Meigs, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Meigs · Mitchell County, Georgia
Population 825 (est. 2026: ~1,200)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 12.0% annual growth projection

Meigs, Georgia

Mitchell County, Georgia · Population 928

Meigs sits in the flat, rural heart of southwest Georgia, roughly 40 miles southeast of Albany and about 30 miles north of the Florida state line. It is a small agricultural town — the kind of place where the county seat at Camilla is the nearest hub for most services, and where Thomasville, about 45 miles to the east, serves as the regional anchor for healthcare and retail. With fewer than 1,000 residents, Meigs is one of several small communities spread across Mitchell County, sharing school systems, emergency services, and county infrastructure with neighboring towns like Pelham and Baconton.

People & Demographics

The 2022 ACS puts Meigs at 934 residents. The town is majority Black — 674 residents, roughly 72% of the population. White residents number 190, and the Hispanic and Latino community accounts for 119 people, a notable share for a town this size in rural Georgia.

The median age is 33.5, meaningfully younger than most rural Georgia communities. Children under 18 make up 288 of those 934 residents — nearly a third of the town. There are 330 households, 221 of them family households, with an average household size of 2.83.

Economy & Employment

The economic picture in Meigs is stark. Median household income sits at $26,667 — well below the Georgia state median, which hovers around $61,000, and below Mitchell County's own modest figures. Per capita income is $13,254.

Of 316 people in the labor force, 54 are unemployed. That's an unemployment rate around 17%, substantially higher than state and national averages. Poverty is widespread: 388 residents — roughly 42% of the population — fall below the federal poverty line. The local economy is tied to agriculture, as Mitchell County is one of Georgia's significant farming counties, with peanuts, cotton, and vegetables among the primary crops. Most residents who work commute out of town to reach employment.

Housing

Meigs has 424 total housing units, of which 330 are occupied and 94 sit vacant — a vacancy rate near 22%. Of occupied units, 200 are owner-occupied and 130 are renter-occupied.

Median home value is $68,500, which makes homeownership financially accessible in raw terms, though low incomes constrain purchasing power. Median gross rent is $466 per month, among the lowest figures found anywhere in Georgia. For households struggling at or near poverty, even these numbers represent a significant share of monthly income.

Schools

Meigs and the surrounding Mitchell County area are served by two separate public school systems — Mitchell County Schools and Pelham City Schools — along with a charter school.

Mitchell County Schools: - Mitchell County Primary School (Grades PreK–2): 366 students - Mitchell County Elementary School (Grades 3–5): 268 students - Mitchell County Middle School (Grades 6–8): 280 students - Mitchell County High School (Grades 9–12): 390 students

Pelham City Schools: - Pelham Elementary School (Grades PreK–5): 620 students - Pelham City Middle School (Grades 6–8): 335 students - Pelham High School (Grades 9–12): 432 students

Charter: - Baconton Community Charter School (Grades PreK–12): 890 students - Shiver Elementary School (Grades PreK–8): 478 students

Eagle's Landing Academy is listed in the NCES data with no grade range or enrollment.

Educational attainment among adults 25 and older reflects broader economic conditions. Of 553 adults in that group, 197 hold a high school diploma. Only 25 hold a bachelor's degree. No residents in this dataset hold a master's or doctoral degree.

Getting Around

Meigs is car-dependent without exception. Of 242 workers, 211 drive alone to work. Another 23 carpool. Eight walk. No residents commute by public transit, and none work from home. Total aggregate commute time across all workers is 5,820 minutes, putting the average one-way trip at roughly 24 minutes — consistent with commuting to Pelham, Camilla, or Thomasville for work.

There is no local public transit.

Healthcare

The local hospital is Archbold Mitchell, located in Mitchell County. Detailed ratings and emergency service classifications are not available in the current dataset. For a searchable list of licensed healthcare providers with active NPI registrations in Meigs, the CMS NPI Registry can be queried directly: NPI Registry — Meigs, GA.

For specialized or higher-acuity care, residents typically travel to Thomasville (Archbold Memorial Hospital) or Albany (Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital).

Library

The Meigs Public Library serves the community locally. Contact: (229) 683-3853. It functions as a key public resource in a town with limited commercial infrastructure.

Parks & Recreation

The Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, administered by the National Park Service, is located in Plains, Georgia — roughly 45 miles north of Meigs. The park preserves the birthplace, boyhood farm, and related sites connected to the 39th President of the United States. It is the most significant NPS unit within reasonable driving distance.

Natural Hazards

Mitchell County has a long and serious federal disaster declaration history. Anyone considering living or owning property here should understand what has actually happened to this county:

Fifteen federal declarations over roughly 26 years. Hurricane Michael in 2018 caused particularly severe agricultural and structural damage across Mitchell County. Flood insurance, wind coverage, and storm preparedness are not optional considerations here.

Government & Municipal Code

Meigs operates under a municipal code published through Municode: Meigs City, Georgia — Municipal Code

The city does not have a locally adopted building code on file in the current dataset.

Weather

Current conditions and forecasts for the Meigs area are available through the National Weather Service: NWS Forecast — Meigs, GA

Active Weather Alerts

The nearest official weather observation station is Baconton 4.8 NE, approximately 4.6 miles from town.

Southwest Georgia summers are long and humid, with heat indices routinely exceeding 100°F. The storm season runs from late spring through early fall, with Gulf hurricane remnants posing real and recurring risk.

References

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