Census Data for Ideal

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Ideal a population of 439 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Ideal a population of 499 people.

The city of Ideal is located in Macon County. The 2010 Census gave Macon County; a population of 14,740 people. This means that Ideal had 3.39% of the county's total population, making it Macon's 4th most populous community.

At the same time, Georgia had a population of 9,687,653 people.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Ideal has a total area of 1.15 square miles [3 km²]. Of this total, 1.14 square miles [3 km²] is land, with the balance (0.95%) being water (0.01 square miles [0 km²]).

Macon County has a land area of 400.6 square miles [1,037.7 km²]. At 1.14 square miles [3 km²], Ideal has 0.29% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Ideal, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Ideal reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Ideal might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   32° 22' 22"   (or 32.37°)
  • Lon:   -84° 11' 20"   (or -84.19°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Ideal had 248 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 499 people, this averages 2.01 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Ideal had a land area of 1.14 square miles [3 km²]. This translates to 214.7 Housing Units per square mile [82.9 housing units/km²].

Macon County ...

The community of Ideal is located in Macon County<4>.

The county had a population of 14,740 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 499 people, Ideal represented 3.39% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Ideal has a population density of 432 people per square mile [166.8 people/km²], Macon County averages 36.79 people per square mile [14.21 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Macon County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Ideal, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Ideal. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Ideal or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Ideal, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Ideal.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   32.372878°   (or 32°22'22" N)
  • Lon:   -84.189014°   (or -84°11'20" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   32.372918°   (or 32°22'22" N)
  • Lon:   -84.188822°   (or -84°11'19" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 60.9 feet to the west<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2404753) to Ideal. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Ideal. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   32.372608°   (or 32°22'21" N)
  • Lon:   -84.189406°   (or -84°11'21" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 155.8 feet to the northeast<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Ideal. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Ideal.

Miscellaneous Information for Ideal ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Macon County or the city of Ideal:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Ideal:
  • GNIS ID for Ideal: 2404753
  • GNIS ID for Macon County: 346957
  • GNIS ID for State of Georgia: 1705317

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 13 (Georgia)
  • County Code: 193 (Macon County)
  • Place Code: 40812 (Ideal)
  • State & County Code: 13/193 (Georgia / Macon County)
  • State & Place Code: 13/40812 (Georgia / Ideal)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Ideal is located in Census Region #3 (the South Region) and Division #5 (the South Atlantic Division).

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used a ZIP code to identify a community, the purpose of the ZIP code was to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although the ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a city like Ideal, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Ideal. It's important to remember that the boundaries of a ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • The ZIP code for Ideal:31041<7>

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Ideal.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ideal. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Georgia: https://georgia.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)