Ben Hill County, Georgia

GA · FIPS 13017 Republican

Located in Georgia, Ben Hill County has a population of 17,089 residents and a median age of 38.7 years, making it the #2,030 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 25.2%. The median home value is $112,700, and the median household income is $41,758, which is 44% below the national median.

17,089
Population
#2,030 of 3,222
$41,758
Median Income
-44.4% #3,041 of 3,222
38.7 years
Median Age
-0.5% #2,437 of 3,222
25.2%
Poverty Rate
+99.6% #2,997 of 3,222

Demographics

Ben Hill County has a population of 17,089, making it the #2,030 most populous county in the US. The median age is 38.7 years, which is 0.5% below the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

97.3%
Native Born
2.7%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Ben Hill County is $41,758, ranking #3,041 out of 3,222 counties — 44.4% below the national median. The poverty rate is 25.2% and unemployment stands at 3.1%.

Income#3,041
$41,758
-44.4%
vs nation
6th percentile
Per Capita#3,056
$23,130
-43.9%
vs nation
5th percentile
Poverty#2,997
25.2%
+99.6%
vs nation
7th percentile
Unemployment#738
3.1%
-41.3%
vs nation
77th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Ben Hill County is $112,700 (-60.0% vs national). Renters pay a median of $688/mo and the homeownership rate is 63.3%.

Home Value#2,806
$112,700
-60.0%
vs nation
13th percentile
Rent#2,795
$688
-40.8%
vs nation
13th percentile
Homeownership#2,844
63.3%
-1.7%
vs nation
12th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Ben Hill County, 13.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 61.6% below the national average, ranking #3,030 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
13.0% −61.6% vs nation
Rank #3,030 of 3,222
6th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Ben Hill County is 69.7 years. 28.1% of adults report poor or fair health and 15.0% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#2,893
69.7
-7.2%
vs nation
6th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#2,987
28.1%
+43.6%
vs nation
5th percentile
Diabetes#2,922
14.7%
+32.1%
vs nation
7th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#3,038
44.3%
+18.7%
vs nation
3th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#2,488
6.1
+8.3%
vs nation
21th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#2,931
5.5
+23.8%
vs nation
7th percentile
Uninsured Rate#2,647
15.0%
+43.1%
vs nation
16th percentile
Physical Inactivity#3,034
36.2%
+37.2%
vs nation
4th percentile
Food Insecurity#2,622
17.8%
+23.6%
vs nation
17th percentile

Substance Use

23.4% of adults in Ben Hill County smoke , 41.9% are obese , and 15.3% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 19.7 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#2,883
23.4%
+30.3%
vs nation
8th percentile
Adult Obesity#2,600
41.9%
+10.5%
vs nation
17th percentile
Excessive Drinking#239
15.3%
-22.9%
vs nation
92th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#556
19.7
-39.2%
vs nation
74th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Ben Hill County is 9.3 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 19.9 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 31.2 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#1,110
9.3
+16.0%
vs nation
28th percentile
Suicide Rate#1,539
19.9
+1.1%
vs nation
40th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#1,672
20.2
+12.8%
vs nation
32th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#2,462
31.2
+54.1%
vs nation
13th percentile

Families & Children

35.2% of children in Ben Hill County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 13.3 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 44.0 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#1,348
13.3
+96.2%
vs nation
1th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#2,886
44.0
+101.4%
vs nation
4th percentile
Child Poverty#3,007
35.2%
+85.3%
vs nation
4th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Ben Hill County is 53.3%. The mean commute time is 19.2 min, which is 30.5% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
53.3% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
19.2 min −30.5% vs nation
Rank #2,905 of 3,222
10th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Ben Hill County voted Republican with a margin of 32.1%. The vote was 33.8% Dem / 65.9% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 6.0 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +32.1%
33.8% 65.9%
Dem 6,501 votes Rep
2020 REP +26.1%
36.5% 62.6%
Dem 6,564 votes Rep
2016 REP +27.6%
35.4% 63%
Dem 5,923 votes Rep
2012 REP +14.9%
42.2% 57.1%
Dem 5,947 votes Rep
2008 REP +13.7%
42.9% 56.6%
Dem 6,036 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Ben Hill County, Georgia

Ben Hill County, Georgia has a total population of 17,089, making it the 2,030th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Ben Hill County is 38.7 years, which is 0.5% below the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Ben Hill County is $41,758, which ranks #3,041 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 44.4% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 25.2%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 3.1%.

The median home value in Ben Hill County is $112,700, 60.0% below the national median. Renters in Ben Hill County pay a median gross rent of $688 per month. The homeownership rate is 63.3%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Ben Hill County, 13.0% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 61.6% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 81.0% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 19.2 min.

Ben Hill County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 53.3% of the population, followed by Black (non-Hispanic) (37.9%) and Hispanic or Latino (6.8%).

All data for Ben Hill County, Georgia comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.