Numbers on. map are the Council ofEconomic Development Organizations (CEDO) Regions 
 
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 County Description 
 
SNAPSHOTS OF 
 
G E O R G 
 
A  Worth County obtained its territory from Dooly and Irwin counties in 1853. The county was 
 
named for Major General William J. Worth who served during the Mexican War. Pindartown, an 
 
Indian Village of note in the pioneer days, was located on the Flint River in Worth County. For 
 
years it had the only post office in that section of the state. The Flint River forms Worth County's 
 
western boundary, and at the north county line, a dam on the river creates Lake Blackshear. 
 
 Worth County covers 575 square miles of area, ranking it 18th in size. The county has a population of 19,745. 
 
 The county is located in the 8th U.S. Congressional District, the 13th State Senatorial District, and the 157th and 163rd State House Districts. 
 
Community Worth County 
Poulan Sumner Sylvester Warwick 
 
Population 
 
19701 19801 
 
14770 18064 
 
766 
 
818 
 
207 
 
213 
 
4226 5860 
 
466 
 
488 
 
Growth 
 
 Worth County is a part of CEDO Region 9 
 
1990 1910-1980 I 1980-1990 and a member of the Southwest Georgia 
 
19745 
 
22.3% 
 
9.3% Regional Development Center. 
 
962 
 
6.8% 
 
17.6% 
 
209 
 
2.9% 
 
-1.9%  In addition to the county seat of Sylvester, 
 
5702 
 
38.7% 
 
-2.7% Worth County has three other municipalities: 
 
501 
 
4.7% 
 
2.7% Poulan, Sumner, and Warwick. 
 
Demographics 
 
 The county's growth rate has not matched that of the state. The 
 
population of Worth County increased 9.3% from 1980 to 1990, while the 
 
C 
 
.1Qii 150% 
 
state's population increased by almost 19% during this same period. 
 
"5 
 
C. 0 
 
 Worth County's population is 69% white and 31 % black. 
 
~ 100% .....=:;___;.___;____!----'---e-----'-----i 
 
..... 
 
 The majority of Worth County's population, 
 
0) 
 
o 50% 
rf- 
 
" , State 
 
63%, is within the workforce age of 15 to 64 years of age. Almost 12% of the population is 65 years 
 
- 
 
County 
 
or older, close to the statewide average of 10%. 
 
1970 
 
1980 
 
1990 
 
2000 2010  Worth County's per capita income is $11,351, 
 
100% , - - , - - , - - - - . . - - - . , - - - . - -:-- - - - - - , 
 
a, 
 
compared to the statewide level of$17,045. Per 
 
j capita income in the county is roughly 61 % ofthat 75%-t---t--,--.,----;-----,.i_ __,._ __, 
 
! ~,- .$ 50% Ill""....... 
 
ofthe U.S., and has been at that approximate level since 1970. 
 
D Age0-14 D Age 15-24 
 
CD 
0.. 
CJ) 
~ 25%+--+---'---l---~ 
0 rf- 
 
1970 
 
1980 
 
1990 
 
<,.,.,;., State 
 
- 
 
County 
 
 The median household income in 1989 for -; Worth County was $21,312, or 73% of the 
statewide median household income of$29,021. 
 
Ill Age25-64 Ill Age65+ 
 
Approximately 26% of the residents of Worth County live below the 2000 201 O poverty level. 
 
 The county's 1991 rate of low birth weight babies, 10.3, was above the state rate of 8.6. Its infant mortality rate, however, was two points below the state rate of 11.4. 
 The county's 1991-92 dropout rate in grades 8 through 12 was 6.2%. This is higher than the statewide rate of 5.3%. 
 
 Demographics-cont'd 
 Forty-two percent of Worth County's adult population have not completed high school, compared to 29.1 % statewide. About 20% have at I least some college education, compared to 41.3% statewide. 
 
W O R T H C OUNTY 
 
 <HS Grad  HS Grad Ill Coll Not Grad 
 
 The majority of Worth County residents, 57%, commute outside the county to work, with the remaining 43% working inside the county. About 63% ofthe county's commuters travel to Dougherty County (i.e., Albany) while another 16% commute to Tifton and Tift County. 
 
 
 
Work in County 
 
Commute 
II Outside County 
 
 Coll Grad+ 
 
 Worth County's unemployment rate was 
 
consistently higher than that of the state during the 1980s. Since 1990, however, the gap between the county and the state has narrowed. 
 The county's leading employment sector is services, comprising 21 % of the jobs and 20% of total earnings. The second and third largest employment 
 
l----t-----i,.~k--i--111"'9'~---'---....--'-~---1 12% cf 
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1-----::.,t,f---,,i,,s ;;;:,---;-----+---,.---;------.....--"111<,--j 8% 3CD 
-0 
0 ~ f---'---J---;--'---;---'----,4% ~ 
 
sectors are farming and state and local government, accounting for 
 
- 
 
County 
 
approximately 18% and 17% of Worth County jobs, respectively. 
 
1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 
 
Governments 
 Worth County has a traditional five member commission form of government. 
 
$$$ Per Capita 500 
 
 Worth County collects both a Local Option Sales Tax and a Special Purpose Local Option Sales 
 
Tax (SPLOST). The SPLOST was enacted in April 1992 and is being collected for roads, streets, 
 
375 
 
and bridges. 
 
 For FY 1993, the county generated $293.17 per capita in general operating revenue and 
 
expended $212.74 in general operating expenditures. For the other counties in the same population 
 
250 
 
group, these revenues and expenditures averaged $349.20 and $282.30, respectively. 
 
 At the end of FY 1993, Worth County had $70.90 per capita in outstanding debt, all of which was in the form of short-term debt. 
 The county and cities have an approved and adopted solid waste management plan and are currently eligible for solid waste grants, loans, and permits. 
 Worth County and all of its municipalities have an approved and adopted joint comprehensive plan. The county is also in compliance with River Corridor Protection requirements. 
 
125  Worth 
II All Counties 
General General Revenues Operating 
Expenditures 
 
Concludes on back page ~ 
 
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ii 
 
DCA Financial Assistance 
 
fill 
 
It: 
 
 Between July 1, 1990 and May 15, 1994, Worth County received $414,613 in financial assistance 
 
It1 
 
~; 
 
fromDCA; the bulk of that assistance was in the form of Community Development Block Grant(CDBG) 
 
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t 
 
Source 
 
Amount Number of Grants 
 
tll 
 
!ij 
 
- -Co-m-mu-ni-ty-D-ev-elo-pm-e-nt-Bl-oc-k -Gr-an-t - - -38-9,-61-3 - - - - - -1 - - - - 
 
I i 
 
f 
[ 
 
Local Assistance Grant 
 
20,000 
 
1 
 
i ~ 
 
~~ 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
@ 
 
Local Development Fund 
 
5,000 
 
1 
 
M~~ 
 
i=~ 
 
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Total $414,613 
 
3 
 
~~~l 
 
I f 
 
 The City of Sumner received CDBG funds for water storage and distribution improvements. 
 
I I 
 
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AgnW.cuolrttuhreCPoauvni.tlyi.orne.ceived a $20,000 Local Assistance Grant to make improvements to their 
 
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 The Local Development Fund grant went to the City of Warwick for a basketball court. 
 
GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF 
COMMUNITY AFFAIRS 
SPECIAL PROJECTS SECTION 
1200 Equitable Building 100 Peachtree Street 
Atlanta, Georgia 30303 (404) 656-3851 
An Equal Opportunity Employer