Albany, has long been a commercial hub for Southwest Georgia and continues to serve this role, particularly in the state's agriculture industry. It is the county seat of Dougherty County and currently has a population of 74,892. Major employers include Phoebe-Putney Health System, Marine Corps Logistics Base, Proctor and Gamble, MillerCoors, and Thrush Aircraft, in addition to city and state governments. The city also features a number of amenities for locals and visitors, including a zoo, an aquarium and park space along the Flint River, and the city's historic downtown district hosts a variety of locally owned cafes and other businesses.

Albany has challenges to overcome. Compared to the rest of the state, Albany has a high rate of poverty and a low median income.

 Residents with high school diploma/equivalent or greater Median incomePoverty rateResidents with health insurance of any kind
Albany81.9%$31,84333.2%81.2%
Georgia86.3%$52,97716.9%85.2%
Continue scrolling to learn how these demographic factors impact residents’ health and wellness. Below are our overall health risk findings and visualization tools (a data dashboard and storymap) to provide in depth analysis of the 500 Cities dataset and community assets.

Albany Health Risks

Our research shows that, relative to the rest of the country, Albany's residents are at markedly higher risk for developing diabetes, experiencing low sleep and poor mental health.

Overall Health Risks Findings



Our research reveals that some residents in Albany's central tracts can expect to live about 10 fewer years than residents to the northwestern side of town. Two neighboring tracts on the north edge of town, 113.00 and 4.00, have a nearly 10 year gap in life expectancy despite being right next door to each other.

The best performing neighborhoods are in the northwest portion of the city, roughly including the Audubon, Westgate, Westhampton and Woodbridge neighborhoods. Residents in these areas can expect to live around 79 to 82 years. Residents in the central area of the city west of the Flint River, on the other hand, can expect to live somewhere from 69 to 71 years old. Some of the best- and worst-performing tracts are right next door to each other.

Diabetes



Low Sleep



Mental Health



Albany Data Dashboard

The dashboard visualizes how the census tracts compare to one another and the country as a whole.

To use, first select "Health Outcomes," "Prevention" or "Unhealthy Behaviors" from the top-right drop-down box, then select the indicator of interest from the second drop-down menu.

Use the percentile rank indicators to see how Albany's Census tracts compare to 500 Cities tracts across the country.


Albany Storymap

The Storymap tool offers an in depth look at how the high risk diseases play out across Albany, allows users to see how they compare to different risk factors and allows users to compare and contrast the social determinants of health with the health risks.

This research is based upon work supported by the Urban Institute through funds provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. We thank them for their support but acknowledge that the findings and conclusions presented in this report are those of the author(s) alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Urban Institute or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.