Cook County, Georgia Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Cook County, GA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 85% of counties in Georgia
-
D
Income Well below average
-
F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Cook County | Georgia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 17,532 | 10,939,918 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 75.1 | 184.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.31% | 1.01% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.3 | 35.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 6,304 | 4,074,039 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Cook County grew by 6.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 17,532 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Cook County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 21.7% of residents. That is 1.0 points below Georgia as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,800 21.7% -1.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,447 19.7% -2.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,573 20.4% -0.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,840 16.2% +1.4 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Georgia, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.8% of the people living in Cook County and men 49.2%.
- Women 50.8% Georgia 51.2%
- Men 49.2% Georgia 48.8%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Cook County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Cook County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Cook County | Georgia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,359 | $77,523 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.44% | 5.33% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.5% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Cook County is about 31% lower than in Georgia.
Housing
| Metric | Cook County | Georgia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $320,000 | $256,986 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $956 | $1,392 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 66.0% | 65.7% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Cook County is about 27.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $956 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Cook County spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 189 hours, about 7.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Cook County | Georgia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.6 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 45.3 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 189 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,847 | $6,109 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 2.8% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,619 | 11,986 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 525 | 1,447 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Georgia:
Chattahoochee County (8.6 min), Ben Hill County (12.7 min), Tift County (15.8 min).
Slowest:
Talbot County (40.8 min), McIntosh County (37.7 min), Paulding County (36.4 min).
The average commute time in Cook County is 23 minutes, shorter than the 24 minutes in Georgia.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Cook County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Cook County | Georgia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.2% | 30.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.73 | 2.62 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Georgia:
Oconee County (0.4), Fulton County (0.4), Forsyth County (0.4).
Lowest:
Quitman County (0.1), Hancock County (0.1), Taliaferro County (0.1).
Health
Cook County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Cook County | Georgia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.1 | 75.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 22.2% | 20.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.9% | 22.0% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Georgia:
Forsyth County (0.8), Oconee County (0.8), Fayette County (0.8).
Lowest:
Clinch County (0.7), Clay County (0.7), Quitman County (0.7).
Cook County, GA Compared With Nearby Counties
Cook County, GA is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 17,532 residents against a local median of 46,224. The measure that sets Cook County, GA apart most is median home price: $320,000, 278% above the local median of $84,558.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 22.6 min against a local median of 17.5 min, 30% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 30% above the local median it puts Cook County, GA at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $168,665 on median home price, so Cook County, GA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Cook County, GA has the highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County, GA | 17,532 | $53,359 #2/4 | $320,000 #1/4 | 22.6 min #4/4 |
| Tift County, GA | 41,438 | $53,126 | $46,999 | 15.8 min |
| Colquitt County, GA | 46,224 | $49,479 | $84,558 | 17.5 min |
| Lowndes County, GA | 119,965 | $58,832 | $215,664 | 17.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cook County, Georgia.
How many people live in Cook County, Georgia?
About 17,532 people live in Cook County, Georgia, in 6,304 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 35.3, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Cook County, Georgia urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Cook County, Georgia has 75 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Cook County, Georgia?
The median home costs 6.0 times the median household income ($320,000 against $53,359), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $956 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Cook County, Georgia?
Unemployment in Cook County, Georgia is only 3.5%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
What share of adults in Cook County, Georgia have a college degree?
14.2% of adults in Cook County, Georgia hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →