Tifton, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Tifton · Tift County, Georgia
Population 17,140 (est. 2026: ~17,400)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 0.41% annual growth projection

Tifton, Georgia

Tift County, Georgia · Population 17,045

Tifton sits at the crossroads of I-75 and U.S. 82 in the heart of South Georgia's agricultural belt, about 180 miles south of Atlanta and 75 miles north of Valdosta. It is the county seat of Tift County and the regional hub for a swath of rural South Georgia that stretches in every direction. The city is best known nationally for two things: peanut and row crop agriculture, and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, a state university that anchors the local economy and shapes the population's character. Tifton does not feel like a suburb or a commuter town — it is a standalone regional center where people actually live and work, shop and go to school, without necessarily leaving the county for much of anything.

People & Demographics

Tifton's population of 17,045 represents just over 41 percent of Tift County's 41,344 residents — meaning nearly half the county lives inside city limits. The median age is 34.6, which skews young relative to most small Southern cities, partly due to the college presence. The city is racially mixed: of 17,059 residents counted, 8,528 identify as white, 5,697 as Black, and 383 as Asian. The Hispanic and Latino population stands at 2,472, reflecting the agricultural labor history of the region and a growing permanent community.

There are 6,613 occupied households, with an average household size of 2.33. Family households make up 3,777 of those. Children under 18 number 3,978 — a substantial share for a city this size.

Economy & Employment

The labor force counts 7,428 residents, with 184 unemployed — an unemployment rate of roughly 2.5 percent within the measured workforce. Tift Regional Medical Center is a major employer, as is ABAC and the Tift County School District. Agriculture, food processing, and distribution form the backbone of the broader county economy.

Median household income is $42,200, which runs below Georgia's statewide median. Per capita income sits at $25,714. Poverty is a significant issue: 3,774 residents fall below the poverty line, representing more than 22 percent of the population. That figure is a reality of small-city South Georgia and shapes the demand for public services, healthcare, and school programs throughout the county.

Housing

Tifton's 7,652 total housing units include 6,613 occupied and 1,039 vacant. The vacancy rate of roughly 13.6 percent is higher than Georgia's overall rate, which is common in smaller Southern cities where older housing stock sits alongside newer development.

The owner-to-renter split leans heavily toward renting: 4,061 units are renter-occupied versus 2,552 owner-occupied. That means about 61 percent of occupied households rent — a figure influenced by the college population and lower-income households. Median home value is $157,000, making ownership accessible by most state standards. Median rent of $765 per month is affordable in absolute terms, though it weighs heavily on households near the poverty line.

Schools

Tifton operates within the Tift County School District. The secondary anchor is Tift County High School (grades 9–12, 2,273 students), one of the larger single high schools in South Georgia. Middle grades are split between Eighth Street Middle School (grades 6–8, 958 students) and Northeast Middle School (grades 6–8, 703 students).

Elementary schools include: - Annie Belle Clark Elementary — 804 students - G. O. Bailey Elementary — 564 students - Len Lastinger Elementary — 466 students - Northside Elementary — 451 students - Matt Wilson Elementary — 414 students - Charles Spencer Elementary — 393 students - J. T. Reddick Elementary — 321 students

Higher education is represented locally by Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC), a four-year University System of Georgia institution with a strong agricultural and applied sciences focus, reachable at (229) 391-5001.

Getting Around

Of 7,192 workers, 5,524 drive alone and 912 carpool. No residents in the dataset used public transit — there is no meaningful fixed-route transit system serving Tifton. Walking accounts for 162 workers, a modest number likely tied to proximity to ABAC and downtown. About 439 residents work from home.

Aggregate travel time for all workers totals 138,645 minutes, working out to a mean commute of roughly 19 minutes — consistent with a small city where most employment is local. I-75 gives Tifton direct interstate access north toward Atlanta and south toward Florida, which matters for freight, regional healthcare trips, and long-distance commuting.

Healthcare

Tift Regional Medical Center serves as the primary hospital for Tifton and a large regional catchment area covering multiple surrounding counties. It functions as a full-service regional hospital, offering the level of care that would otherwise require a 75-to-180-mile drive. A full directory of licensed providers in Tifton is searchable through the NPI Registry.

Library

The Tifton-Tift County Public Library serves both city and county residents. Contact: (229) 386-7148. It is part of the broader South Georgia Regional Library system.

Natural Hazards

Tift County's FEMA disaster declaration history is extensive and reflects South Georgia's exposure to tropical weather systems tracking north from the Gulf and Atlantic:

Three major named storms hit in 2024 alone. Any resident or prospective homeowner should factor in flood and wind exposure when evaluating insurance and property decisions. Tifton is well inland but consistently in the damage path of Gulf-origin storms that maintain intensity as they cross South Georgia.

Government & Municipal Code

Tifton's municipal code is published and maintained through Municode: library.municode.com/ga/tifton. Note that no locally adopted building code is on file in this dataset.

Weather

Current forecasts and conditions are available through the National Weather Service: NWS Forecast for Tifton. Weather alerts: alerts.weather.gov. The nearest weather observation station is Tifton, 1.1 miles from the city center.

References

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