Crawford, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Crawford · Oglethorpe County, Georgia
Population 996 (est. 2026: ~1,100)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 2.01% annual growth projection

Crawford, Georgia

Oglethorpe County, Georgia · Population 821

Crawford sits along the old Georgia Railroad corridor in Oglethorpe County, roughly 20 miles northeast of Athens and about 90 miles east of Atlanta. It's a small, quiet town — the kind where the post office and a few churches mark the center, and the surrounding landscape is mostly farmland and pine. Oglethorpe County as a whole has just under 15,000 residents, and Crawford functions as one of its smaller incorporated communities. The county seat is Lexington, about a mile and a half away, which means Crawford shares its institutional life — schools, library, county services — with the broader county rather than operating independently.

People & Demographics

Crawford's ACS 2022 population count comes in at 1,019, though the city's official figure is 821 — a common variation between decennial and survey estimates for small towns. The median age is 43.7, skewing somewhat older than the Georgia statewide median. The racial breakdown is nearly even: 534 residents identify as Black and 460 as White, with 7 Asian residents. No Hispanic or Latino residents were recorded in this dataset.

There are 369 occupied households, with an average household size of 2.59. Family households account for 208 of those, and 252 residents are children under 18.

Economy & Employment

Crawford's economic picture is stark. The median household income is $21,696 — a figure that sits far below Georgia's statewide median, which hovers around $61,000. Per capita income is $15,881. Of the 1,019 residents counted, 306 fall below the federal poverty line, representing roughly 30 percent of the population.

438 residents are in the labor force, with just 9 recorded as unemployed — a low unemployment rate that likely reflects a combination of small sample size and the reality that rural poverty often means people have left the workforce rather than actively seeking jobs.

Housing

Crawford's housing stock includes 418 total units, of which 369 are occupied and 49 sit vacant — an 11.7 percent vacancy rate. The more striking figure is the owner-to-renter split: 250 households rent, while only 119 own. That means renters make up roughly 68 percent of occupied households, an unusually high proportion for a rural Georgia town and one that signals limited wealth-building opportunity for many residents.

The median home value is $160,800, which is comparatively accessible by Georgia standards. Median rent is $683 per month. Given the $21,696 median household income, even that rent represents a significant housing cost burden for many residents.

Schools

Students in Crawford attend Oglethorpe County schools. Oglethorpe County Middle School serves grades 6–8 with 517 students enrolled. Elementary and high school students attend other Oglethorpe County district schools — the district is county-unified, meaning there are no Crawford-specific school buildings. For higher education, the nearest major institution is the University of Georgia in Athens, about 20 miles southwest.

Getting Around

Crawford is car-dependent. Of 421 workers, 386 drive alone to work. 20 carpool, 7 walk, and 8 work from home. Zero residents use public transit — none exists in this corridor. The aggregate commute time across all workers is 13,950 minutes, working out to roughly 33 minutes per worker on average. The Athens metro is the most likely destination for employment commutes, though some workers likely travel to Lexington or surrounding Oglethorpe County destinations.

Healthcare

No hospitals or major medical facilities are located within Crawford itself. The nearest significant healthcare infrastructure is in Athens, which has multiple hospital systems including Piedmont Athens Regional. For local provider lookup, the CMS NPI Registry lists providers in Crawford: Search NPI Registry for Crawford, GA.

Library

The Oglethorpe County Library is located 1.4 miles from Crawford, serving the county's reading and research needs. Phone: (706) 743-8817. As with most rural Georgia counties, this branch is likely the primary public library access point for Crawford residents.

Natural Hazards

Oglethorpe County has a long FEMA declaration history, and Crawford sits fully within that risk profile. Hurricane Helene struck in late September 2024, generating both an emergency declaration (EM-3616, September 26) and a major disaster declaration (DR-4830, September 30) — the back-to-back designations reflect the storm's unusual inland severity as it tracked through Georgia. Hurricane Irma (2017) and Hurricane Michael (2018) also produced declarations for the county. Severe winter storms have hit repeatedly: 2000, 2014, 2015, and most recently January 2026. The county also saw flooding tied to Tropical Storm Alberto in 1994 and a severe flooding event in 2016. The full record stretches back to a drought emergency in 1977. In short, this county faces a genuine mix of hurricane remnants, ice storms, and flood risk — residents should maintain storm preparedness year-round.

Government & Municipal Code

Crawford operates under a city charter and publishes its municipal code through Municode: Crawford City, Georgia — Municipal Code

Crawford does not have a locally adopted building code on file. Residents and contractors should confirm applicable state and county building standards directly with Oglethorpe County.

Weather

Current forecasts and alerts for Crawford are available through the National Weather Service: - NWS Forecast for Crawford, GA - Active Weather Alerts

The nearest observation station is Lexington 1.4 NW, approximately 1.2 miles from town.

References

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