Hiltonia, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Hiltonia · Screven County, Georgia
Population 475 (est. 2026: ~500)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 3.58% annual growth projection

Hiltonia, Georgia

Screven County, Georgia · Population 310

Hiltonia sits in the flatlands of Screven County in eastern Georgia, roughly equidistant between Sylvania — the county seat — and the South Carolina border. It is a small, tight-knit rural community where households run large, incomes run modest, and the surrounding agricultural landscape defines the pace of daily life. The nearest metro is Savannah, about 65 miles to the southeast. This is not a bedroom community or a suburb in waiting. It is a working rural town that has been here a long time and operates accordingly.

People & Demographics

The ACS 2022 estimate puts Hiltonia's population at 456, with 102 occupied households and an average household size of 4.47 — notably higher than Georgia's statewide average, which reflects multigenerational living arrangements common in rural communities. The median age is 45.3 years. Children under 18 number 73, representing a meaningful share of a small population.

Racially, the town is predominantly Black — 355 of 456 residents, or roughly 78% — with 99 white residents. No Asian or Hispanic/Latino population is recorded in the ACS estimates. Screven County as a whole holds 14,067 people, making Hiltonia home to roughly 2% of the county's total population.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Hiltonia is $40,750, and per capita income sits at $15,838. Georgia's statewide median household income runs considerably higher, placing Hiltonia well below the state average. Of the 456 residents, 122 fall below the federal poverty line — a poverty rate approaching 27%, which is steep even by rural Georgia standards.

Of 138 people in the labor force, 32 are unemployed — an unemployment rate of approximately 23%. The 106 workers who do commute or work draw from a limited local economic base. Agriculture, services, and public sector employment typical of rural Screven County are the primary drivers. There are no large employers in the town itself.

Housing

Hiltonia has 152 total housing units, of which 102 are occupied and 50 sit vacant — a vacancy rate of roughly 33%. That figure reflects a pattern common in shrinking rural communities where housing stock outlasts the population it was built for.

Of occupied units, 73 are owner-occupied and 29 are renter-occupied, giving the town a 72% homeownership rate. The median home value is $55,800 — a fraction of Georgia's statewide median — which makes homeownership financially accessible for those with stable income but also signals limited housing market activity. Median gross rent is $546 per month, among the lowest in the region.

Schools

Children in Hiltonia attend Screven County Schools. The district operates three campuses serving the full K–12 range:

All three campuses serve the county as a whole from Sylvania. There are no schools physically located within Hiltonia's town limits.

Getting Around

Hiltonia is car-dependent. Of 106 workers, 75 drove alone to work. Carpooling, public transit, and walking each register at zero in the ACS estimates. Twenty residents worked from home, a meaningful share for a town this size.

The aggregate travel time for all workers is 1,560 minutes — averaging roughly 14.7 minutes per commute. Most working residents are traveling to Sylvania or surrounding agricultural and commercial areas rather than to a distant metro.

Healthcare

The nearest hospital serving Hiltonia is Optim Medical Center – Screven, located in Sylvania. For providers practicing in Hiltonia specifically, the CMS NPI Registry lists licensed practitioners by name and specialty. For anything beyond routine or urgent care, residents typically travel to Savannah.

Library

The Screven County Library is located approximately 1.0 mile from Hiltonia and can be reached at (912) 564-7526. It is part of the Coastal Georgia Regional Library System and serves as the primary public library resource for Hiltonia residents.

Natural Hazards

Screven County has a long and active FEMA disaster declaration history. The county sits in the path of Atlantic storm systems moving inland from the Georgia coast, and that exposure shows clearly in the record:

Fourteen separate federal declarations in roughly a decade. Flooding, wind damage, and power outages are recurring realities here. Residents should maintain emergency preparedness plans and know evacuation routes toward higher ground.

Government & Municipal Code

Hiltonia is an incorporated town operating under Georgia municipal law. The town's municipal code is published by Municode and accessible at library.municode.com/ga/hiltonia-town-georgia. No local building code is on file — a relevant detail for anyone planning construction or renovation, as state-level standards would apply by default.

Weather

Current forecasts for Hiltonia are available through the National Weather Service. Active weather alerts can be checked at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest official weather observation station is Sylvania 2 SSE, approximately 1.0 mile away.

References

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