Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety64#331/924
Economy85#137/925
Housing27#680/925
Health73#255/925
Healthcare47#489/923
Environment21#724/917
Education76#222/925
Infrastructure78#208/925
Community36#595/925
Leisure & amenities86#132/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Savannah, GA metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Child care cost burden · low16.0%
100/100Georgia 23.0%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Property crime rate · low375 /100k
97/100Georgia 1,409 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
New homes permitted · high11.4 /1k
97/100Georgia 5.5 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Distance to an airport · low11 mi
97/100Georgia 42 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Job growth · high2.8%
95/100Georgia 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Comfortable days · high33.5%
94/100Georgia 31.5%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.2 µg/m³
5/100Georgia 9.1 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Homicide rate · high9.8 /100k
9/100Georgia 7.4 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Loneliness · high36.9%
16/100Georgia 37.9%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Drought exposure · high78%
17/100Georgia 73%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Hot days · high79 days
18/100Georgia 66 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
High ozone days · high1 days
19/100Georgia 1 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
405,341 (2020) → 438,314 (2025)
+8.1%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 78% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+78 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Property crime rateImproving
1,852 /100k (2021) → 375 /100k (2025)
−80%4 yearsUS 1,782 /100k → 1,535 /100k
Violent crime rateImproving
439 /100k (2019) → 103 /100k (2025)
−77%6 yearsUS 369 /100k → 328 /100k
New homes permittedImproving
7.9 /1k (2021) → 11.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+45%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Drug overdose deathsImproving
23.8 /100k (2021) → 13.8 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−42%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Savannah, GA metro area improved on 15 of 30 measures with a comparison and declined on 7. 3 moved within the margin of error and 5 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved15

Inequality−0.0190.475 → 0.457
Gyms+39%1.1 /10k → 1.6 /10k
Weekly wage+28%$951 → $1,218
Bachelor's++4.4 points31.5% → 35.8%
Uninsured−1.5 points15.1% → 13.6%

Declined7

Libraries−15%0.4 /10k → 0.4 /10k
New businesses−10%21.1 /1k → 18.9 /1k
Transit use−0.8 points1.9% → 1.0%
Price / income+0.7×3.2× → 3.9×
Commute+1.2 min24.4 min → 25.6 min

All 30 measures

Change of every measure of Savannah, GA metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	4.3 /10k2020	5.2 /10k2025	+21%	Improved	76%
Average commute time	24.4 min2015-2019	25.6 min2020-2024	+1.2 min	Declined	25%
Average weekly wage	$9512020	$1,2182025	+28%	Improved	86%
Bachelor's degree or higher	31.5%2015-2019	35.8%2020-2024	+4.4 points	Improved	83%
Broadband subscriptions	84.7%2015-2019	91.5%2020-2024	+6.8 points	Improved	23%
Child poverty rate	18.4%2015-2019	16.6%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Improved	42%
Distance to an airport	11 mi2020	11 mi2025	+0 mi	Little change	9%
Drug overdose deaths	20.4 /100k2020	13.8 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−32%	Improved	59%
Effective property tax rate	0.97%2015-2019	0.81%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	61%
Firearm deaths	19.5 /100k2020	18.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−3.2%	Little change	54%
Grocery stores	1.5 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	+1.9%	Little change	58%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.1 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	+39%	Improved	85%
High school diploma or higher	89.8%2015-2019	91.2%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Home price to income ratio	3.2×2015-2019	3.9×2020-2024	+0.7×	Declined	24%
Homicide rate	12.3 /100k2020	9.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−21%	Improved	44%
Income adjusted for local prices	$49,3562019	$64,6332024	+31%	Improved	43%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4752015-2019	0.4572020-2024	−0.019	Improved	88%
Median household income	$59,4592015-2019	$77,1802020-2024	+30%	Improved	64%
New business applications	21.1 /1k2020	18.9 /1k2025	−10%	Declined	3%
Pharmacies	2.2 /10k2020	2.0 /10k2025	−8.6%	Declined	50%
Poverty rate	13.7%2015-2019	12.2%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Improved	65%
Public libraries	0.4 /10k2019	0.4 /10k2024	−15%	Declined	7%
Public transit commuters	1.9%2015-2019	1.0%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Declined	18%
Rent as share of income	29.8%2015-2019	31.3%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Rent-burdened households	49.4%2015-2019	52.0%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Restaurants and bars	12.3 /10k2020	12.6 /10k2025	+2.7%	Little change	57%
Suicide rate	13.1 /100k2020	14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+7.9%	Declined	42%
Traffic deaths	14.0 /100k2015-2019	12.7 /100k2020-2024	−9.5%	Improved	76%
Unemployment rate	6.8%2020	2.9%2025	−3.9 points	Improved	76%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	15.1%2015-2019	13.6%2020-2024	−1.5 points	Improved	78%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 786 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Savannah, GA metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Savannah, GA metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Savannah, GA metro area itself moved +2.2 points in standing on average over the same 28 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

418,285 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

161,273 households (±1,313)

Savannah, GA metro area
United States share

Under $25k14%21,958
$25k–50k18%28,940
$50k–75k17%27,481

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

161,273 households (±1,313)

Savannah, GA metro area
United States share

Own62%100,253
Rent38%61,020

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+2.9 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

201,042 workers (±2,638)

Savannah, GA metro area
United States share

Drive alone75%151,680
Carpool9.1%18,229
Public transit1.0%2,096

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Savannah, GA employ 48,600 people. 1 pay a median above the US median and 9 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Savannah, GA by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand7,810 jobs	7,810	$38,250US $40,240	−5%	2.07×
Retail Salespersons6,820 jobs	6,820	$30,160US $35,410	−15%	1.37×
Fast Food and Counter Workers5,710 jobs	5,710	$27,460US $31,200	−12%	1.16×
Waiters and Waitresses4,940 jobs	4,940	$20,830US $35,230	−41%	1.7×
Cashiers4,470 jobs	4,470	$29,140US $32,880	−11%	1.13×
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers4,410 jobs	4,410	$58,930US $58,640	0%	1.68×
Registered Nurses4,200 jobs	4,200	$86,760US $97,550	−11%	0.97×
General and Operations Managers3,870 jobs	3,870	$83,990US $105,770	−21%	0.87×
Customer Service Representatives3,290 jobs	3,290	$36,830US $44,770	−18%	0.99×
Stockers and Order Fillers3,080 jobs	3,080	$35,510US $37,330	−5%	0.85×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Savannah, GA.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Savannah, GA has 10,891 employer establishments, 255 for every 10,000 residents (1.03× the US rate of 248), with 173,484 paid employees at an average annual pay of $53,621. The Census Bureau also counts 40,969 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 10,891; 40,969 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 255; US 248
Paid employees: 173,484
Average annual pay: $53,621; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Savannah, GA by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	986	23.1	1.26×More than typical	20,012	$23,026	204
Ambulatory health care services	898	21	1.01×About typical	10,367	$71,342	1,775
Lessors of real estate	603	14.1	1.15×About typical	1,691	$54,064	3,885
Specialty trade contractors	519	12.2	0.79×Fewer than typical	5,671	$63,527	1,980
Full-service restaurants	445	10.4	1.36×More than typical	11,211	$25,423	80
Limited-service restaurants	430	10.1	1.26×More than typical	7,312	$20,143	84
Truck transportation	358	8.4	1.66×More than typical	4,490	$49,894	1,721
Offices of physicians	351	8.2	1.27×More than typical	4,307	$97,162	408
Religious organizations	302	7.1	1.28×More than typical	2,230	$29,067	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	301	7.1	1.05×About typical	2,846	$32,116	3,025
Construction of buildings	288	6.8	0.89×About typical	1,976	$81,113	1,168
Real estate agents and brokers	277	6.5	1.33×More than typical	502	$69,851	1,101

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 426,660 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $402.6M on contracts performed in Savannah, GA metro area: $918 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $402.6M; −7.4% vs FY2025
Per resident: $918; US $1,995
Sole-source: 19%; US 30%
Single offer: 2.6%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Army$148.2M37%
Department of the Air Force$76.9M19%
Defense Contract Management Agency$49.7M12%
Defense Logistics Agency$36.5M9.1%
Department of Veterans Affairs$22.5M5.6%
Department of the Navy$22.5M5.6%
U.S. Customs and Border Protection$17.4M4.3%
Public Buildings Service$14.6M3.6%

Top recipients

GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE CORPORATION$123.3M31%
JCB INC.$78.6M20%
V LINE SERVICES L.L.C.$45.4M11%
RED ONE MEDICAL DEVICES LLC$31.8M7.9%
C2 DEFENSE INC.$30.1M7.5%

Spending by fiscal year

327.6MFY2017
362.2MFY2018
513.7MFY2019
716.6MFY2020
475.3MFY2021
328.3MFY2022
375.5MFY2023
434.4M

Top industries (NAICS)

Support activities for air transportation · 4881$100.3M25%
Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing · 3331$78.6M20%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$58M14%
Software publishers · 5132$30.1M7.5%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$23M5.7%
Professional and commercial equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers · 4234

Largest awards

PROCUREMENT OF G550 AIRCRAFT FOR NOAA AOC$251.6M
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE CORPORATION· Chatham County, GA· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Jul 16, 2019 – Sep 1, 2026· 1305M219CNMAN0018
AWARD # 47PF0021C0017. CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AS CONSTRUCTOR (CMC) FOR THE ALTERATION OF THE TOMOCHICHI FEDERAL BUILDING AND U.S. COURTHOUSE, 125 BULL STREET, SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, 31401.$127M
BRASFIELD & GORRIE LLC· Chatham County, GA· Construction & real property· Feb 4, 2021 – Sep 28, 2026· 47PF0021C0017
C-20/C-37 CONTRACTOR LOGISTICS SUPPORT (CLS)$50.6M
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE CORPORATION· Chatham County, GA· Equipment maintenance· Jan 21, 2025 – Jun 11, 2026· FA813425F3003

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $2.8B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Savannah, GA metro area: $6,324 per resident (US $12,957).

Assistance · FY2026: $2.8B; −5.4% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,324; US $12,957
Loan face value: $331.9M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.2%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$1.4B52%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$587.5M21%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$167.8M6.1%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$136.7M4.9%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$87.1M3.1%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$59.9M2.2%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$39M1.4%
64.028 · Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance$36.1M1.3%

Top recipients (organizations)

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$64.2M2.3%
ATLANTA, GA
SOUTH UNIVERSITY SAVANNAH, LLC$61.8M2.2%
SAVANNAH, GA
HOUSING AUTH OF SAVANNAH$48.2M1.7%
SAVANNAH, GA
SAVANNAH AIRPORT COMMISSION$29.3M1.1%
SAVANNAH, GA
THE SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN, INC.

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$1.8B65%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$665.8M24%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education$103M3.7%
Federal Highway Administration$66.7M2.4%
Department of Transportation
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$46M

Assistance by fiscal year

2.4BFY2021
2.3BFY2022
2.4BFY2023
2.7BFY2024
2.9BFY2025
2.8BFY2026

County aggregates

90%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Savannah, GA

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

SavannahPrincipal city147,898

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Georgia

Areas based in Georgia, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M42340

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved15

Declined7

Metro and micro areas like Savannah, GA metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Savannah, GA

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Georgia

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved15

Declined7

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought