Dutch Island, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Dutch Island · Chatham County, Georgia
Population 1,353 (est. 2026: ~1,000)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + -9.46% annual growth projection

Dutch Island, Georgia

Chatham County, Georgia · Population 1,238

Dutch Island is a small, affluent census-designated place tucked into the coastal marshlands east of Savannah, Georgia. Surrounded by tidal creeks and salt marsh, it sits on a barrier island landscape that defines this stretch of the Georgia coast — isolated enough to feel removed from the city, close enough to Savannah that residents move easily between the two. With fewer than 1,300 residents and a median home value exceeding $600,000, Dutch Island functions less as a working-class suburb and more as an enclave of established professionals and families who have chosen the quieter end of Chatham County's coastal geography. The nearest major urban center is Savannah, which provides the full range of employment, services, healthcare, and culture that Dutch Island does not supply on its own.

People & Demographics

The 2022 ACS counted 1,268 residents in Dutch Island. The median age is 45.6 years — noticeably older than Chatham County's broader population of 295,291, which skews younger with its student and military populations. The community is predominantly white (878 residents), with 216 Black residents, 54 Asian residents, and 5 Hispanic or Latino residents.

There are 456 households, of which 410 are family households — a high ratio that reflects the residential, family-oriented character of the community. The average household size is 2.78 persons. Children under 18 account for 328 residents, a meaningful share for a place this size.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Dutch Island is $169,063 — a figure that puts the community well above Georgia's state median and substantially above Chatham County's overall figures. Per capita income stands at $73,218.

Of the 507 residents counted in the labor force, zero reported unemployment at the time of survey — an unusually low figure that reflects the occupational profile of the community. Despite that, 229 residents fall below the poverty line, a number that warrants attention and likely reflects age, disability, or household composition among non-working residents.

Dutch Island is not a commercial center. Residents work primarily in Savannah and the broader Chatham County economy. The community has no significant retail, industrial, or office base of its own.

Housing

Dutch Island's 519 total housing units include 456 occupied and 63 vacant. The ownership rate is striking: 448 of those occupied units are owner-occupied, while only 8 are renter-occupied. That's a homeownership rate approaching 98% of occupied units — one of the highest ratios possible in a residential community and a defining feature of who lives here.

The median home value is $601,600. Rental data was not available from this dataset. The vacancy rate of roughly 12% (63 of 519 units) is not unusual for coastal Georgia communities where some properties serve as seasonal or secondary residences.

Schools

Dutch Island students are served by Chatham County public schools. The schools nearest to the community include:

Higher education is accessible through Savannah Technical College (912-443-5700), which serves the broader region.

Getting Around

Of 488 workers, 370 drove alone to work. Another 27 carpooled, and 91 worked from home — roughly 19% of the workforce, a rate consistent with the community's high-income professional profile. No residents reported using public transit or walking to work.

Aggregate travel time for all workers totals 9,680 minutes, suggesting average one-way commutes that are moderate for a coastal suburb connected to a mid-sized city. Dutch Island is car-dependent; there is no meaningful public transit serving this area, and the surrounding marsh geography makes non-vehicle access impractical.

Healthcare

Savannah's hospital system serves Dutch Island residents. The major facilities in the metro area include:

For a searchable directory of individual healthcare providers registered in Dutch Island, the NPI Registry provides current listings.

Library

The nearest public library branch is the Garden City Library, approximately 2.4 miles away. Phone: (912) 644-5932. The library is part of the Live Oak Public Libraries system serving Chatham, Effingham, and Liberty counties.

Parks & Recreation

Two National Park Service units are accessible from Dutch Island:

The coastal location also means easy access to the tidal creeks, marshes, and barrier island landscapes that define this stretch of Georgia's coast.

Natural Hazards

Chatham County's FEMA disaster declaration history is extensive and recent. Dutch Island and the surrounding area have been affected by or threatened by:

This history is not incidental. Coastal Georgia sits squarely in the Atlantic hurricane corridor, and the tidal marsh geography around Dutch Island is inherently vulnerable to storm surge. Anyone considering property here should treat flood risk as a primary consideration, not a footnote.

Government & Municipal Code

Dutch Island is a census-designated place, not an incorporated municipality. Municipal code and related governance documents are published through Municode and available at https://library.municode.com/ga/dutch-island-cdp-georgia. No local building code is on file for Dutch Island CDP.

Weather

Current forecasts for Dutch Island are available through the National Weather Service:

The nearest weather observation station is Savannah 3.3 NNW, located approximately 0.7 miles from the community.

References

The law belongs to the people. Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 590 U.S. (2020)