SAVANNAH, Ga () – Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual Economic Outlook Luncheon on Wednesday, as experts shared what is driving the boom and what it means for the region.
 
Georgia Southern Economics Professor Dr. Michael Toma laid out the annual economic trends and forecasts. Toma said in 2025, job growth is projected to increase 2 % with businesses adding about 4,000 jobs throughout the year.

Chamber President and CEO Bert Brantley applauded the positive news.
“We’ve seen all the growth around, of course, all of our citizens and our chamber members have seen that growth around the region,” Brantley said. “And so, it’s not surprising. It’s great to get the numbers and it’s great to see the figures to prove that point.”

Experts highlighted the Port of Savannah, the Hyundai Meta Plant, the Georgia Ports Authority and Gulfstream as key contributors to the growth.
 
“So, we’ve really got an economy based on really solid footing, solid legs of the stool.  So, we’re really lucky,” Brantley said.
 
Because of job opportunities, Toma predicts more people moving to the Savannah area, which will drive up the demand for housing. In 2024, the median price of a home, townhome, and condo in Chatham County increased dramatically. News 3 is told limited supply of inventory drove prices up in 2023 and 2024, which could continue in 2025. According to Toma, single family homes prices in Savannah rank relatively low compared to cities like Atlanta, Raleigh, North Carolina and Orlando, Florida.

Moving forward, Brantley says there is still work to be done.

“We’ve all got to be pulling in the same direction, working together if we’re going to make sure that we do this in the right way and really have a great result to all this growth that’s coming.”

The chamber says potential challenges in 2025 may include rising fuel costs, foreign conflicts, and evolving trade policies