Population 22,243 (est. 2026: ~24,900)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 3.41% annual growth projection
Perry, Georgia
Houston County, Georgia · Population 20,624
Perry sits at the geographic center of Georgia — literally. The city holds the title of Georgia's "Crossroads City," positioned where I-75 cuts north-south through the state and U.S. Highway 41 follows the old Federal Road. That location has shaped Perry for generations: it functions as a regional hub for the surrounding rural counties, draws traffic heading between Atlanta and Florida, and anchors the southern end of the Warner Robins metro area. Houston County (population 163,633) wraps around Perry, and the county seat designation means Perry carries administrative weight beyond its own city limits. The Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agriculture Center, one of the largest multipurpose facilities in the Southeast, sits here — which explains why Perry punches well above its population weight in hospitality, retail, and events infrastructure.
People & Demographics
Perry's 21,279 residents skew slightly younger than Georgia's median, with a median age of 36.5. The population is majority white (12,481), with a substantial Black population (6,548) and growing Hispanic and Latino community (1,567). Asian residents number 533. The city's 8,247 households average 2.47 people per unit. Children under 18 account for 4,883 residents — nearly one in four — which puts steady pressure on schools and family services.
Economy & Employment
The labor force stands at 10,496, with 384 unemployed — a tight market by any measure. Median household income is $68,507, and per capita income sits at $32,278. For context, Georgia's statewide median household income hovers around $61,000, so Perry runs modestly above that baseline. Still, 2,721 residents fall below the poverty line, a reminder that regional prosperity isn't evenly distributed.
Warner Robins, six miles north, dominates the regional employment picture. Robins Air Force Base is the largest industrial complex in Georgia and the single largest employer in the state outside of metro Atlanta. A large share of Perry's working population makes that short commute daily. Perry itself supports significant retail, healthcare, hospitality, and agriculture-sector employment, with the fairgrounds driving event-related economic activity throughout the year.
Housing
Total housing units: 8,888, of which 8,247 are occupied and 641 vacant — a 7.2% vacancy rate that suggests moderate but not severe availability. Owners occupy 5,554 units; renters hold 2,693. The median home value is $187,800, and median rent runs $1,009 per month. Both figures remain well below Georgia's major metro benchmarks, which is part of Perry's appeal for people priced out of Atlanta or Macon. The owner-to-renter ratio of roughly 2:1 reflects a community with a stable, settled residential base rather than a transient population.
Schools
Perry schools operate within Houston County Schools, one of the stronger rural school systems in the state.
- Perry High School — Grades 9–12, 1,478 students
- Perry Middle School — Grades 6–8, 1,070 students
- Langston Road Elementary School — Grades PK–5, 867 students
- Kings Chapel Elementary School — Grades PK–5, 632 students
- Morningside Elementary School — Grades PK–5, 503 students
- Tucker Elementary School — Grades PK–5, 470 students
Total K–12 enrollment across these six campuses exceeds 5,000 students — a significant educational infrastructure for a city this size.
Getting Around
Perry is car country. Of 9,775 total workers, 7,844 drive alone. Another 724 carpool. Public transit accounts for just 39 commuters. Only 86 walk to work, and 982 — about 10% — work from home. The aggregate travel time across all workers is 215,495 minutes, which averages out to roughly 22 minutes per commuter. That's a manageable number, largely explained by how close Warner Robins and other employment centers are. There is no meaningful transit infrastructure; a vehicle is a practical necessity.
Healthcare
The nearest hospital is Emory Houston Hospital, located in Warner Robins, approximately six miles north of Perry. For provider-level search, the CMS NPI Registry lists licensed healthcare providers active in Perry: Search Perry, GA providers.
Library
The Perry Public Library serves the city and surrounding community. Phone: (478) 987-3050. The library functions as a Houston County branch within the Georgia Public Library Service network.
Parks & Recreation
Three National Park Service sites sit within reasonable driving distance of Perry:
- Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park — approximately 26 miles north in Macon. One of the most significant Indigenous archaeological sites in the eastern United States, with platform mounds dating back over a thousand years. The Ocmulgee Mounds Visitor Center is 26.4 miles away.
- Andersonville National Historic Site — approximately 31 miles southwest. The site of the Civil War prisoner-of-war camp and home to the National Prisoner of War Museum, 30.9 miles from Perry.
- Jimmy Carter National Historical Park — Plains, Georgia, roughly 50 miles west. Preserves the birthplace, boyhood farm, and home of the 39th President.
Natural Hazards
Houston County has accumulated a long FEMA declaration history that reflects Georgia's vulnerability to both Gulf storms and winter weather:
- Hurricanes and tropical systems — Irma (2017), Michael (2018), Helene (2024), Tropical Storm Frances (2004), and Tropical Storm Alberto (1994) all reached declaration status. Michael hit with particular force across south-central Georgia.
- Winter storms — Declarations in 1993, 2014, and again in January 2026. Georgia's ice storm events can be severe and disruptive even in communities unaccustomed to snow response.
- Flooding — Severe storm and flood declarations in 1998 and 2009.
- Pandemic — Dual declarations for COVID-19 in March 2020.
- Katrina evacuation — In 2005, Houston County received an emergency declaration as a receiving area for Gulf Coast evacuees.
Residents should account for hurricane-track storms from the Gulf, occasional severe winter ice events, and flash flooding potential.
Government & Municipal Code
Perry's municipal code is published and maintained through Municode: https://library.municode.com/ga/perry
No local building code is currently published through this platform.
Weather
Current forecasts and active alerts for Perry are available directly from the National Weather Service:
The nearest observation station is PERRY 0.8 NE, located 0.4 miles from the city center.
References
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2022 (Tables B01001, B01002, B02001, B03001, B09001, B11001, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25001, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25064, B25077, B08006, B08013)
- National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data 2022
- FEMA Disaster Declarations, Houston County, GA
- CMS NPI Registry — npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov
- National Park Service — Ocmulgee Mounds, Andersonville, Jimmy Carter National Historical Parks
- National Weather Service — forecast.weather.gov
- Municode — library.municode.com/ga/perry
- Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) — Perry Public Library
The law belongs to the people. Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 590 U.S. (2020)