active federal disaster declaration history, and Summertown sits fully within that exposure zone. County-level FEMA declarations include:

The pattern is clear: this part of Georgia sits in a corridor that receives repeated impacts from Atlantic and Gulf hurricanes as they track inland, and is also vulnerable to severe winter weather. Anyone living in or moving to Summertown should understand that emergency preparedness is not theoretical here — it is routine.

Government & Municipal Code

Summertown's municipal code is published through Municode and accessible at library.municode.com/ga/summertown-city-georgia. The city does not have a locally adopted building code on file with Municode.

Weather

Current forecasts and conditions for Summertown are available through the National Weather Service forecast page. The nearest weather observation station is GARFIELD 2.7 N, located 8.3 miles away. Active weather alerts for the area can be monitored at alerts.weather.gov.

References

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