McRae-Helena, Georgia

Population

Down 18.0% since 2020.

5,443

people, the 139th-largest of Georgia's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Georgia's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

8 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

80.5%

of 1,563 jobs located in McRae-Helena are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Rent

Median rent is up 20% since the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.

$713

a month. Georgia's median is $1,393.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $190.

A $190 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Telfair County.

• $600 Tract 9502
• $790 Tract 9501.03

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.

$875–$1,313

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $713 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

Most of the housing here is older than 2000.

• 2 homes permitted, 2022–2025
• 0% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 87% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2022–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.5–0.8% to the 1,947 homes here.

10–16

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 63% less than Georgia's.

$113,500

median home value in McRae-Helena.

• $113,500 McRae-Helena
• $303,300 Georgia
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year