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%

Fitzgerald$820/mo

Typical home $131K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.20% · or rent about $670/mo · Housing →

Thomson$1,210/mo

Typical home $199K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.97% · or rent about $848/mo · Housing →

The difference: $390 a month, about $4,600 a year, between Thomson and Fitzgerald.

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

Thomson places higher on 11 of 19 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

DFitzgeraldSafer than 7% of U.S. towns –ThomsonNot graded

Schools

C−FitzgeraldBetter than 23% of districts in the state DThomsonBetter than 14% of districts in the state

Health

D−FitzgeraldHealthier than 2% of U.S. towns DThomsonHealthier than 8% of U.S. towns

8Fitzgerald

11Thomson

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most remote workersWork · 257 towns #225#115 Fewest smokersHealth · 263 towns #246#183 Most affordableCost of living · 264 towns #16#68 Lowest property taxCost of living · 264 towns #39#91 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 263 towns #188#138 Cheapest rentCost of living · 261 towns #16#62 Highest graduation rateSchools · 256 towns #169#214 Lowest depressionHealth · 263 towns #119#76

Left end = #1 in Georgia. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Fitzgerald’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

FitzgeraldThomson

Snow a year0″1″

January low39°F 34°F

July high92°F 90°F

Growing season (days)268d 237d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)14th 15th

Outdoors & history

FitzgeraldThomson

Trails5 mi 0 mi

Conserved land2.6%2.4%

Settled1895 1837

National Register places7 7

Archive photos18 12

Famous people born here18 11

Community

FitzgeraldThomson

Library hours a week32 hrs 42 hrs

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

129 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

FitzgeraldGA ThomsonGA

Fitzgerald ↔ Thomson129 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

FitzgeraldThomson

People

Population 8,918Highest 6,821Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -0.5%Lowest GA: +10.6% +0.5%Highest GA: +10.6%

Median age 37.5±3.2Lowest about the GA average 38.1±3.6Highest about the GA average

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

Kids under 18 23.8%±5.1Lowest GA: 23.2% 25.2%±6.2Highest GA: 23.2%

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

Age 65+ 17.1%±2.6Highest GA: 15% 15.9%±3.6Lowest GA: 15%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 14.3%Highest GA: 34.9% 13.3%Lowest GA: 34.9%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.5%±1.9Lowest GA: 6.4% 6.1%±2.5Highest GA: 6.4%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $37,323±$6kLowest 52% below GA $42,180±$10kHighest 45% below GA

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $99,000±$7kLowest 67% below GA $161,100±$31kHighest 47% below GA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $670±$55Lowest 52% below GA $848±$95Highest 39% below GA

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,191Lowest 49% below GA $1,565Highest 33% below GA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 49.7%±13.4Lowest GA: 52.4% 68.3%±17.1Highest GA: 52.4%

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

Below poverty line 27.8%Lowest GA: 13.4% 28.8%Highest GA: 13.4%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 53.8%Highest GA: 65.7% 48.5%Lowest GA: 65.7%

Typical home builtmedian year 1971Lowest 21 yrs older than GA 1979Highest 13 yrs older than GA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 14 minLowest 49% below GA 17 minHighest 41% below GA

Work from home 3%±2.9Lowest GA: 15.9% 10.2%±8.1Highest GA: 15.9%

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

Work in townworking residents 29.9%Highest 15.9%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.3 miLowest 22.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.27Highest 1.14Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Tifton (6%)Augusta (15%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in ThomsonFew work in Fitzgerald

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 2.6%Highest 2.4%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 4.6 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Highest 1Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 64.9Lowest 70.8Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #178 of 231 in GA #209 of 231 in GA

School district Ben Hill CountyMcDuffie County

High school in town None in townThomson High School

Students per teacherat that high school — 16.0

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.

Fitzgerald neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Fitzgerald’s Town Square.

Thomson neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Thomson’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Fitzgerald and Thomson

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Fitzgerald

+ Compare

Waycross13,756 people · $84K homes

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Sylvester5,489 people · $116K homes

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Adel5,641 people · $155K homes

+ Compare

McRae-Helena6,030 people · $114K homes

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Georgia towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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.

Fitzgerald vs Thomson

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $390 more a month in Thomson

Thomson places higher on 11 of 19 GA lists

What daily life feels like in each

129 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Fitzgerald and Thomson

Towns like Fitzgerald

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