Richland, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Richland · Stewart County, Georgia
Population 1,218 (est. 2026: ~3,000)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 30.95% annual growth projection

Richland, Georgia

Stewart County, Georgia · Population 1,370

Richland sits in the rural heart of southwest Georgia, the county seat of Stewart County — one of the least populous counties in the state. It's about 35 miles south of Columbus and roughly 30 miles northeast of Americus. This is deep rural Georgia: red clay roads, pine timber, and a county of just over 5,300 people spread across a landscape that hasn't changed dramatically in generations. Richland itself holds roughly a quarter of that county population. It is not a suburb of anything. The nearest interstate is a distance away, and the economy reflects the realities of a small, isolated county seat in a persistently low-income part of the state.

People & Demographics

Richland's ACS 2022 population is 1,290 within the incorporated place. The racial composition is majority Black at 923 residents (71.5%), with 306 white residents (23.7%) and 61 Asian residents (4.7%). The Hispanic/Latino population is 9. Median age is 39.7 years.

There are 648 households in Richland, with 422 of those being family households. The average household size of 1.77 is notably small — well below typical Georgia averages — suggesting a high share of single-person or two-person households. Children under 18 number 187, representing about 14.5% of the population. Stewart County as a whole has 5,314 residents, meaning Richland anchors a county where most residents live in very small communities or unincorporated areas.

Economy & Employment

Median household income in Richland is $41,458, and per capita income is $22,166. For context, Georgia's statewide median household income runs considerably higher — Richland's figure is a meaningful gap below the state average. Of the 1,290 residents counted, 218 fall below the poverty line, a poverty rate of approximately 16.9%.

The labor force stands at 569 people, with 30 unemployed — an unemployment rate of roughly 5.3%. With only 510 total workers commuting to jobs, a significant share of the working-age population is not in the active labor force at all, which is consistent with rural counties facing long-term structural employment challenges. Agriculture, government employment (county seat functions), and retail serving a wide rural catchment area make up the economic base.

Housing

Richland has 762 total housing units, of which 648 are occupied and 114 are vacant — a vacancy rate of about 15%, which is elevated but typical of declining rural small towns. The split between owners and renters is close: 335 owner-occupied units versus 313 renter-occupied.

Median home value is $109,700 — modest by any Georgia measure and well below state medians concentrated in metro areas. Median gross rent is $622 per month. For buyers, the low entry price reflects both affordability and the limited resale market that characterizes much of rural southwest Georgia. For renters, $622 is accessible relative to income, though incomes here leave limited margin.

Schools

All three schools serving Richland students operate under Stewart County Schools, a single-county district. All are located in or near Richland as the county seat.

Total district enrollment across these three schools is 407 students. The small numbers reflect both the county's low overall population and broader enrollment trends in persistently rural Georgia districts. With 119 students in the high school, class sizes are small and extracurricular programming depends heavily on the district's ability to staff across a thin student base.

Getting Around

Richland is car-dependent without exception. Of 510 total workers, 323 drove alone to work, and 183 carpooled — a carpooling rate of nearly 36%, which is strikingly high and reflects both the distances involved and the economic pressure to share travel costs. Zero workers commute by public transit, and zero walk to work. Only 4 residents worked from home.

Aggregate commute time across all workers totals 21,135 minutes, suggesting an average one-way commute of roughly 41 minutes. That length is consistent with workers traveling to Columbus, Americus, or other regional employment centers. There is no local transit infrastructure.

Healthcare

No hospital sits within Richland itself. The nearest acute care facilities are in Americus (Phoebe Sumter Medical Center, roughly 30 miles east) and Columbus (multiple hospital systems, roughly 35 miles north). For a county seat of Stewart County, the distance to hospital care is a practical daily concern, particularly for elderly residents.

Local healthcare providers registered in Richland can be searched through the CMS NPI Registry: Search Richland, GA providers.

Library

Parks Memorial Library serves Richland and Stewart County. Contact: (229) 887-2103. As the county's public library, it functions as a community anchor for information access, particularly important in a county where broadband access and educational attainment remain limited.

Parks & Recreation

Two major National Park Service sites are within reasonable driving distance of Richland:

The Plains High School Visitor Center and Museum is approximately 21 miles away. These NPS sites make Richland a reasonable base for visitors exploring southwest Georgia's history, even if the town itself has limited tourist infrastructure.

Natural Hazards

Stewart County has accumulated 15 FEMA disaster declarations since 1990, a record that reflects the county's exposure to a wide range of weather threats. The history includes:

The pattern is consistent — this part of Georgia sits in the path of Gulf and Atlantic hurricanes tracking inland, faces periodic tornado risk, and saw severe flooding from multiple storms. Hurricane Michael's 2018 track directly through southwest Georgia caused significant damage to timber and structures across this region.

Government & Municipal Code

Richland operates under a city charter with code published through Municode: Richland City Code — Municode Library

Note: Richland does not currently have an adopted local building code on file with Municode. Construction and building standards default to state minimums.

Weather

Current forecasts for Richland are available through the National Weather Service: NWS Forecast — Richland, GA

Active weather alerts for the Richland area

The nearest official weather observation station is Lumpkin 2 SE, approximately 2.0 miles away. Lumpkin is the Stewart County seat — Richland is the largest city in the county but Lumpkin holds the courthouse. The climate here is humid subtropical: hot summers regularly exceeding 90°F, mild winters with occasional ice events, and a long shoulder season marked by severe weather potential.

References

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