A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Americus$850/mo

Typical home $134K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.28% · or rent about $834/mo · Housing →

Douglas$1,100/mo

Typical home $182K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.96% · or rent about $680/mo · Housing →

The difference: $250 a month, about $3,000 a year, between Douglas and Americus.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Americus places higher on 14 of 21 GA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Georgia ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

D−AmericusSafer than 2% of U.S. towns –DouglasNot graded

Schools

C−AmericusBetter than 15% of districts in the state B−DouglasBetter than 49% of districts in the state

Health

DAmericusHealthier than 12% of U.S. towns D−DouglasHealthier than 2% of U.S. towns

14Americus

7Douglas

Lists won, of 21 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Best schoolsSchools · 231 towns #211#110 Lowest depressionHealth · 263 towns #76#172 Fewest smokersHealth · 263 towns #160#237 Most remote workersWork · 257 towns #118#189 Highest graduation rateSchools · 256 towns #41#96 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 263 towns #165#220 Most activeHealth · 263 towns #184#239 HealthiestHealth · 262 towns #189#243

Left end = #1 in Georgia. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Americus’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

AmericusDouglas

Snow a year0″0″

January low35°F 37°F

July high91°F 92°F

Growing season (days)238d 252d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)19th 18th

Outdoors & history

AmericusDouglas

Trails0 mi 5 mi

Conserved land0.7%1.5%

Settled—1855

National Register places9 6

Archive photos—12

Famous people born here—16

Community

AmericusDouglas

Library hours a week46 hrs 46 hrs

Colleges in town1 1

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

89 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

AmericusGA DouglasGA

Americus ↔ Douglas89 miles apart

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Georgia average

AmericusDouglas

People

Population 15,813Highest 11,749Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -4.8%Lowest GA: +10.6% +1.1%Highest GA: +10.6%

Median age 28.8±1.7Lowest 23% below GA 31.2±2.7Highest 17% below GA

Douglas and Americus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 25.1%±2.9Lowest GA: 23.2% 26.6%±4.1Highest GA: 23.2%

Douglas and Americus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 14.9%±2.3Highest GA: 15% 14.2%±2.6Lowest GA: 15%

Americus and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 21.9%Highest GA: 34.9% 16.5%Lowest GA: 34.9%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 12.7%±2.5Highest GA: 6.4% 5.9%±2Lowest GA: 6.4%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $39,176±$4kHighest 49% below GA $34,408±$5kLowest 56% below GA

Americus and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $107,500±$18kLowest 65% below GA $133,300±$19kHighest 56% below GA

Douglas and Americus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $834±$60Highest 40% below GA $680±$93Lowest 51% below GA

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,380Highest 41% below GA $1,283Lowest 45% below GA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 51%±9.7Lowest GA: 52.4% 54%±10.1Highest GA: 52.4%

Douglas and Americus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 32.7%Highest GA: 13.4% 29.7%Lowest GA: 13.4%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 36.3%Lowest GA: 65.7% 45.7%Highest GA: 65.7%

Typical home builtmedian year 1976Lowest 16 yrs older than GA 1980Highest 12 yrs older than GA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 17 minHighest 39% below GA 14 minLowest 49% below GA

Work from home 9.9%±3.2Highest GA: 15.9% 5.4%±2.7Lowest GA: 15.9%

Americus and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 27.2%Lowest 46.7%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 26.3 miHighest 3.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.08Lowest 3.17Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Albany (6%)Valdosta (2%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in DouglasFew work in Americus

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.7%Lowest 1.5%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.2 miLowest 5.4 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.4 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 7Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 60.1Highest 48.9Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #211 of 231 in GA #110 of 231 in GA

School district Sumter CountyCoffee County

High school in town None in townCoffee County High School

Students per teacherat that high school — 14.3

Georgia average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Americus neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Americus’s Town Square.

Douglas neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Douglas’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Americus

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Fort Valley8,858 people · $127K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Americus vs Douglas

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $250 more a month in Douglas

Americus places higher on 14 of 21 GA lists

What daily life feels like in each

89 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Americus and Douglas

Towns like Americus

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