According to a University of Georgia study, the Ports of Savannah and Brunswick help support 5,632 jobs in Bulloch County and more than 85,000 in Coastal Georgia.

In a release from the Georgia Ports Authority, an economic impact study by the Terry College of Business at UGA of port activity determined the number of jobs the ports help sustain in Bulloch and across the 10-county Coastal Georgia region.

“This study confirms that our ports are invaluable economic drivers for the entire state,” said Gov. Brian Kemp. “Across industries and communities in every corner of Georgia, the Ports of Savannah and Brunswick – as well as our entire ports ecosystem – both directly and indirectly support tens of thousands of jobs and create opportunity all across the state while connecting manufacturers with markets all around the world.”

The UGA study found the number of full- and part-time jobs in Coastal Georgia that rely on the ports are:

· Bulloch: 5,632

· Bryan: 2,766

· Camden: 1,401

· Chatham: 55,753

· Effingham: 5,702

· Glynn: 6,278

· Liberty: 6,991

· Long: 136

· McIntosh: 368

· Screven: 427

Across Georgia, the study determined Port activity now supports 609,197 full- and part-time jobs, which amounts to 12% of the total state workforce. The statewide number is up 48,000 jobs or 8.6 percent compared to Fiscal Year 2021 – the period covered by the previous study. 

“This means that almost one job out of every eight is in some way dependent on the ports,” said Jeff Humphreys, director of the Selig Center for Economic Growth, who conducted the study.

Other statewide impacts include:

· $171 billion in sales for Georgia businesses (12 percent of state total)

· $72 billion in goods produced or services provided by port-supported industry each year (9 percent of total state GDP)

· $40 billion in income earned by Georgians annually (6 percent of Georgia’s total personal income)

Also, the study found that the portion of statewide sales and state gross domestic product related to port trade have both grown by 22 percent compared to FY2021. Personal income earned by Georgians through port-supported business is up by 21 percent over the same period.

“Port operations help to preserve and expand Georgia’s manufacturing base, support Georgia’s agricultural economy, the forestry and mining industries, and the state’s logistics, distribution and warehousing cluster,” Humphries said.

Georgia Ports data shows the top three export commodity groups for the study period were food, forest products and automotive cargo. The top imports were machinery, retail goods and furniture.

“As a national gateway for American farm and factory exports, Georgia’s ports link every major ocean carrier calling the U.S. East Coast with superior connections to road and rail,” Georgia Ports Authority President and CEO Griff Lynch said. “Businesses are drawn to GPA’s market by its growing workforce and logistical advantages. These factors, combined with Georgia Ports’ customer-focused service, contribute to job growth across the Peach State.”