Official Federal Data
Lanier County, Georgia
FIPS 13173 · Valdosta, GA · Population 10,221
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$47,186 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.9% ▼
Unemployment
4% national
$194M ▲
GDP
19.3% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 10,221 residents. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which carry a wide margin of error for places under 20,000 people. Read each value as an approximate range, and treat year-over-year changes as indicative rather than exact. A small shift can reflect survey sampling, not a real change on the ground.
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$47,186 ▲
Per Capita
$25,942 ▲
Mean Household
$70,614 ▲
Poverty Rate
26.1% ▲approx.
Median Income Comparison
Lanier County$47,186
Georgia$77,353
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 22.5%
18-34 · 23.1%
35-54 · 26.7%
55-64 · 12.5%
65+ · 15.2%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
88%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▼ 1.6 pts
19.3%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 16.4 pts
7.7%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 6.4 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
10,221
Population
4,406
Labor Force
Employed
3,923
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.9% ▼ 0.1 pts YoY
Mean Commute 2 min below national avg
24.7 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
7.5%
Key Takeaways
- Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, which directly affects retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base.
- Elevated poverty: At 26.1%, the rate is in economically distressed territory and supports federal funding narratives (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 16.4 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Construction employs 155 workers (26.1% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $49,181.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $194M (2024).
- Wage stratification: Health Care and Social Assistance averages $57,355 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $17,456, a 3.3x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
20
Cluster Employment
49.67x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Forestry and Logging
49.67x 20
2.99x 6
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Forestry and Logging concentrates at 49.67x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Attraction whitespace: 3 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$162,300 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$913 ▲
Rent/Mo
73.2% ▲
Owner-Occ
16.5% ▲
Vacancy
3.4x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$915/mo
1 Bedroom
$921/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,192/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,583/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,915/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,180/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.4x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- High home ownership: 73.2% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Elevated vacancy: 16.5% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
- Affordable rent tiers: 2 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,180/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
6,365 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 2 min below national avg
24.7 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
7.5%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
69.4%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
19.3% ▲
HS Diploma+
88% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
48,676/yr
13,515/yr
9,969/yr
8,351/yr
7,682/yr
5,669/yr
3,490/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
20%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
28%
Service
24.8%
Sales & Office
15%
Construction / Maint.
14.3%
Production / Transport
17.8%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 3,923 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Low participation: 55.6% labor force participation suggests untapped capacity; workforce development programs may unlock supply.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 31,835 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Lanier County shows strong potential for forestry and logging attraction, with a 49.67x concentration and 20 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Lanier County, Georgia, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Lanier County, Georgia?
10,221 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Lanier County, Georgia?
$47,186 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Lanier County, Georgia?
3.9% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Lanier County, Georgia?
$194M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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