What it's like to live in Buford
Buford is a small city in Georgia with county unemployment below the national average, a growing population, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Buford deals with air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, above-average rainfall, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Low unemployment in the county
- Growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Air quality concerns
- High rent burden for renters
- Above-average rainfall
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Buford compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Buford
Based on Buford's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,714
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $54,280 a year
- 53% of Buford renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$73,740
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $36,870
- Homes cost 5.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,357/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,357 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices run above average, with a median around $368,700. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $368,700 · 53% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.2% county unemployment
Unemployment in Gwinnett County is 3.2%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Gwinnett County (county-wide)
Safety
202 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Buford doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Gwinnett County Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 932/100k · Policed by Gwinnett County Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
28 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 27.5 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 14% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 87°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 33°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 19% below US
29% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 29%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
5 public schools inside the boundary
There are 5 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (19 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Buford's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and a growing population; the main tradeoffs are air quality that falls short of national benchmarks and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin. A year of median rent ($1,357/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low). It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Buford
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