Hinesville, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Hinesville · Liberty County, Georgia
Population 35,282 (est. 2026: ~36,600)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 1.13% annual growth projection

Hinesville, Georgia

Liberty County, Georgia · Population 34,891

Hinesville sits in the coastal plain of southeast Georgia, about 40 miles southwest of Savannah, and its identity is inseparable from Fort Stewart — one of the largest Army installations in the eastern United States. The post anchors the local economy, shapes the demographics, and explains everything from the median age to the renter-majority housing market. Liberty County has a combined population of 65,256, meaning Hinesville accounts for more than half of it. This is a young, mobile, military-rooted community with deep roots in the Black Belt South and a constant flow of families arriving, deploying, and rotating out.

People & Demographics

The median age in Hinesville is 29.1 — notably younger than Georgia as a whole, a direct reflection of the active-duty population at Fort Stewart. Of 34,732 residents counted in the ACS, 16,327 identify as Black, 11,551 as white, 4,727 as Hispanic or Latino, and 833 as Asian. The population skews young in every direction: 9,821 residents are under 18. There are 12,829 households with an average size of 2.68 people. Family households make up 8,868 of those. The churn of military assignments means Hinesville sees more demographic turnover than most Georgia cities its size.

Economy & Employment

Fort Stewart is the dominant economic force. Civilian employment, contractor work, retail, and services that support the post and its families drive most of the local economy. The median household income is $54,447 and per capita income is $25,637 — figures that reflect the mix of military pay scales, junior enlisted households, and the broader Liberty County service economy. Of 17,189 people in the labor force, 1,246 are unemployed — an unemployment rate of roughly 7.2%. Poverty touches 5,589 residents. The income numbers trail Georgia's state median, which is consistent with a community carrying a large share of junior-grade military households who technically live off-post.

Housing

Of 14,626 total housing units, 12,829 are occupied and 1,797 sit vacant — a vacancy rate of about 12.3%. Renters dominate: 7,097 households rent while 5,732 own, meaning roughly 55% of occupied units are renter-occupied. That ratio is a signature of military towns everywhere. The median home value is $156,000, well below Georgia's state median, which makes Hinesville legitimately affordable for buyers. Median rent runs $1,147 per month. For families rotating onto Fort Stewart, the rental market near the post is the first call of business.

Schools

Liberty County School System operates all public schools in the area. The largest secondary institution is Bradwell Institute, a grades 9–12 high school with 1,755 students — one of the larger high schools in this part of Georgia. Liberty County High School serves 1,077 students at the same grade level. At the middle school level, Snelson-Golden Middle enrolls 876 students and Lewis Frasier Middle serves 779. Elementary schools in Hinesville include Button Gwinnett (1,119 students), Waldo Pafford (831), Joseph Martin (772), Frank Long (728), Taylors Creek (625), and Lyman Hall (604).

Getting Around

Hinesville is a car-required town. Of 15,633 workers, 12,843 drive alone to work and another 1,576 carpool. Public transit carries just 47 workers — essentially negligible. Only 147 walk to work. Working from home accounts for 805 workers. The aggregate commute time for all workers is 359,575 minutes, which works out to a mean of roughly 23 minutes per commuter. Savannah is about 40 miles northeast via US-84 and I-95, and those who commute there or to Pooler's industrial corridor face a longer haul.

Healthcare

Liberty Regional Medical Center provides the primary civilian hospital service for Hinesville and Liberty County. Winn Army Community Hospital at Fort Stewart serves active-duty personnel and their families through the military health system. Residents not covered under TRICARE use Liberty Regional as the local emergency resource. For specialized care, Savannah's hospital system — including Memorial Health and St. Joseph's/Candler — sits about 40 miles northeast. A full directory of local healthcare providers can be searched through the NPI Registry for Hinesville, GA.

Library

The Hinesville Library (912-368-4003) serves the community as part of the Live Oak Public Libraries system, which spans Chatham, Bryan, and Liberty Counties. It provides the main public library access point for residents of Hinesville and surrounding Liberty County.

Parks & Recreation

Two National Park Service units are accessible within roughly 45 miles. Fort Pulaski National Monument, where Union forces demonstrated the obsolescence of masonry fortifications in 1862, has a visitor center approximately 43.7 miles from Hinesville near Savannah. Fort Frederica National Monument on St. Simons Island — the site of the 1736 British settlement and 1742 Battle of Bloody Marsh — has a visitor center about 44 miles out. The Georgia coast and its barrier islands, including Jekyll and Cumberland, are also within reasonable range for residents looking beyond Fort Stewart's own recreation facilities.

Natural Hazards

Liberty County has a well-documented hurricane exposure record. FEMA has issued fifteen federal disaster or emergency declarations tied to the county since 1998. Recent activity includes two separate declarations for Hurricane Helene in September 2024, two for Tropical Storm/Hurricane Debby in August–September 2024, and prior declarations for Hurricane Irma (2017), Hurricane Matthew (2016), and Hurricane Michael (2018). The county also received an emergency declaration during Hurricane Dorian (2019) and was activated during the Hurricane Katrina evacuation (2005). Residents should treat hurricane preparedness — including evacuation planning via US-84 and I-95 — as a routine annual responsibility, not an occasional concern.

Government & Municipal Code

Hinesville's municipal code is published through Municode and accessible at library.municode.com/ga/hinesville. No separate municipal building code is listed in the available data; building and construction standards default to state and county codes.

Weather

Current forecasts and conditions for Hinesville are available through the National Weather Service. Active weather alerts can be checked at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest reporting weather station is Walthourville 3.4 WNW, approximately 2.7 miles from Hinesville. Summers are hot and humid; the Atlantic hurricane season from June through November is the primary natural weather threat.

References

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