Savannah Chamber

28 11 Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce 2026 Economic Trends Employment (By Place of Work) (Payroll Employment) The Savannah MSA workforce decreased -0.1% to 207,300 workers from 2024 to 2025. However, notable increases occurred in Education and Health Services (+700 jobs, +2.4%), and Leisure and Hospitality (+500 jobs, +1.8%). Four sectors shed jobs: Business and Professional Services (-1,800 jobs, -7.3%), Construction (-500 jobs, -4.9%), Wholesale Trade (-200 jobs, -2.5%) and Manufacturing (-500 jobs, -2.1%). Public sector employment added 700 jobs, with 700 new state and local government employees. Employment – Annual Averages Savannah MSA Industry 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Change 2019-25 Change 2024-25 Total Nonfarm 189,900 180,300 190,900 200,000 204,100 207,600 207,300 9.2% -0.1% Construction, Mining, & Logging 8,200 8,200 8,200 9,000 10,000 10,200 9,700 18.3% -4.9% Manufacturing 18,700 17,500 18,000 19,500 21,900 23,300 22,800 21.9% -2.1% Wholesale Trade 6,500 6,400 6,800 7,200 7,900 7,900 7,700 18.5% -2.5% Retail Trade 22,100 21,400 22,400 23,000 23,400 23,500 23,600 6.8% 0.4% Transportation & Utilities 14,800 15,700 18,400 18,800 18,900 19,200 19,300 28.4% -1.0% Information 2,800 1,800 2,300 1,800 1,500 1,500 1,500 -46.4% 0.0% Financial Activities 6,400 6,100 6,500 6,800 7,300 7,500 7,700 18.8% 1.3% Professional & Business Services 24,200 23,800 26,600 27,800 25,100 24,500 22,700 -6.2% -7.3% Education & Health Services 26,700 25,600 25,800 27,300 28,400 29,200 30,100 12.0% 2.4% Leisure & Hospitality 27,100 22,500 24,800 27,000 27,400 27,300 28,000 2.6% 1.8% Other Services 7,600 7,000 7,400 8,000 8,400 8,500 8,500 11.8% 0.0% Government-Federal 2,900 3,000 2,900 2,800 2,900 3,000 3,000 3.4% 0.0% Government-State & Local 21,800 21,300 20,900 20,900 21,300 22,200 22,900 5.0% 3.2% Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, State and Area Employment, Hours and Earnings (2025 data are based on September YTD data.) Retrieved at www.bls.gov on 12/2025. BLS data are benchmarked and revised annually; data for 2023-24 have been updated to reflect these changes. Recent Job Growth The lion's share of job growth following the Great Recession of 2007-2009 and the pandemic recession occurred in the private sector of the Savannah MSA. Sectors experiencing extraordinary growth since 2019 include the Logistics industry (+28.4%), Manufacturing (+21.9%), Finance (+18.8%), and Construction (+18.3%). This reflects substantial capital investment in port facilities and consequent growth in cargo handling at the Georgia Ports Authority terminals, notable growth in the region's transportation equipment manufacturing base (aircraft and automobiles) in the past three years and continued real estate development to accommodate population and commercial growth. Five sectors hold similar proportions of total employment in the Savannah MSA, further attesting to the area's healthy, diverse industry mix: Education and Health Services (14.4%), Leisure and Hospitality (13.4%), Retail Trade (11.4%), Government (11%), and Professional and Business Services (11%). Manufacturing's share of regional employment is roughly stable at 11%, with continued increase in share expected as the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America facility in Bryan County and its associated supplier manufacturers further ramp up operations in 2026. Employment data reported above is commonly referred to as "Payroll Employment" (by Place of Work) because it is obtained through a surveying process of employers as compared to the Labor Force Employment (by Place of Residence) data reported on the previous page which is gathered from a survey of households. Further, the "Covered Employment" data reported on the following page is a headcount of employment by place of work drawn from data submitted by employers for the state's unemployment insurance program, and thus, referred to as "covered" employment.

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