CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

34.14° N · 84.31° W · GEOID 1351670

Milton

Fulton County, Georgia · part of the Atlanta, GA metro

GeorgiaMilton, GAMiltonMilton

The short answer

Milton is home to 41,546 people. Median household income is $171,295 a year and median rent is $2,065 a month, 14.5% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $789,000, about 4.6x annual median household income.

What sets Milton apart is how far household money goes. After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household keeps about $149,800 a year, more than in 96% of places its size. It is the highest of 132 Georgia places we track. Also notable: Household income growth is 5.9% a year, against 4% a year in its closest peers.

95OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Exceptional

Milton scores better than 95% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 3rd of 165 in Georgia.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%61
Economy 20%93
Safety 20%90
Amenities 15%41
Education 10%98
Commute 10%32
Growth 5%54
Median gross rent
$2,065
51% above the median place
Median household income
$171,295
113% above the median place
Median home value
$789,000
147% above the median place
Unemployment
2.8%
43% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Milton

  • AffordabilityThe median rent takes 14.5% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 95% of the 987 places of 25,000 to 50,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Milton

Fulton County loses about 5.2 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in77,946
Moved out82,149
Net−4,203

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

DeKalb County, GA12,33511,968+367
Cobb County, GA7,1548,582−1,428
Clayton County, GA6,0996,286−187
Gwinnett County, GA5,4775,960−483
Forsyth County, GA2,0584,368−2,310
Cherokee County, GA1,2312,751−1,520
Henry County, GA1,4831,884−401
Douglas County, GA1,4211,768−347

Within Georgia, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within GeorgiaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$86K
Leavers$94K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Fulton County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
7.2% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 3.3% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Fulton County report $86,000 a year in income on average; those leaving, $93,900, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$82,600 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $2,065 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $3,176 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $789,000.
Getting to work
28 minutes each way on average; 39.0% work from home; 3.8% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Steiner Ranch, TX matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
3.3%
66% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
7.2%
26% above the median place
Income of households moving out8
$93,924
34% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureMiltonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year17.2%26% above
Moved from another state13.3%66% above
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure-5.2below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$86,04422% above
Income of households moving out8County figure$93,92434% above
02

What it costs to live here

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 96 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

Milton14.5%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$82,600
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
14.5%
29% below the median place
Home price to income
4.6x
21% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
14%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$149,500
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Milton, $2,065 a month, and local prices for everything else (97.8 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Milton, but easier on the budget

Places that match Milton on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Steiner Ranch, TX8912.3% vs 14.5%$28,900Compare
Wyndham, VA8311.5% vs 14.5%$63,500Compare
Weddington, NC6612.1% vs 14.5%$22,500Compare
Hinsdale, IL659.2% vs 14.5%$73,000Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Milton.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Milton? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
2.4%
66% below the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
32.9%
35% below the median place
Median home value1
$789,000
147% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureMiltonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$2,06551% above
Rent to income114.5%29% below
Property tax rate10.8%10% below
Home price to income14.6x21% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure100.11% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,7629% above
HUD area median income4County figure$117,80010% above
Property tax paid (median)1$6,50999% above
Median home value1$789,000147% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure1.2%61% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure45.7%11% below
Homeownership172.5%9% above
Renters paying 30%+132.9%35% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$3,17670% above
Vacant homes12.4%66% below
Median year built120021% above
03

Work and pay

39% of workers mostly work from home, more than in 99% of the 987 places of 25,000 to 50,000 people we track. It is the highest of 144 Georgia places we track.

Works from home1
39.0%
213% above the median place
Income per person1
$88,928
122% above the median place
Median household income1
$171,295
113% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Unemployment2.8% −43%
Poverty rate4.3% −60%
Mean commute28 min +12%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureMiltonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$171,295113% above
Income per person1$88,928122% above
Unemployment12.8%43% below
Average annual pay6County figure$103,95058% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.1%16% below
Jobs6County figure948,768above (median 150,665)
Poverty rate14.3%60% below
Mean commute128 min12% above
Works from home139.0%213% above
Commutes by transit1County figure3.8%345% above
04

Who lives here

78% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a larger share than in 98% of the 987 places of 25,000 to 50,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 166 Georgia places we track.

Bachelor's or higher1
77.9%
143% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
98.4%
7% above the median place
No health insurance1
2.9%
55% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Born abroad23.3% 2.6×
High school or higher96.5% +4%
Household size2.7 +9%
Median age40.1 +3%
All 9 people measures
MeasureMiltonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population141,5461072nd largest
Population change since 20207-0.1%below (median 1.1%)
Median age140.13% above
Bachelor's or higher177.9%143% above
High school or higher196.5%4% above
Household size12.79% above
Born abroad123.3%164% above
No health insurance12.9%55% below
Homes with broadband198.4%7% above
05

Life in Milton

The nearest National Park Service site is Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, about 10 miles away.

Founded or incorporated in 2006. 247 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 9 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents6.0 −41%
Playgrounds per 10k2.4 −74%
Grocery stores per 10k1.7 −21%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k5.3 −52%
Libraries per 10k0.5 −45%
Named paths and bike trails9 km 4.3×
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.3 +62%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area 10 miles
  • Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park 18 miles
  • Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park 27 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars33.3 +60%
Shops34.7 +15%
Arts, recreation and fitness9.3 2.3×
Doctors' offices and clinics34.9 +73%
Child care centers3.3 +43%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public schools14
2
78% below the median place
Nearest National Park Service site11
10.3
67% below the median place
Public school students14
2,298
53% below the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureMiltonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools14278% below
Public school students142,29853% below
Students per teacher1415.72% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure33.360% above
Shops per 10k9County figure34.715% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure9.3127% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure34.973% above
Child care centers per 10k9County figure3.343% above
Parks per 10k106.041% below
Playgrounds per 10k102.474% below
Grocery stores per 10k101.721% below
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k105.352% below
Libraries per 10k100.545% below
Named paths and bike trails108.7335% above
Transit stops per sq mi100.362% above
Nearest National Park Service site1110.367% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles114100% above
National Register listings12County figure247above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 34, 82% below the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
34
82% below the median place
Property crime per 100k
476
61% below the median place
Months reported
12 of 12
by the city police department to the FBI

Counts only offenses reported by the city police department. Sheriff, state and campus police are not included, and some departments do not report to the FBI at all, so compare with care.

Annual precipitation15
52.6 in
20% above the median place
Tornado risk16
97.0
19% above the median place
Good air days17
54.2%
21% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureMiltonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high15County figure89°F3% above
January average low15County figure33°F30% above
Average temperature15County figure61°F12% above
Annual precipitation15County figure52.6 in20% above
Natural hazard risk16County figure95.84% above
Hurricane risk16County figure74.96% above
Tornado risk16County figure97.019% above
Wildfire risk16County figure52.914% below
Heat wave risk16County figure92.43% above
Median air quality index17County figure4914% above
Good air days17County figure54.2%21% below
08

Milton in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 15% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 14% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Milton does better than 61% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 44%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$2,065/mo (2024)$2,700/mo$2,210 to $3,280/mo+4.5%
Median household income$171,295 (2024)$218,000$184,000 to $258,000+4.1%
Median home value$789,000 (2024)$1,127,000$818,000 to $1,552,000+6.1%
Population41,266 (2025)41,49039,800 to 43,260+0.1%

The median home would be worth 5.2 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.6 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Milton

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Oakton, VA$2,276$160,663Compare
Cedar Mill, OR$1,882$164,079Compare
Birmingham, MI$1,902$153,510Compare
Bethany, OR$2,245$167,735Compare
Bethany, ORBirmingham, MICedar Mill, OROakton, VAMilton, GAMiltonOaktonCedar MillBirminghamBethanyMiltonOaktonCedar MillBirminghamBethany

Places built like Milton

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Milton performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Milton, GA14.5%5.9%/yr-0.1%
Alpharetta, GA15.8%5.3%/yr1.7%Compare
Apex, NC15.8%5.3%/yr24.9%Compare
Kingstowne, VA19.1%2.9%/yrn/aCompare
Ashburn, VA19.0%3.2%/yrn/aCompare
Johns Creek, GA16.9%5.5%/yr-2.5%Compare
Westchase, FL21.0%5.5%/yrn/aCompare

Common questions

Is Milton a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 95 out of 100, better than 95% of the places we rate and 3rd of 165 in Georgia. The median rent takes 14.5% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 95% of the 987 places of 25,000 to 50,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 81 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Milton expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 14.5% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $789,000.

What salary do you need to live in Milton?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $82,600 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Milton safe?

There were 34 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Milton?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Oakton, VA, Cedar Mill, OR, Birmingham, MI and Bethany, OR.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  12. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  13. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  14. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  15. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  16. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  17. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Milton with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Milton itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/milton-georgia

Citytistics. “Milton, Georgia.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/milton-georgia/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.