Rutledge, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Rutledge · Morgan County, Georgia
Population 1,134 (est. 2026: ~1,700)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 12.08% annual growth projection

Rutledge, Georgia

Morgan County, Georgia · Population 871

Rutledge sits along U.S. Highway 278 in the eastern half of Morgan County, roughly 60 miles east of Atlanta and 18 miles west of the Oconee National Forest. It is a small courthouse-county town in character — unhurried, historically rooted, and surrounded by open farmland and Georgia piedmont hardwoods. The population of 1,069 (ACS 2022) skews younger than many rural Georgia communities, with a median age of 32.8. Madison, the Morgan County seat, sits about 10 miles to the east and provides the county's commercial backbone; Covington lies roughly 20 miles to the west. For anyone commuting to metro Atlanta, the drive is real — Rutledge is beyond the suburban edge, which is both the point and the trade-off.

People & Demographics

The town's 1,069 residents are nearly evenly split by race: 514 white and 494 Black residents, with no recorded Asian or Hispanic/Latino population in the 2022 ACS estimates. That near-parity is unusual for a rural Georgia town of this size and reflects a long-settled, locally rooted community rather than recent in-migration. There are 384 households averaging 2.78 people, with 256 of those family households. Children under 18 number 297 — roughly 28% of the population — which is consistent with the town's relatively low median age of 32.8.

Morgan County as a whole holds 20,097 residents, meaning Rutledge accounts for a small but not insignificant share. The county's own population skews older in most unincorporated areas, making Rutledge's younger median age stand out.

Economy & Employment

Median household income in Rutledge is $46,452, and per capita income is $24,234. Both figures trail Georgia's statewide medians meaningfully — Georgia's median household income sits above $61,000 in recent ACS years — signaling that economic opportunity here is constrained. Of 191 residents counted below the poverty line, that represents roughly 18% of the population, a rate above the state average.

The labor force numbers 475, with 28 unemployed — an unemployment rate near 5.9% among those counted as actively in the labor force. Most working residents commute out of town, as Rutledge itself has a modest commercial base. The county's economic activity concentrates in Madison, with some residents working in Covington, Monroe, or the outer Atlanta metro.

Housing

Rutledge has 404 total housing units, 384 of which are occupied — leaving a vacancy rate of just under 5%, a tight market by rural Georgia standards. Of occupied units, 268 are owner-occupied and 116 are renter-occupied, putting the homeownership rate at roughly 70%.

Median home value is $233,700, which is notable for a town of this size and income level — reflecting the broader pressure that proximity to Atlanta places on even distant rural markets. Median rent is $913 per month. For households earning the town's median income of $46,452, that rent represents a significant share of monthly earnings.

Schools

Rutledge students attend Morgan County Schools, a single county-wide district with four campuses:

All four schools draw from across the county. The high school's enrollment of over 1,000 reflects the consolidated nature of Morgan County's system — Rutledge children ride buses to campuses that also serve Madison and the surrounding unincorporated county. Total district enrollment across these schools exceeds 3,500 students.

Getting Around

Rutledge is a car-required town. Of 369 total workers, 302 drive alone to work and 30 carpool. Only 3 use public transit, and none walk to work. Thirty-one residents work from home. The aggregate commute time across all workers is 10,750 minutes — averaging roughly 29 minutes per commuter one-way, which for this part of Georgia points toward Madison, Covington, or the outer Atlanta suburbs as primary destinations. There is no local transit system.

Healthcare

Morgan Medical Center serves as the county hospital. The Morgan County Library's proximity and the regional nature of healthcare in this part of Georgia mean that most specialty care routes through Athens (about 45 miles northeast) or the Atlanta metro. Local providers in Rutledge can be searched through the CMS NPI Registry.

Library

The Morgan County Library is located 0.4 miles from Rutledge's center and serves as the county's primary public library branch. Phone: (706) 342-1206. For a town without a grocery store within city limits, the library functions as a genuine community anchor.

Natural Hazards

Morgan County has received 13 FEMA disaster declarations since 1977, a history that reflects Georgia's exposure to a wide range of weather and emergency events:

The hurricane declarations are worth noting for an inland county. Georgia's piedmont is far enough from the coast that direct landfalls are rare, but tropical systems regularly push damaging winds, tornadoes, and flooding well inland. Helene's 2024 declaration is a reminder that this remains an active threat.

Government & Municipal Code

Rutledge's municipal code is published through Municode and is publicly accessible at library.municode.com/ga/rutledge. The town does not have a local building code on file through Municode — construction and building standards default to state and county requirements.

Weather

Current forecasts for Rutledge are available through the National Weather Service. Active weather alerts can be monitored at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest weather observation station is Madison 1.5 NNE, approximately 0.9 miles from the town center.

References

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