Published July 12, 2006
Overview of the County from latest NGRDC Data Profile
Pickens is the richest, densest and fastest growing in North Georgia

By Valerie Stancil
The 28,442 people of Pickens County's population are the highest paid, live in the densest communities and do the most commuting for work among comparable neighboring counties, according to the latest figures from the North Georgia Regional Development Center.
The 2006 Data Profile from the North Georgia Regional Development Center (NGRDC) shows Pickens growing larger and faster than our neighbors to the north, Gilmer and Fannin counties.
Local Regional Development Center counties include Fannin with a population of 21,887; Gilmer with a population of 27,335; Murray - 40,812; and Whitfield - 90,889 including the city of Dalton.
Pickens' population will top 30,000 by April of 2007, according to the latest figures found in the Data Profile booklet. The population of Gilmer is expected to reach 29,657 by the same time and Fannin is expected to be home to 22,436 at that time.
Other figures in the booklet show Pickens twice as densely populated as the neighboring counties with 122.5 people per square mile here. Population density of other counties per square mile: Gilmer, 64; Fannin, 56.7; Murray, 118.5; Whitfield, 313.4.
Although a growing Hispanic population is being seen around north Georgia, Pickens' minority population remains comparatively low.
According to the Data Profile, minorities make up only 4.7 percent of Pickens' population, of which 2 percent is Hispanic and 1.3 percent is black. Gilmer's minority population is 9.2 percent with 7.7 percent Hispanic. Whitfield's minority Hispanic population is even higher - at 22.1 percent as of 2000. Murray county had a 5.5 percent Hispanic population, and Fannin's Hispanic population was only 0.7 percent as of 2000.

Money
When it comes to money, Pickens has the most. According to the Data Profile, per capita income here is significantly higher than in both Fannin and Gilmer counties. The average person in Pickens earns $28,504 a year, which tops both Gilmer and Fannin by $5,000. Per capita income in other counties: Fannin, $22,585; Gilmer, $22,595; Murray, $21,435; Whitfield, $28,501. Household income in Pickens, which was $44,905 in 2003, is also higher than that of our neighboring counties.

 

 The average family in Fannin brought in $31,747, Gilmer families made $35,330, families in Murray made $36,916, and those in Whitfield made $40,229. Although both household income and per capita income are the highest in Pickens County, the average weekly wage was topped by Whitfield in 2004. According to the Data Profile, the average weekly wage for Pickens in 2004 was $575. In Whitfield it was $626. Weekly wages in other counties for 2004 were: Fannin, $467; Gilmer, $483; and Murray, $557.
There is also a smaller percentage of our population living in poverty here than other counties in the NGRDC; Here, 10.2 percent of the population in 2003 had incomes below the poverty level. Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, and Whitfield counties all had at least 12 percent of the population living below poverty level.

Business
In Retail, Pickens out-sells Fannin, Gilmer, and Murray counties. Pickens retailers brought in $251,144,000 in 2002, according to the Data Profile.
Other retail figures were Fannin with $219,563,000, Gilmer with $217,079,000, and Murray with $208,731,000.
According to the 2002 Economic Census, motor vehicle and parts dealers were the top sector of Pickens economy, bringing in $126,756,000. Total revenue for other segments of the economy included food and beverage stores, which brought in $39,649,000 in 2002 and gasoline stations, which made $27,837,000 in the same year.
Motor vehicles and parts were the biggest sellers in Fannin and Gilmer as well, but brought in substantially less than here - Fannin with $69,634,000 in 2002 automotive sales and Gilmer with $62,910,000.
Commuters in Pickens travel the most, according to the Data Profile. In 2000, the total Pickens workforce was 11,186, out of which 5,320 worked in this county. Another 5,413 worked in counties other than Pickens, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, and Whitfield- in other words the metro area.
Gilmer County, although just a few miles north, had only 1,866 people of their 10,213 person workforce working outside of Fannin, Murray, Gilmer, Pickens, and Whitfield in 2000.
The North Georgia Area 2006 Data Profile was compiled by The North Georgia Regional Development Center (NGRDC). Booklets are available in the Chamber of Commerce and in the Pickens County Library. They will also be published on The NGRDC's website in the near future. www.ngrdc.org.