LaGrange, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
LaGrange · Troup County, Georgia
Population 31,479 (est. 2026: ~33,500)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 1.9% annual growth projection

LaGrange, Georgia

Troup County, Georgia · Population 30,858

LaGrange sits in the western Georgia Piedmont, about 60 miles southwest of Atlanta and 35 miles from the Alabama state line. It is the county seat of Troup County and, with roughly 30,858 residents, the dominant urban center in a county of 69,426. The city grew up around the textile industry — mills shaped its neighborhoods and its workforce for more than a century — and that industrial heritage still runs through its identity even as the economy has diversified. LaGrange College, founded in 1831, anchors the city's educational and cultural life. Downtown has seen investment, and the presence of Kia's first U.S. manufacturing plant (in nearby West Point) has pulled automotive supply-chain employers into the region. This is a working city, not a suburb.

People & Demographics

LaGrange's 31,173 residents skew younger than many small Georgia cities, with a median age of 34.9. The racial composition is majority Black at 16,337 residents (roughly 52%), with 11,771 white residents, 1,108 Asian, and 1,486 Hispanic or Latino residents. That diversity is notable for a city of this size in western Georgia.

The city's 12,131 occupied households average 2.50 people. Of those, 6,992 are family households. Children under 18 number 7,798 — about 25% of the population — which reinforces the city's relatively young demographic profile.

Economy & Employment

The labor force stands at 14,737, with 780 unemployed — an unemployment rate of approximately 5.3%. Median household income is $41,030, which runs well below the Georgia state median and reflects the city's working-class economic base. Per capita income sits at $28,005.

Poverty is a real factor here: 7,670 residents — nearly 25% of the population — fall below the poverty line. That number shapes everything from school resource allocation to healthcare demand. The broader Troup County economy mixes manufacturing (automotive supply, legacy textiles), healthcare, retail, and the service sector. LaGrange College employs a portion of the local workforce and draws students who support local businesses.

Housing

LaGrange's 13,586 total housing units include 1,455 vacant units, leaving 12,131 occupied. The city is majority renter: 7,104 renter-occupied units versus 5,027 owner-occupied, meaning renters account for about 59% of occupied housing. That ratio is high and reflects both the income profile and the student/transient population connected to the college and industrial workforce.

The median home value of $148,500 is accessible by most national measures and significantly below the Georgia state median. Median rent runs $962 per month. For buyers and renters priced out of Atlanta, LaGrange represents real affordability — though wages here are correspondingly lower than metro markets.

Schools

LaGrange sits within the Troup County School System. Two high schools serve the area: Troup County High School (grades 9–12, 1,341 students) and LaGrange High School (grades 9–12, 1,301 students). Middle school options include Gardner-Newman Middle School (grades 6–8, 1,039 students), Long Cane Middle School (grades 6–8, 979 students), and Callaway Middle School (grades 6–8, 759 students).

Elementary schools are numerous: Franklin Forest Elementary (731 students), Callaway Elementary (651), Clearview Elementary (621), Ethel W. Kight Elementary (590), Long Cane Elementary (590), Rosemont Elementary (581), Hollis Hand Elementary (568), Hillcrest Elementary (372), and Berta Weathersbee Elementary (263). The Hope Academy serves grades 6–12 with 77 students as an alternative option.

Higher education is anchored by LaGrange College (706-880-8000), a private liberal arts institution founded in 1831 and one of the oldest colleges in the state.

Getting Around

Of 13,649 workers, 10,372 drive alone — about 76%. Another 1,421 carpool. Public transit is effectively absent: only 1 worker reports using it. LaGrange is a car-required city. That said, 312 workers walk to their jobs, and 1,123 work from home, the latter reflecting a modest but real post-pandemic shift.

Average aggregate commute time works out to roughly 19 minutes per worker — short by metro standards, consistent with a smaller city where most employment is local.

Healthcare

WellStar West Georgia Medical Center in LaGrange is the primary hospital serving the city and surrounding Troup County. It provides both inpatient and emergency services for a wide regional catchment area. For a full list of licensed healthcare providers in LaGrange, the NPI Registry maintains a searchable database of active practitioners.

Library

The LaGrange Memorial Library serves the city and county as the public library anchor. Phone: 706-882-7784. It operates as part of the Pine Mountain Regional Library System.

Parks & Recreation

Several outdoor recreation sites are accessible from LaGrange. Sunny Point Park, Yellowjacket Creek Recreation Area, McGee Bridge Park, and Horace King Park all offer camping and lake access in the immediate area, with West Point Lake — a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir — forming the primary recreational draw to the west of the city.

Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, an NPS-administered site commemorating the 1814 Battle of Horseshoe Bend, sits approximately 41 miles away in Alabama. Its visitor center offers interpretive programming on the Creek War and the region's deep Indigenous history.

Natural Hazards

Troup County has accumulated a long FEMA declaration record — 14 incidents since 1977. The county has been struck by hurricanes (Opal in 1995, Irma in 2017, Helene in 2024), tornadoes and straight-line wind events (multiple, including a significant outbreak in April 2011 and another in January 2023), severe winter storms (2014, 2026), flooding (Tropical Storm Alberto in 1994, severe storms in 2016), and the COVID-19 pandemic (2020). The county also activated for Hurricane Katrina evacuee reception in 2005.

The pattern is clear: western Georgia sits in the path of both Atlantic hurricane remnants and Gulf-tracking systems, and severe convective weather is a recurring seasonal reality.

Government & Municipal Code

LaGrange operates under a city charter with a council-manager form of government. The municipal code is published through Municode and accessible at library.municode.com/ga/lagrange. No separate municipal building code is listed in the Municode system; building and construction requirements default to applicable state and county codes.

Weather

Current forecasts for LaGrange are available through the National Weather Service. Active weather alerts can be checked at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest observation station is La Grange 2.5 NE, located 1.1 miles from the city center.

References

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