Dougherty County is a county in Georgia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state,
about 180 miles south of Atlanta. It had a population of 85,790 at the 2020 census, an estimated
82,616 by 2025, and covers 335 square miles (870 km2) centred near 31°32′N 84°13′W.
Albany is the county seat and the county’s only incorporated city; its main postal code is
31701. The county holds 1 city, 1 census-designated place and 5 unincorporated communities, and it
runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 13095.
Towns & Villages in Dougherty County
Dougherty County has 7 named places on record: Albany, the only incorporated city and the seat
of government; Putney, a census-designated place (CDP) with its own boundary and population count;
and five unincorporated communities — Acree, Doublegate, Pecan City, Pretoria and Radium
Springs — that sit inside or just beyond Albany’s built-up edge with no local
government of their own. CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers communities with
no formal boundary or population count of their own.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | City · seat | 69,647 | 31701 |
| Putney | CDP | 2,869 | 31782 |
| Radium Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Acree | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Doublegate | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pecan City | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pretoria | Unincorp. | — | — |
The county’s previous listing here named more than 140 “towns,” almost all of
them ordinary residential subdivisions inside Albany city limits — Merry Acres, Doublegate
Estates-style additions and similar developments — not separately recognized places. This
page keeps only the county’s one city, one CDP and the five unincorporated communities
confirmed by the U.S. Census Bureau and Georgia gazetteers. Radium Springs is the best known of the
five: it sits on Albany’s southeast edge around the state’s largest natural spring and
has its own long history separate from the city, even though the Census Bureau does not count it as
a CDP.
ZIP Codes
- 31701 — Albany (downtown and central neighborhoods)
- 31705 — Albany (north and northeast Albany)
- 31707 — Albany (west Albany)
- 31721 — Albany (business reply/PO box)
- 31704 — Albany (Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, unique ZIP)
- 31782 — Putney
Acree, Doublegate, Pecan City, Pretoria and Radium Springs have no ZIP code of their own; mail to
all five is addressed under one of Albany’s ZIPs depending on which side of the city they
border.
Geography
Dougherty County sits in the Coastal Plain of southwestern Georgia, mostly flat with land given
over to row-crop farming, pecan orchards and pine timber outside Albany’s urbanized core. The
Flint River crosses the county from north to south and runs directly through downtown Albany;
historically it carried the county’s cotton and timber trade before rail and highway freight
took over. Water covers 5.9 square miles (15 km2) of the county’s 335-square-mile total, most
of it the river and its floodplain lakes.
The county borders six others: Lee
County to the north, Worth County to
the east, Mitchell County to the south,
Baker County to the southwest,
Calhoun County to the west and
Terrell County to the northwest.
Demographics
Dougherty County had a population of 85,790 at the 2020 census, down to an estimated 82,616 by
2025. Albany, the county’s only city, held 69,647 residents at the 2020 census and has since
fallen to an estimated 66,907. Putney, the county’s only CDP, had 2,869 residents at the 2020
census. Population density works out to roughly 261 people per square mile of land, all but a
fraction of it inside or immediately around Albany.
The county’s median household income was $49,044 (2024 ACS), well below Georgia’s
statewide figure of $74,632 (2023 ACS). At the 2020 census, Dougherty County was 69.6 percent Black
or African American and 24.1 percent White, with a median age of 38 years.
Economy & Local Life
Health care and social assistance is the county’s largest employment sector at roughly
5,278 workers, followed by educational services at about 4,062 and retail trade at about 3,672.
Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, the region’s main referral hospital, and Marine Corps
Logistics Base Albany, a Department of Defense maintenance and supply depot on the city’s
east side, are the two largest single employers. Albany State University, a historically Black
public university, anchors higher education in the county.
The Albany Mardi Gras Street Festival runs the first weekend of March downtown along the Flint
River, and the city also hosts an annual marathon and half-marathon that serves as a Boston
Marathon qualifier.
History
The Georgia General Assembly created Dougherty County on December 15, 1853, from part of Baker
County, later adding small pieces of Worth County in 1854 and 1856. The county was named for Charles
Dougherty, an Athens, Georgia judge and attorney. Cotton plantation agriculture dominated the
county’s economy through the nineteenth century, part of the Black Belt region of the South.
Albany was the center of the Albany Movement, a 1961–1962 civil rights campaign that
challenged segregation across the city’s public facilities, transportation and voting rolls.
Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested there in December 1961 during mass demonstrations, and the
movement is credited with shaping the coalition-building tactics used later at Birmingham and
Selma.
Getting There
No interstate highway crosses Dougherty County. US 19 and US 82 both run through Albany, along
with Georgia Routes 91, 133, 234, 300 and 520, carrying most through traffic in and out of the
county.
- Tifton — about 35 miles east
- Bainbridge — about 40 miles southwest
- Valdosta — about 100 miles southeast
- Atlanta — about 180 miles north
Southwest Georgia Regional Airport (ABY), on Albany’s east side, offers Delta Air Lines
service to Atlanta. Amtrak does not serve the county; the last passenger train through Albany, the
City of Miami, stopped running in 1971.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Dougherty County, Georgia?
It sits in southwestern Georgia, on the Coastal Plain along the Flint River, about 180 miles south
of Atlanta.
What is the population of Dougherty County?
Dougherty County had a population of 85,790 at the 2020 census, an estimated 82,616 by 2025.
How big is Dougherty County?
The county covers 335 square miles (870 km2), of which 5.9 square miles (15 km2) is water.
What is the county seat of Dougherty County?
Albany is the county seat and the county’s only incorporated city; its postal code is 31701.
How many towns and villages are in Dougherty County?
Dougherty County has one city (Albany), one census-designated place (Putney) and five
unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes cover Dougherty County?
Albany uses 31701, 31704, 31705, 31707 and 31721; Putney uses 31782.
Why is Radium Springs notable?
It holds the largest natural spring in Georgia, flowing at about 70,000 gallons a minute into the
Flint River, and was a resort destination from the 1920s until floods destroyed its casino building
in the 1990s.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Georgia.