With 17,089 people, Ben Hill County is a county in Georgia. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 13% of adults. Households here earn about 46% less than in Georgia as a whole. The typical home is worth $112,700, having more than doubled since 2000. 25.2% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The foreign-born share is 3%.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $41,758, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.7
US median: 38.9
Less educated
13% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Ben Hill County
What changed most since 1990
Median home value (2024 dollars)$100,803 → $112,700(+12%)US over the same years: +67%
Adults with a bachelor's degree7.6% → 13.0%(+5.4 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
Black share31.2% → 37.9%(+6.8 pts)US over the same years: +0.2 pts
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)10.9%(93)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)20.6%(176)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era37.9%(324)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.6%(22)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 855 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Ben Hill County, decade by decade
Ben Hill County population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
16,245
$45,856
$100,803
7.6%
55.3
2000
17,484
$49,367
$94,180
9.5%
63.7
2010
17,634
$43,350
$105,160
12.3%
68.1
2020
17,194
$38,879
$103,629
11.0%
72.2
2024
17,089
$41,758
$112,700
13.0%
70.9
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
