Call it the $6,400 problem. That’s the average gap between the incomes of families leaving Bibb County and the families arriving.
In a typical day in Bibb County, $92,834 worth of salary leaves — not to be replaced.
Data from Internal Revenue Service tax returns suggests Bibb County lost about $136 million in salaries between 2004 and 2008 as families moved to other Middle Georgia destinations and elsewhere.
The problem is twofold: More people are leaving Bibb County than coming in, and the people leaving are richer than the people arriving.
And the gap is large.
Over four years, families leaving Bibb County had salaries averaging about $41,500, but people coming to Bibb County had salaries averaging about $35,100.
Some other Middle Georgia counties fare much better, in part because they’re beneficiaries of Bibb County’s former residents.
For every $1 in income that leaves Bibb County, only 78 cents comes in, the IRS figures show. In Monroe County, for every $1 that leaves, $1.46 comes in. In Houston, the figure is $1.07; Jones, $1.22; Peach, $1.18.
Of 11 counties studied by The Telegraph, only Wilkinson comes in worse than Bibb, garnering 75 cents for every $1 that leaves.
University of Georgia demographer Doug Bachtel said the numbers are proof of a further move to the suburbs from the core city of Macon.
Richer people start moving out for what they consider a better quality of life. Houses are left vacant, depressing the housing market and leading to blight, decay and even drug houses. That makes housing prices decline further, causing more people to move out, and making it more affordable for poor people.
“You get that spiral of decline,” Bachtel said. “It’s like a whirlpool going down, and if you get caught up in it, you get sucked down. It’s real hard to swim out, for individuals and communities.”
Bachtel said core cities like Macon act as job magnets. But eventually the jobs begin to move out, too, and the core city becomes stagnant or declines.
“Once the pattern starts, it’s tough to stop,” he said.
Negatives associated with cities include crime, traffic and perceived problems with school systems. The suburbs are typically seen as better. That makes it particularly tough to lure families back to the cities, though urban professionals may be interested.
Both the Macon and Bibb County governments have been trying to demolish blighted housing. And activities like First Friday downtown and a monthly Sunday brunch in a downtown park may be improving the quality of life and making Macon more attractive, said Mike Ford, CEO of NewTown Macon, a public-private partnership that aims to boost downtown.
But school systems in surrounding counties are perceived to be better than Bibb’s, and bank finance problems have blocked developers from building hundreds of housing units in the heart of downtown, Ford said. There’s enough demand to fill 170 units of housing downtown, each year, for the next five years.
Told of how much money was leaving Bibb County, Ford said, “That doesn’t surprise me much.”
County Commission Chairman Sam Hart said efforts like the College Hill Corridor and the park brunch are helping to revitalize and re-energize Macon.
“I think you’ll see folks moving back downtown, if we can get into developing some of the downtown things that make us more attractive,” Hart said.
But Hart said the school system needs to improve both in reality and perception.
“A lot of families coming into our community with funds, with resources, are likely looking for schools that have a good reputation,” Hart said.
Bachtel said schools are critical in the vitality of cities.
“Education sits at the top of the economic development food chain, and sooner or later it’s going to be driving everything — the migration in and out, and the jobs,” he said.
To contact writer Mike Stucka, call 744-4251.
