b'10American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comAccording to the latest study by the Selig Center for Economic Growth at UGAs Terry College of Business, Georgia ports now help sustain 12% of total state employment, based on Fiscal Year 2023 figures. The number of Georgia jobs that rely on port activity has grown by 8.5 percent since the previous study, based on FY2021 data. (Georgia Ports Authority)One in eight jobs across state related to Savannah, Brunswick portsGeorgia ports support more than 600,000 jobs across state.Port activity in Georgia now sup- CEO Griff Lynch at the 2025 Savan-portsmorethan600,000full-andnah State of the Port event on Tues-part-time jobs across the Peach State,day, Feb. 25.according to an economic impact studyGeorgiasdeepwaterportssup-bytheUniversityofGeorgiasTerryport 609,197 full- and part-time jobs, CollegeofBusiness.ThestatewidesaidJeffHumphreys,directorofthe number is up 48,000 jobs or 8.6 per- SeligCenterforEconomicGrowth, cent compared to Fiscal Year 2021; thewho conducted the study. This means period covered by the previous study.that almost one job out of every eight is This study confirms that our portsin some way dependent on the ports.areinvaluableeconomicdriversforOther statewide impacts include:the entire state, said Governor Brian$171billioninsalesforGeorgia Kemp.Acrossindustriesandcom- businesses (12 percent of state total)munities in every corner of Georgia,$72billioningoodsproducedorgiasmanufacturingbase,support the Ports of Savannah and Brunswickservicesprovidedbyport-supportedport-supported business is up by 21%Georgiasagriculturaleconomy,theas well as our entire ports ecosystemindustry each year (9 percent of totalover the same period. forestryandminingindustries,andboth directly and indirectly supportstate GDP) Theseeconomicimpactsdem- the states logistics, distribution, and tens of thousands of jobs and create$40billioninincomeearnedbyonstratethatcontinuedemphasisonwarehousing cluster.opportunity all across the state whileGeorgiansannually(6percentofimportsandexportsthroughGeor- InternalGPAdatashowthetop connectingmanufacturerswithmar- Georgias total personal income) giasdeepwaterportstranslatesintothreeexportcommoditygroupsfor kets all around the world. The portion of statewide sales andjobs, higher incomes, greater produc- thestudyperiodwerefood,forest Georgiaportsnowhelpsustainstategrossdomesticproductrelatedtion of goods and services, and rev- productsandautomotivecargo. The 12 percent of total state employment,toporttradehavebothgrownbyenuecollectionsforgovernment,topimportsweremachinery,retail according to data announced by Geor- 22% compared to FY2021. PersonalHumphreys reported. Port operationsgoods and furniture.giaPortsAuthorityPresidentandincome earned by Georgians throughhelptopreserveandexpandGeor- As a national gateway for Amer-ican farm and factory exports, Geor-giasportslinkeverymajorocean carriercallingtheU.S.EastCoast with superior connections to road and rail,Lynchsaid.Businessesare drawn to GPAs market by its grow-ing workforce and logistical advan-tages. These factors, combined with Georgia Ports customer-focused ser-vice, contribute to job growth across the Peach State.TradethroughGeorgiasports also helps to support government ser-vices, yielding $10 billion in federal taxes, $2.8 billion in state taxes, and $2.5 billion in local taxes annually.The new report shows GPA is ful-filling its mission by positively impact-ing Georgia, well beyond our gates, said GPA Board Chairman Kent Foun-tain. There are direct benefits in terms of jobs and community opportunities in every county of Georgia.The UGA study, The Economic Impact of Georgias Deepwater Ports on Georgias Economy in FY 2023 is the latest in a series of similar stud-ies conducted by the Selig Center for Economic Growth.'