CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

33.65° N · 83.71° W · GEOID 1371660

Social Circle

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

GeorgiaSocial Circle, GASocial CircleSocial Circle

The short answer

Social Circle is home to 5,217 people. Median household income is $88,591 a year and median rent is $1,083 a month, 14.7% 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 $307,300, about 3.5x annual median household income.

The story in Social Circle is how fast things are changing. Rent took 22.8% of the median income in the 2019 survey and 14.7% in 2024. In the 25 places most like it the share rose 1.1 points on average, so affordability held up better here. Also notable: Household income growth is 10.6% a year, against 4.9% a year in its closest peers.

65OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Above average

Social Circle scores better than 65% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 31st of 165 in Georgia.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%75
Economy 20%41
Safety 20%81
Amenities 15%50
Education 10%34
Commute 10%2
Growth 5%98
Median gross rent
$1,083
21% below the median place
Median household income
$88,591
10% above the median place
Median home value
$307,300
4% below the median place
Unemployment
6.6%
35% above 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 Social Circle

  • GrowthThe population grew 10.9% since 2020, faster than in 86% of places its size. So far it looks sustainable: pay is keeping up with rent and rent burden is moderate. Experimental
01

Moving to Social Circle

Newton County gains about 21.6 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in10,028
Moved out8,067
Net+1,961

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Rockdale County, GA1,5071,191+316
DeKalb County, GA1,471715+756
Walton County, GA556665−109
Jasper County, GA373

Within Georgia, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within GeorgiaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$48K
Leavers$46K

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

Who moves here
7.4% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.9% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Newton County report $48,300 a year in income on average; those leaving, $45,900, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$43,300 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,083 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,666 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $307,300.
Getting to work
40 minutes each way on average; 17.6% work from home; 1.5% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Unionville, NC matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people8
21.6
above the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out8
$45,943
35% below the median place
Income of households moving in8
$48,324
32% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureSocial CircleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure7.4%29% above
Moved from another state1County figure1.9%6% below
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure21.6above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$48,32432% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$45,94335% below
02

What it costs to live here

Rent is about 29% lower than we would expect for a place with these incomes, education levels, housing age and household types in the same metro area. That can mean good value, or drawbacks these figures do not capture, such as crime, schools or location.

Social Circle14.7%
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
$43,320
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
14.7%
28% below the median place
Home price to income
3.5x
9% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
15%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$77,700
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Social Circle, $1,083 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 Social Circle, but easier on the budget

Places that match Social Circle 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
Unionville, NC9212.2% vs 14.7%$9,400Compare
Jefferson, GA8811.7% vs 14.7%n/aCompare
Spring Hill, KS8411.8% vs 14.7%$28,500Compare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Social Circle? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median year built1
2000
1% above the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
39.0%
23% below the median place
Homeownership1
80.1%
21% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureSocial CircleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,08321% below
Rent to income114.7%28% below
Property tax rate10.8%16% below
Home price to income13.5x9% below
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$2,32829% below
Median home value1$307,3004% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure0.3%90% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure62.3%21% above
Homeownership180.1%21% above
Renters paying 30%+139.0%23% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,66611% below
Vacant homes1County figure5.5%22% below
Median year built120001% above
03

Work and pay

Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 255 hours a year commuting, more than in 96% of the 2,101 places under 10,000 people we track.

Mean commute1
40 min
61% above the median place
Unemployment1
6.6%
35% above the median place
Income per person1
$32,311
19% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureSocial CircleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$88,59110% above
Income per person1$32,31119% below
Unemployment16.6%35% above
Average annual pay6County figure$58,55411% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure6.6%78% above
Jobs6County figure27,78682% below
Poverty rate1County figure12.3%14% above
Mean commute140 min61% above
Works from home117.6%42% above
Commutes by transit1Metro figure1.5%78% above
04

Who lives here

No health insurance is 14.8%, 131% above the median place.

No health insurance1
14.8%
131% above the median place
Population change since 20207
10.9%
above the median place (median 1.1%)
Household size1
3.0
19% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband88.7% −4%
Bachelor's or higher24.7% −23%
Median age37.9 −3%
High school or higher92.0% −0%
All 9 people measures
MeasureSocial CircleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population15,2176465th largest
Population change since 2020710.9%above (median 1.1%)
Median age137.93% below
Bachelor's or higher124.7%23% below
High school or higher192.0%0% below
Household size13.019% above
Born abroad1County figure7.0%21% below
No health insurance114.8%131% above
Homes with broadband188.7%4% below
05

Life in Social Circle

The nearest National Park Service site is Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, about 23 miles away.

1 site is on the National Register of Historic Places. Its history on Wikipedia

  • Social Circle Historic District listed 1980

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents11.5 +13%
Playgrounds per 10k23.0 2.4×
Grocery stores per 10k3.8 +81%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k15.3 +37%
Libraries per 10k7.7 8.8×
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

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

  • Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area 23 miles
  • Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park 39 miles
  • Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area 42 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars11.8 −43%
Shops20.2 −33%
Arts, recreation and fitness1.6 −61%
Doctors' offices and clinics11.4 −44%
Child care centers1.5 −35%

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

Public schools14
4
56% below the median place
Public school students14
2,032
59% below the median place
Nearest National Park Service site11
23.4
24% below the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureSocial CircleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools14456% below
Public school students142,03259% below
Students per teacher1414.75% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure11.843% below
Shops per 10k9County figure20.233% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure1.661% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure11.444% below
Child care centers per 10k9County figure1.535% below
Parks per 10k1011.513% above
Playgrounds per 10k1023.0144% above
Grocery stores per 10k103.881% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1015.337% above
Libraries per 10k107.7above (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi100.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1123.424% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles115150% above
National Register listings12192% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 109, 43% below the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
109
43% below the median place
Property crime per 100k
416
66% 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.

Natural hazard risk16
50.6
45% below the median place
Good air days17
41.1%
40% below the median place
Median air quality index17
53
23% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureSocial CircleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high15County figure91°F5% above
January average low15County figure33°F30% above
Average temperature15County figure62°F13% above
Annual precipitation15County figure49.8 in14% above
Natural hazard risk16County figure50.645% below
Hurricane risk16County figure54.423% below
Tornado risk16County figure73.310% below
Wildfire risk16County figure40.434% below
Heat wave risk16County figure61.232% below
Median air quality index17Metro figure5323% above
Good air days17Metro figure41.1%40% below
08

Social Circle in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 14% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 15% 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, Social Circle does better than 72% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 98%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,083/mo (2024)$1,370/mo$1,120 to $1,670/mo+4.0%
Median household income$88,591 (2024)$114,500$96,500 to $135,500+4.4%
Median home value$307,300 (2024)$475,000$345,000 to $655,000+7.5%
Population5,537 (2025)5,8605,620 to 6,110+1.1%

The median home would be worth 4.2 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.5 now.

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

09

Places like Social Circle

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

PlaceRentIncome
Taneytown, MD$1,059$87,621Compare
Lebanon, OH$1,090$83,685Compare
Sturtevant, WI$981$92,647Compare
Lowell, IN$1,123$84,024Compare
Lowell, INSturtevant, WILebanon, OHTaneytown, MDSocial Circle, GASocial CircleTaneytownLebanonSturtevantSocial CircleTaneytownLebanonSturtevant

Places built like Social Circle

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 Social Circle performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Social Circle, GA14.7%10.6%/yr10.9%
Barbecue, NC20.9%-1.2%/yrn/aCompare
Seffner, FL23.4%6.1%/yrn/aCompare
Spotsylvania Courthouse, VA17.6%5.8%/yrn/aCompare
Unionville, NC12.2%3.7%/yr10.4%Compare
Butner, NC21.0%10.5%/yr2.0%Compare
Auburn, GA20.7%6.2%/yr34.8%Compare

Common questions

Is Social Circle a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 65 out of 100, better than 65% of the places we rate and 31st of 165 in Georgia. The population grew 10.9% since 2020, faster than in 86% of places its size. So far it looks sustainable: pay is keeping up with rent and rent burden is moderate. On cost, space and class size it scores 93 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Social Circle expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 14.7% 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 $307,300.

What salary do you need to live in Social Circle?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $43,320 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Social Circle safe?

There were 109 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Social Circle?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Taneytown, MD, Lebanon, OH, Sturtevant, WI and Lowell, IN.

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 Social Circle with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Social Circle itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/social-circle-georgia

Citytistics. “Social Circle, Georgia.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/social-circle-georgia/

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