Rentz, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Rentz · Laurens County, Georgia
Population 280 (est. 2026: ~900)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 41.07% annual growth projection

Rentz, Georgia

Laurens County, Georgia · Population 312

Rentz sits in the flatlands of central Georgia, a small incorporated city in Laurens County roughly halfway between Dublin and the Telfair County line. With a population of 312, it is a place where the majority of residents have deep roots, the housing stock is affordable by any measure, and daily life runs almost entirely on a car. Dublin — the county seat, about 10 miles to the northeast — provides the region's commercial core, hospital services, and most of what a small town cannot sustain on its own. Rentz is not a suburb or a bedroom community in the traditional sense; it is simply a small, older Georgia town holding its shape.

People & Demographics

The ACS 2022 count places Rentz's population at 242 within the survey universe. The median age is 43.0, older than Georgia's statewide median, which reflects a pattern common to small rural towns that have seen younger residents leave for urban areas. The racial composition is 228 white and 14 Black residents. No Asian or Hispanic/Latino population was recorded in the survey period.

There are 94 occupied households with an average size of 2.57 people. Forty-seven children under 18 live in town — about one in five residents. Laurens County as a whole counts roughly 49,570 people, meaning Rentz accounts for less than one percent of the county's total population.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Rentz is $36,000 — well below Georgia's statewide median, which consistently runs above $60,000. Per capita income sits at $18,179. Seventy-seven residents fall below the federal poverty line, representing a substantial share of the measured population.

Ninety-one residents are in the labor force, and the ACS recorded zero unemployed — a number that likely reflects the small sample size and margin of error as much as actual conditions. The area economy is tied to the broader Laurens County base, which includes healthcare, public administration, agriculture, and light manufacturing centered on Dublin.

Housing

Rentz has 158 total housing units. Of those, 94 are occupied and 64 are vacant — a vacancy rate of about 40 percent, which is high by any standard and signals a long-term population decline rather than a tight market. Among occupied units, 61 are owner-occupied and 33 are renter-occupied.

Median home value is $81,200 — extremely low compared to Georgia's statewide median, which sits well above $200,000. Median gross rent is $814. For buyers, Rentz offers some of the most affordable entry-level homeownership in the state, though the high vacancy rate and limited local economy are relevant context for anyone making a long-term investment here.

Schools

Elementary-age children in Rentz attend Southwest Laurens Elementary, which serves grades pre-K through 5 with an enrollment of 1,005 students — a notably large elementary school that draws from a wide rural catchment area across the western side of Laurens County. Middle and high school students feed into the Laurens County school system, with facilities in Dublin.

Getting Around

Rentz is entirely car-dependent. Of 91 workers surveyed, 90 drove alone to work and 1 carpooled. Zero residents used public transit, walked, or worked from home. Aggregate commute time across all workers totals 3,130 minutes, working out to an average one-way commute of roughly 34 minutes — consistent with driving to Dublin or beyond for work. No public transit infrastructure serves the town.

Healthcare

The nearest hospital facilities are in Dublin. Fairview Park Hospital is a full-service acute care hospital serving Laurens County and the surrounding region. Dublin VA Medical Center provides veterans' services and is one of the VA system's rural Georgia facilities. Both are accessible via the short drive to Dublin. For a searchable list of individual healthcare providers registered in Rentz, the NPI Registry maintains current records.

Library

The nearest public library is the Laurens County Library, located 9.8 miles from Rentz. It can be reached at (478) 272-5710 and serves as the primary public library resource for residents of this part of the county.

Parks & Recreation

Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, managed by the National Park Service, lies approximately 47.6 miles from Rentz near Macon. The park preserves one of the most significant Indigenous ceremonial mound complexes in the eastern United States, with earthworks dating back more than a thousand years. An NPS visitor center is on site. For residents of Rentz, the Ocmulgee River corridor and the agricultural and forested lands of central Georgia constitute the primary natural landscape.

Natural Hazards

Laurens County has a long and active federal disaster declaration history. Hurricane-force storms are a recurring threat: Hurricane Irma (2017), Hurricane Michael (2018), Hurricane Debby (2024), and Hurricane Helene (2024) all generated both emergency management declarations and major disaster declarations for the county within recent years. Severe winter storms produced declarations in 2014 and again in January 2026. Tropical Storm Frances struck in 2004, and severe storms and tornadoes hit in 2008. The county also served as a Hurricane Katrina evacuation destination in 2005 and received a COVID-19 pandemic declaration in 2020. The pattern is clear: central Georgia sits in a corridor that sees both tropical storm remnants tracking inland from the Gulf and Atlantic coasts and periodic winter weather events. Residents should maintain awareness of NWS alerts throughout the hurricane season (June–November) and monitor winter storm watches in January and February.

Government & Municipal Code

Rentz operates as an incorporated city under Georgia law. The city's municipal code is published and maintained through Municode and is publicly accessible at library.municode.com/ga/rentz-city-georgia. No local building code is on file — residents and contractors working in Rentz should confirm applicable standards with city officials and default to state-level requirements.

Weather

Current forecasts for the Rentz area are available through the National Weather Service at forecast.weather.gov. Active weather alerts can be checked at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest official weather observation station is Dublin 6.3 SW, located 4.3 miles from town.

References

The law belongs to the people. Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 590 U.S. (2020)