Bacon County

Bacon County lands at the 91st percentile nationally and 5th in Georgia out of 159 counties, with a median home price of $163,393 and year-over-year appreciation of nearly 12%. The affordability index of 95 is the standout number here, meaning homes are priced close to or within reach of local incomes, which matters for both entry cost and resale liquidity. The data does not include a cap rate or rent-to-price ratio for Bacon itself, so a definitive cash-flow assessment cannot be made from these figures alone. The appreciation score of 75 is the engine driving the overall score of 74, while the cash-flow score of 0 and stability score of 50 signal that this is not a market where you underwrite to day-one cash flow and walk away.

The investor this market suits most clearly is an appreciation-oriented buyer who can tolerate breakeven or modest negative cash flow in exchange for price growth running close to 12% annually on a $163,000 basis. At that price point, the dollar-denominated gain is not enormous in absolute terms, but the percentage return on a 20% down payment of roughly $32,679 compresses the equity multiple quickly if appreciation holds. The stability score of 50 is the honest counterweight: this is a rural Georgia county of 11,138 people, and thin population means thin tenant demand diversification. A value-add operator could find opportunity here if purchase prices allow for forced appreciation through renovation, but the small market size limits the pool of qualified tenants and exit buyers. A pure cash-flow buyer looking for yield from day one should look at neighbors with disclosed rent data before committing capital here.

The taxInsurance picture is manageable. At Georgia's state-average effective property tax rate of 0.92%, annual tax on a $163,393 home runs approximately $1,503, and insurance adds another $588, producing a combined monthly carry of $174. The 0.92% rate is flagged as normal, meaning it is neither a meaningful tailwind nor a headwind, but it deserves a line on your underwrite alongside the mortgage payment because $174 per month is real money against whatever rent this market clears. Keep in mind the 0.92% is a state-average estimate from Tax Foundation 2024 data; actual Bacon County or township rates may differ, so pull the county tax assessor's figures before closing.

Among the five neighboring counties, Bacon's median price of $163,393 is the second-lowest, above only Cook County at $157,160, and its overall score of 74 is second only to Decatur County at 77. Lanier County is the one neighbor with disclosed rent data, showing a median rent of $1,722 on a median price of $210,779, which works out to a rent-to-price ratio of roughly 9.8 cents per dollar annually. That's a useful benchmark: if Bacon's rents are anywhere near Lanier's on a smaller price base, the yield math improves, but that remains an assumption the data does not confirm. Toombs County at $169,068 and Tattnall at $188,123 both carry lower overall scores (72 and 71 respectively) than Bacon, suggesting that on a risk-adjusted basis Bacon edges them out within this peer group, though neither of those counties has rent data provided for direct comparison. Decatur County at 77 overall is the strongest-scoring neighbor, but its median price of $171,230 is modestly higher, and without rent data the trade-off isn't quantifiable here.

The concentrated risk in Bacon County is structural: 11,138 people is a very small labor pool. Any single employer contraction, any meaningful outmigration, or any demographic shift compresses both rents and resale values simultaneously. No economic anchor data was provided, so the nature and diversity of the local employment base cannot be evaluated from this data set. That gap itself is a flag: before deploying capital here, an investor should independently verify the dominant employers and assess how correlated they are to regional or national cyclical exposure. The 12% year-over-year appreciation is eye-catching, but in a county this size, a small number of transactions can move the median meaningfully, so the trailing figure may not be as statistically durable as the same number would be in a county with ten times the population. Choose Bacon over its neighbors when entry price discipline and appreciation momentum are your primary criteria and you have a clear view of local employment. Choose Decatur County if score stability matters more, or pursue Lanier County if you want a market where rent data is already on the table and the yield math can be run with confidence.