Warthen, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Warthen · Washington County, Georgia
Population 184 (est. 2026: ~0)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + -57.61% annual growth projection

Warthen, Georgia

Washington County, Georgia · Population 132

Warthen sits in the agricultural heart of Washington County, roughly midway between Sandersville — the county seat about 10 miles to the east — and the Oconee River corridor to the west. It is a census-designated place in the classic sense: a cluster of households and a shared address, not a municipality with its own mayor or police department. The surrounding landscape is Georgia Piedmont — red clay, pine, and hardwood, with the kind of quiet that comes from being genuinely small. With 132 residents, Warthen is less a town than a community in the older meaning of the word.

People & Demographics

The ACS 2022 estimates count 158 people in Warthen, spread across 79 households. The median age is 22.6 years — strikingly young, well below the Georgia statewide median, which typically runs into the mid-thirties. That figure reflects a population with 42 children under 18 living in a place with only 79 total households. Average household size is 2.00.

Racially, the population breaks down as 87 white and 52 Black residents. No Asian or Hispanic/Latino residents are counted in this estimate. Washington County as a whole holds 19,988 people, making Warthen home to less than 1% of the county's total population.

Economy & Employment

The economic picture in Warthen is stark. Median household income sits at $16,763 — well below the Georgia statewide median, which consistently runs above $60,000. Per capita income is $10,752. Of the 158 counted residents, 73 fall below the federal poverty line.

The labor force numbers 46 people, with zero counted as unemployed — though that figure reflects survey methodology as much as economic reality in a place this small. Four workers reported working from home. The local economy is not self-contained; most working residents commute to Sandersville or elsewhere in Washington County for employment in government, healthcare, agriculture, or manufacturing.

For workforce training and credentialing, Oconee Fall Line Technical College serves the region and can be reached at (478) 553-2050.

Housing

Warthen has 94 total housing units, of which 79 are occupied and 15 sit vacant — a vacancy rate of about 16%. The ownership rate is exceptionally high: 77 of the 79 occupied units are owner-occupied, with only 2 rentals. That near-total owner-occupancy is unusual even by rural Georgia standards and suggests a community where people tend to stay.

Median home value is $138,800. No reliable median rent figure is available from the dataset.

Schools

Warthen students attend Washington County Schools, the countywide district. The school pipeline runs through four campuses:

No schools are located within Warthen itself. All four campuses are countywide facilities, with Washington County High School serving as the single secondary institution for the entire county.

Getting Around

With 46 total workers counted, 16 drove alone to work and 4 worked from home. No carpooling, public transit, or walking commutes are recorded. This is car-dependent territory — there is no bus service, no rail, and no practical alternative to a personal vehicle for reaching jobs, groceries, or medical care. Sandersville is the closest center of services, roughly 10 miles east on US-80.

Healthcare

Washington County Regional Medical Center is the primary hospital serving this area. For provider-level lookups — physicians, nurses, therapists, and specialists who have registered in Warthen or the surrounding zip code — the CMS NPI Registry can be searched directly: NPI Registry – Warthen, GA.

Library

The Rosa M. Tarbutton Memorial Library is located 1.4 miles from Warthen and serves as the county's public library resource. Phone: (478) 552-7466. For a community without bookstores or a college campus nearby, this library is a meaningful anchor.

Parks & Recreation

Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, administered by the National Park Service, is the major regional cultural and natural attraction. The park preserves one of the most significant Indigenous archaeological sites in the eastern United States — massive earthen mounds built by the ancestors of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The visitor center is approximately 47.6 miles from Warthen, near Macon. It is worth the drive.

Natural Hazards

Washington County has a long federal disaster declaration record. The county has been struck by or impacted by:

The pattern is clear: this part of Middle Georgia sits in the path of Atlantic hurricanes tracking inland, is vulnerable to ice storms in winter, and faces periodic drought. Hurricane Helene's 2024 impact on inland Georgia — including counties well north of the coast — underscored how seriously these storms can affect communities far from the shoreline.

Government & Municipal Code

Warthen's municipal code is published through Municode and accessible at library.municode.com/ga/warthen-cdp-georgia. No local building code is in effect for the CDP.

Weather

Current forecasts and conditions for Warthen are available from the National Weather Service:

The nearest weather observation station is in Sandersville, approximately 1.0 mile from Warthen.

References

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