Ochlocknee, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Ochlocknee · Thomas County, Georgia
Population 639 (est. 2026: ~600)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + -1.72% annual growth projection

Ochlocknee, Georgia

Thomas County, Georgia · Population 672

Ochlocknee sits in the flat, pine-heavy landscape of southwest Georgia, about 12 miles northwest of Thomasville along US-19. It is a small incorporated town — fewer than 700 residents — that functions as a quiet residential satellite to Thomasville, the Thomas County seat. The town's economy, schools, hospitals, and commercial life are all oriented toward that larger neighbor. Ochlocknee itself is quiet, tight-knit, and affordable in ways that are increasingly rare even in rural Georgia.

People & Demographics

Ochlocknee's 672 residents live in 252 households, with an average household size of 2.67. The median age is 37.3, roughly in line with rural Georgia norms. The racial breakdown is 437 white residents, 174 Black residents, and 24 Asian residents. The Hispanic and Latino population numbers 48. Of the town's 252 occupied households, 175 are family households. Children under 18 account for 153 residents — about 23% of the population.

Thomas County as a whole holds 45,798 residents, meaning Ochlocknee represents roughly 1.5% of the county. The town's demographic profile reflects the broader rural southwest Georgia pattern: a majority-white community with a significant Black population and a smaller but present Hispanic community.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Ochlocknee is $55,375. Per capita income sits at $23,930. Of the 672 residents, 324 are in the labor force and 30 are counted as unemployed — an unemployment rate of roughly 9.3% among labor force participants, which runs higher than typical state averages and reflects the limited local job base.

Poverty is a real pressure here: 186 residents fall below the poverty line, representing about 27.7% of the population. That figure is considerably higher than the Georgia statewide poverty rate, which typically runs in the 14–16% range. Most working residents commute to Thomasville or elsewhere in Thomas County for employment. The local economy itself offers little in the way of large employers.

Southern Regional Technical College, reachable by phone at (229) 225-4096, serves the region and provides a pathway for workforce training and credentialing that residents in a place like Ochlocknee increasingly rely on.

Housing

Ochlocknee has 327 total housing units, of which 252 are occupied and 75 sit vacant — a vacancy rate of 22.9%, which is high even by rural Georgia standards and suggests some housing stock that is aging, deteriorating, or simply sitting between uses.

Of occupied units, 140 are owner-occupied and 112 are renter-occupied — a near-even split that leans slightly toward ownership. The median home value is $83,300, which is low even within Thomas County and dramatically below Georgia's statewide median. For buyers priced out of Thomasville or the broader Georgia market, Ochlocknee represents genuine affordability. Median gross rent is $809 per month.

The town's municipal code is published through Municode at library.municode.com/ga/ochlocknee-town-georgia. Notably, Ochlocknee does not maintain its own building code, meaning construction and renovation projects operate under state minimum standards rather than locally adopted requirements.

Schools

Ochlocknee students attend Thomas County public schools, which serve the entire county from Thomasville-area campuses. The full roster of schools in the system includes:

Thomas County Central High School is the primary high school serving Ochlocknee-area students. All school campuses are located in or near Thomasville.

Getting Around

Of 267 workers in Ochlocknee, 200 drive alone to work, 39 carpool, and 24 work from home. Public transit use is zero. Walking to work is essentially nonexistent in the data. The town has no public transit infrastructure, and a personal vehicle is a practical requirement for daily life.

Aggregate commute time across all workers totals 4,935 minutes, which works out to a mean one-way commute of roughly 18.5 minutes — consistent with the short highway drive into Thomasville for most residents.

Healthcare

The primary hospital serving Ochlocknee is Archbold Memorial Hospital in Thomasville, roughly 12 miles southeast. Archbold is a regional facility and the dominant healthcare provider for all of Thomas County. For a searchable list of individual healthcare providers with a listed Ochlocknee address, the CMS NPI Registry returns current licensed providers.

Library

The Gladys H. Clark Library serves the area and can be reached at (229) 574-5884. It is part of the regional library system anchored in Thomas County.

Natural Hazards

Thomas County has accumulated a substantial FEMA disaster declaration history that speaks directly to the physical risk of living in southwest Georgia. Declarations on record include:

Fifteen separate FEMA declarations over two decades. The pattern is not occasional — tropical systems consistently affect this inland area even well north of the Florida coast, and severe storm events are a near-annual risk. Residents should plan accordingly for hurricane season and severe weather from June through November.

Weather

Current forecasts for Ochlocknee are available through the National Weather Service. Active weather alerts can be tracked at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest weather observation station is Thomasville WB City, located 1.7 miles from town.

Government & Municipal Code

Ochlocknee is an incorporated town with its municipal code published and maintained through Municode. The full code is available at library.municode.com/ga/ochlocknee-town-georgia. The town does not have a locally adopted building code.

References

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