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Place dossier plate
SheetGA-SAVANNAH-GA · Savannah, GA 147,546 pop · income 30th pct · 88 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Savannah
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Savannah on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Syracuse · lowest
45,845
Syracuse · lowest
45,845 median HH income
36.8% of the leader · rank #1
Breckenridge · near
56,779
Breckenridge · near
56,779 median HH income
45.6% of the leader · rank #2
Passaic · near
56,780
Passaic · near
56,780 median HH income
45.6% of the leader · rank #3
Savannah · this city
56,782
Savannah · this city
56,782 median HH income
45.6% of the leader · rank #4
Sheridan · near
56,786
Sheridan · near
56,786 median HH income
45.6% of the leader · rank #5
Elbow Lake · near
56,786
Elbow Lake · near
56,786 median HH income
45.6% of the leader · rank #6
Roswell · highest
124,422
Roswell · highest
124,422 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Savannah on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 147,546.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Savannah - the verdict
Savannah ranks in the 30th percentile for household income and the 99th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
30th
percentile, household income
50th
percentile, home value
51st
percentile, median rent
99th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Savannah, GA
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 147,546 residents in Savannah, a mid-sized U.S. city within Georgia. Median household income here is $56,782 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 13.2%. Savannah's housing stock carries a median value of $225,200, and the median resident age is 33.7 years. Educational attainment runs 32.0% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 58.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 579 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 71% from five years earlier. Savannah reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 20.3 incidents per 100,000 residents, below the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 67.4°F with 48.1 inches of precipitation per year.
Living costs in Georgia run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Georgia scores 96.3 (Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,203 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Georgia run around $225, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 39.5 out of 100 (Very Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Savannah's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from work and mobility to climate and hazard context to schools and households to housing and income to within-city variation to population change to reported crime to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Savannah, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, commute-mode shares, within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history, matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
What does the journey to work look like in Savannah?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 70.4%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 67.4°F, with 48.1 inches of precipitation. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Georgia is 39.5 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
PlainCities matches 88 Census tracts to this city.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
Which cities make useful reference points for Savannah?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Georgia, the closest population matches are Macon-Bibb County (156,543 residents, $50,747 income); Athens-Clarke County (126,987 residents, $51,655 income); South Fulton (109,157 residents, $81,798 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Rockford, IL (147,649 residents); Bridgeport, CT (148,012 residents); Denton, TX (146,987 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Savannah?
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 48 public schools within the city match. 32.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Poverty estimate
13.2%
Bachelor's degree+
32.0%
Matched public schools
48
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
How far does income reach against housing in Savannah?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 4.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 13.2%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
4.0×
Home value
$225,200
Household income
$56,782
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Is Savannah growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +1,923 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.3% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 579 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
2020 estimate
147,517
2025 estimate
149,440
Period change
+1.3%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Savannah?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 20.3 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 99% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Total reported rate
20.3
Violent rate
20.3
Property rate
0.0
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Below median income · poverty 13.2% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
96.3 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Georgia average
C-
City profile score · Savannah, GA
52/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Violent crime A+
20 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share C+
32.0%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Cost of living C
96.3 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Household income F
$56,782
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
13.2%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Savannah profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Violent crime: 92/100 (A+) · 20 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 61/100 (C+) · 32.0%
Cost of living: 57/100 (C) · 96.3 index
Household income: 30/100 (F) · $56,782
Poverty rate: 27/100 (F) · 13.2%
Where Savannah sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Savannah's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Savannah highlighted among 11 peers.Read the chart values
Savannah, GA (this city): home $225,200, crime 20/100k
Rockford, IL : home $120,900, crime 3,597/100k
Bridgeport, CT : home $252,400, crime 1,862/100k
Denton, TX : home $325,700, crime 1,949/100k
Pomona, CA : home $569,600, crime 3,469/100k
Mesquite, TX : home $226,500, crime 3,478/100k
Syracuse, NY : home $125,100, crime 5,000/100k
Athens-Clarke County, GA : home $271,800, crime 2,683/100k
South Fulton, GA : home $270,600, crime 2,378/100k
Sandy Springs, GA : home $583,900, crime 1,600/100k
Roswell, GA : home $520,500, crime 1,181/100k
How does Savannah compare to other US cities?
Where Savannah sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income30% higher than other cities
Home value50% pricier than other cities
Median rent51% pricier than other cities
Safety99% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Georgia and the picture shifts: Savannah ranks #2 of 166 Georgia cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Savannah against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Georgia only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Georgia-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Savannah near the bottom of Georgia's cities
Among the 638 Georgia cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Savannah ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Savannah only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#287 of 610
53rd percentile in Georgia
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 638
0th percentile in Georgia
Median Home Value
#179 of 577
69th percentile in Georgia
Poverty Rate
#286 of 637
55th percentile in Georgia
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#124 of 638
80th percentile in Georgia
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Georgia only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
30th percentile nationally for median household income · 99th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Savannah's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Savannah's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Savannah's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$225,200Among the most affordablemore affordable than 50% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Savannah's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.0×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#10,612 of 15,516
More affordable than 32% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#302 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 4.0×, Savannah sits in the moderate band:
national rank #10,612 of 15,516 and #302 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$56,782Savannah, GA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Savannah, GA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Savannah, GA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)32.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)13.2%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)58.6%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
147,546
Median Income
$56,782
Median Home Value
$225,200
Median Age
33.7
Poverty Rate
13.2%
Labor force participation
58.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
32.0%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
20.3
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
20.3
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
0.0
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
67.4°F
Annual Precipitation
48.1"
Annual Snowfall
0.0"
Schools
Total Schools
48
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Savannah's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
147,517 residents
2021
146,726 residents
2022
148,452 residents
2023
148,704 residents
2024
150,080 residents
2025
149,440 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
579
housing units authorized
Single-Family
565
detached homes
Multifamily
14
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
3.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
339
339
0
$69.3M
2020
349
349
0
$73.3M
2021
492
487
5
$115.8M
2022
432
408
24
$100.0M
2023
601
589
12
$155.2M
2024
579
565
14
$146.8M
Permit volume increased 71% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
70.4%
Carpool
10.3%
Public Transit
2.6%
Walk
3.8%
Work from Home
10.1%
Other
2.8%
Based on 70,137 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Georgia statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $225
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Georgia at $225 (electricity about $125 , water and sewer about $45 ).
These are Georgia statewide averages, not a meter reading for Savannah. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Georgia's BEA cost-of-living index is 96.3 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Savannah is $1,203/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Georgia statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 39.5 / 100 (Very Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Georgia statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Savannah sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Savannah compares to similar-size Georgia cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.