Comer, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Comer · Madison County, Georgia
Population 1,928 (est. 2026: ~2,300)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 5.24% annual growth projection

Comer, Georgia

Madison County, Georgia · Population 1,810

Comer sits at the northeastern edge of Georgia's Piedmont, about 20 miles north of Athens along U.S. 72. It is the kind of small town that functions as a genuine community anchor rather than a suburb — most residents work elsewhere, but Comer itself has a post office, a main street, and a school that parents actually know by name. Madison County surrounds it, a mostly rural county of 30,120 people whose county seat is Danielsville, roughly 10 miles to the west. The nearest real metro is Athens-Clarke County, close enough for a daily commute but far enough that Comer still operates on its own terms.

People & Demographics

Comer's population of 1,810 is spread across 600 households, averaging 2.74 people per household. The median age is 37.6. The town is majority white (1,178 residents), with Black (126) and Asian (92) populations also present. Children under 18 account for 467 residents — a substantial share of the total, which tracks with the visible presence of young families and the enrollment numbers at the local elementary school.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Comer is $34,880 — well below Georgia's statewide median, which runs closer to $61,000. Per capita income sits at $20,663. Of the 1,810 residents, 423 live below the poverty line, a poverty rate of roughly 23 percent. That figure is high by any measure and reflects the economic reality of a small rural town in a county without a dominant employer.

The labor force totals 708 people. Of those, 28 are unemployed, an unemployment rate of about 4 percent. Most workers are employed in Athens or elsewhere in the broader region — the commute data makes that clear.

Housing

Comer has 651 total housing units, with 600 occupied and 51 vacant — a vacancy rate of about 8 percent. The split between owner-occupied (316) and renter-occupied (284) units is nearly even, which is somewhat unusual for a small town; many comparable places skew heavily toward ownership. The median home value is $176,400. Median gross rent is $675 per month, which is low even by rural Georgia standards and gives the town a genuine affordability advantage over Athens, where rents have climbed sharply.

For someone priced out of Athens-Clarke County, Comer represents a real option — 25 minutes by car, with housing costs that remain accessible.

Schools

Children in Comer attend Comer Elementary School (grades K–5, 386 students) before moving to Madison County Middle School (grades 6–8, 1,174 students), which draws from across the county. High school students attend Madison County High School in Danielsville. The middle school's enrollment reflects its countywide role — it is substantially larger than Comer itself, serving the full rural population of Madison County.

Getting Around

Of 680 workers, 508 drive alone to work. Another 33 carpool. There is no public transit serving the town. What stands out is the walking number: 114 workers walk to their jobs, which is high for a town this size and suggests a meaningful share of residents work locally or within walkable distance of home. Only 14 people work from home.

Aggregate travel time for all workers is 16,160 minutes. Divided across 680 workers, that averages out to about 24 minutes per commute — consistent with a town that feeds into Athens but isn't at its doorstep.

Healthcare

No hospital sits in Comer. The nearest significant medical facility is in Athens, home to Piedmont Athens Regional, a full-service hospital roughly 20–25 miles south. Residents requiring emergency care or specialist services make that drive. For a directory of local healthcare providers registered in Comer, the CMS NPI Registry lists licensed practitioners by city.

Library

The nearest public library is the Madison County Library, located approximately 7.8 miles from Comer. It can be reached at (706) 795-5597. The Madison County Library system serves the full county population and is the primary public library resource for Comer residents.

Natural Hazards

Madison County has a documented history with federal disaster declarations going back decades, and the pattern reveals the actual threats facing this area.

Hurricanes have hit harder than many people expect for an inland county. Hurricane Helene triggered two separate federal declarations in September 2024 (EM-3616 and DR-4830), reflecting serious damage from a storm that tracked far inland. Hurricane Irma generated two declarations in September 2017 (EM-3387 and DR-4338), and Hurricane Ivan received a declaration in 2004. Even Hurricane Katrina in 2005 prompted an emergency declaration — for evacuation purposes, not direct impact.

Winter storms have been declared three times: February 2014 (EM-3368), March 2014 (DR-4165), and April 2015 (DR-4215). Georgia's ice storms are notoriously disruptive, and Madison County's rural road network makes recovery slow.

Tornadoes and flooding hit in April 1973 (DR-370). A drought declaration goes back to July 1977 (EM-3044). The COVID-19 pandemic generated two federal declarations in March 2020.

The Helene declarations from 2024 are the most recent and serve as a reminder that tropical storm remnants can cause significant wind and flooding damage in the Georgia Piedmont.

Government & Municipal Code

Comer's municipal code is published through Municode and accessible at library.municode.com/ga/comer-city-georgia. The town does not currently have a local building code on file through Municode's repository.

Weather

Current forecasts and conditions for Comer are available through the National Weather Service forecast page. Active weather alerts can be checked at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest weather observation station is COMER 0.9 NW, located approximately 0.4 miles from town.

References

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