Toombs County Named 7th in Nation for Economic Performance

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Toombs County has been named the 7th best county per capita in the nation for economic performance by Site Selection magazine.

The magazine editors – who have also repeatedly named Georgia as the top state to do business with – looked at the number of total projects per capita within each county from January 2024 until March 2025, and ultimately found Toombs County to be among the best in the nation for economic performance. They shared these rankings in the July 2025 edition of the publication.

“Rural communities, like ours, cannot compete typically with the large areas like metros, such as Atlanta or Savannah. They are always going to dominate the [Best Counties] Overall [category], but we were champions on the per capita basis,” Toombs County Development Authority Executive Director Michele Johnson explained. “Just to give you an idea of what that means, there are 3,143 counties or county-equivalent districts in the 50 U.S. states – so, being in the top 20 is a big deal.”

Toombs County was one of continued from page

only two Georgia Counties to be named to the Top Counties Per Capita list, and was the fifth smallest county to receive the honor.

Johnson emphasized her gratitude to local leaders and officials for their help in the achievement. “This ranking really celebrates what local officials are doing to create economic development opportunities in their communities,” she remarked, as she commended the cities of Lyons and Vidalia for their role in the county’s development. “Again, none of this is going to happen without police protection, fire protection, road construction, water, sewer, zoning, and all of the things that cities do.”

She continued, “The fact that we’re on the list should make citizens feel comfortable with economic development dollars that we’re spending here and all of the work [people] are doing to make this place a wonderful place to do business.”