Two rural Georgia counties lost more than 12% of their population over the past three years, leading a worrisome trend in many of Georgia’s rural counties and smaller towns.
The populations of Telfair County and Stewart County, both largely rural counties with agricultural based economies and located in the Southern half of Georgia, shrunk by more than 12% each from 2020 to 2023, according to data from the US Census Bureau.
A total of 15 Georgia counties lost more than three percent of their populations during the same period. Chattahoochee County, adjoining the merged city of Columbus and Muscogee county and home to the US Army Base Fort Moore, is the only suburban or urban county to lose more than three percent of its population, Census data shows.
Otherwise, the 14 other Georgia counties share rural distinctions. Small towns dot large expanses of agricultural or forest land. Abandoned homes and for sale signs are common sights. And you’re more likely to see peaches, pecans, peanuts, peas and pole beans than people.