Savannah, GA MSA

The Savannah metropolitan area, officially named the Savannah metropolitan statistical area by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, is a metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is centered on the city of Savannah and encompasses three counties: Bryan, Chatham, and Effingham.

The population of this area was 404,798 at the 2020 U.S. census, an increase of more than 57,000 residents from the 2010 census figure of 347,611. This was a gain of 16.45% over the same decade. Savannah is the third most populous of Georgia's fourteen metropolitan areas (after Atlanta and Augusta). It was the fastest-growing metro area in the state for the period 2010–2020, followed by Atlanta, Gainesville, and Warner Robins.

Savannah and its metropolitan area form the largest economic sector of Coastal Georgia, followed by the Brunswick and Hinesville metropolitan areas. Two of these areas, Savannah and Hinesville, form the core of the Savannah–Hinesville–Statesboro combined statistical area. The combined statistical area had a 2020 population of 608,239.

Geography

The Savannah metropolitan area is located in the Coastal Georgia region, and is its most populous urban area. The three counties comprising the metropolitan area make up a total area of , roughly the size of the U.S. state of Rhode Island at .

Metropolitan counties

Principal communities

(Note: "census-designated places" are unincorporated)

Places with more than 140,000 inhabitants

*Savannah (principal city)

Places with 25,000 to 50,000 inhabitants

* Pooler

Places with 10,000 to 25,000 inhabitants

* Garden City
* Georgetown (census-designated place)
* Port Wentworth
* Richmond Hill
* Rincon
*Wilmington Island (census-designated place)

Places with 5,000 to 10,000 inhabitants

* Skidaway Island (census-designated place)
* Whitemarsh Island (census-designated place)

Places with 1,000 to 5,000 inhabitants

* Bloomingdale
* Guyton
*Henderson
*Isle of Hope (census-designated place)
* Montgomery (census-designated place)
* Pembroke
* Springfield
*Thunderbolt
*Tybee Island

Places with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants

* Vernonburg

Unincorporated places with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants

* Keller
* Pin Point

Demographics

At the 2000 United States census, the Savannah metropolitan area grew to 293,000 people, 111,105 households, and 76,405 families. In 2010, its metropolitan population was 347,611; and by the 2020 U.S. census, its population grew to a total of 404,798 residents. According to the latest 2024 U.S. Census estimate (2024), the MSA's population was 431,589.

According to the 2000 census, the racial and ethnic makeup of the MSA was 61.24% White, 34.87% African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.49% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.82% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races; Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 2.18% of the population. According to the 2022 American Community Survey, its racial and ethnic makeup was 53% White, 32% African American, 2% Asian, 1% some other race, 5% two or more races, and 7% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the MSA was $44,201, and the median income for a family was $50,052. Males had a median income of $37,992 versus $24,777 for females. The per capita income for the MSA was $19,940. In 2022, the median household income within the MSA was $72,098 with a per capita income of $37,044. An estimated 37% of the population made less than $50,000 and 30% made from $50,000-$100,000 annually. Approximately 14% of the Savannah metropolitan area lived at or below the poverty line.

Religion

Since British colonization of the Americas, and the establishment of the Province of Georgia, Christianity grew to become the present-day metropolitan area's dominant religion, with Native American religions declining in practice, though the Gullah-Geechee communities also brought West African religions and derivatives including Hoodoo to the area. In some Gullah communities within the Savannah metropolitan area, Hoodoo is still practiced to the present day alongside other West African religions.

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020, the overall largest Christian group were Protestants within the Baptist tradition, served by the Southern Baptist Convention, National Baptist Convention, National Missionary Baptist Convention, and Progressive National Baptist Convention. Following, non-denominational Protestants represented the second-largest overall Christian group, including the Christian churches and Churches of Christ. Methodists were the third-largest, spread among the United Methodist Church and African Methodist Episcopal Church. The single-second largest Christian denomination was the Catholic Church, served by the Diocese of Savannah.

Among its non-Christian population, which forms a minority in the metropolitan area and Coastal Georgia overall, Hinduism was the area's second-largest religion. Judaism was Savannah's third-largest religion, being present since the 1700s. Orthodox Judaism, Reform Judaism, and Conservative Judaism were the predominant Jewish traditions adhered to; and Islam was the area's fourth-largest religion, followed by the Baha'i Faith. Within the area, the oldest continually-functioning Jewish synagogue is Congregation Mickve Israel. Congregation Mickve Israel is the third-oldest synagogue within the United States.

Combined statistical area

The Savannah–Hinesville–Statesboro combined statistical area is made up of eight counties in Georgia. The official 2020 U.S. census population for this area was 608,239.

Metro- and micropolitan divisions

Two metropolitan statistical areas ( MSAs) and two micropolitan statistical areas ( μSAs) form this CSA.

Economy

Much of coastal Georgia's economy is centered in the Savannah metropolitan area and in the wider Savannah-Hinesville-Statesboro-Jesup combined statistical area. The economy has been primarily stimulated by the Port of Savannah and by military facilities, medical centers, and colleges and universities. In the nineteenth century, Savannah became one of the most active ports in the United States, as goods produced in the New World had to pass through Atlantic ports such as Savannah before they could be shipped to England. In 2022, the Port of Savannah handled some 5.7 million 20-foot-equivalent container units (TEU).

Education is also a dominant factor in the economic health of the metropolitan area as well as the greater combined statistical area. Major educational institutions include Georgia Southern University's flagship campus in Statesboro and its Armstrong campus in Savannah. Savannah State University, South University, Georgia Tech Savannah, Savannah Technical College, and the Savannah College of Art and Design are other important institutions by enrollment and financial impact.

Corporations such as Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation and J.C. Bamford Excavators established their North American headquarters within the Savannah metropolitan area. Banking is also a significant presence in the Savannah metropolitan area, including Chase Bank and Wells Fargo.

Sports

Professional sport teams

Collegiate sports teams

Transportation

Air

* Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport

Highways

* Interstate 95 — Runs north–south just west of the city; provides access to Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport and intersects with Interstate 16, which leads into the city's center.
* Interstate 16 — Terminates in downtown Savannah at Liberty and Montgomery streets, and intersects with Interstate 95 and Interstate 516.
* Interstate 516 — An urban perimeter highway connecting southside Savannah, at DeRenne Avenue, with the industrialized port area of the city to the north; intersects with the Veterans Parkway and Interstate 16 as well. Also known as Lynes Parkway.
* U.S. Route 80 (Victory Drive) — Runs east–west through midtown Savannah and connects the city with the town of Thunderbolt and the islands of Whitemarsh, Talahi, Wilmington and Tybee. Merges with the Islands Expressway and serves as the only means of reaching the Atlantic Ocean by automobile.
* U.S. Route 17 (Ocean Highway) — Runs north–south from Richmond Hill, through southside Savannah, into Garden City, back into west Savannah with a spur onto I-516, then I-16, and finally continuing over the Talmadge Memorial Bridge into South Carolina.
* Harry S. Truman Parkway — Runs through eastside Savannah, connecting the east end of downtown with southside neighborhoods. Construction began in 1990 and opened in phases (the last phase, connecting with Abercorn Street, was completed in 2014).
* Veterans Parkway — Links Interstate 516 and southside/midtown Savannah with southside Savannah, and is intended to move traffic quicker from north–south by avoiding high-volume Abercorn Street. Also known as the Southwest Bypass.
* Islands Expressway — An extension of President Street to facilitate traffic moving between downtown Savannah, the barrier islands and the beaches of Tybee Island.

See also

*Georgia census statistical areas

References

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Geography of Chatham County, Georgia
Geography of Effingham County, Georgia
Geography of Bryan County, Georgia
Metropolitan areas of Georgia (U.S. state)
Regions of Georgia (U.S. state)