Port Wentworth, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Port Wentworth · Chatham County, Georgia
Population 11,997 (est. 2026: ~15,200)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 7.46% annual growth projection

Port Wentworth, Georgia

Chatham County, Georgia · Population 10,878

Port Wentworth sits at the northern edge of Chatham County, tucked between the Savannah River and Interstate 95 where Georgia's industrial corridor meets its coastal lowlands. It is functionally a gateway city — one of the primary entry points into the Savannah metropolitan area from the north and west, and home to major distribution and logistics operations that serve the Port of Savannah, the largest container port on the East Coast. This is a working city. It is young, majority-minority, fast-growing relative to its small footprint, and deeply embedded in the port economy that drives the entire region.

People & Demographics

Port Wentworth's population of 11,103 skews noticeably young. The median age is 32.8, well below Chatham County's broader population. Children under 18 account for 3,406 residents — roughly 31% of the total population, a figure that reflects a community dominated by young families rather than retirees or students.

The city is racially diverse. Black residents number 5,911; white residents 4,485. The Hispanic and Latino population stands at 1,255, and Asian residents account for 118. Of 3,928 total households, 2,425 are family households, and the average household size of 2.81 is above the state average — consistent with a younger, family-oriented population.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Port Wentworth is $61,409, and per capita income sits at $25,240. Georgia's statewide median household income runs higher, which places Port Wentworth in the working-middle tier of the state's income distribution.

Of 6,210 residents in the labor force, 468 are unemployed, an unemployment rate of about 7.5%. The poverty count stands at 1,650 residents. The city's economy is closely tied to the logistics, warehousing, and transportation infrastructure feeding the Port of Savannah. Major distribution centers line the highway corridors near I-95 and I-16, making Port Wentworth one of the densest concentrations of industrial employment in the region.

Housing

Port Wentworth has 4,307 total housing units. Of those, 3,928 are occupied and 379 are vacant — a vacancy rate of about 8.8%. Owner-occupied units number 2,454; renters occupy 1,474 units, putting the homeownership rate at roughly 62%.

The median home value of $168,100 is considerably lower than the Savannah metro median, making Port Wentworth one of the more affordable ownership markets in Chatham County. Renters, however, face a median rent of $1,465 — a figure that is high relative to local incomes and reflects the broader coastal Georgia rental market more than local wage levels.

Schools

Port Wentworth is served by Chatham County public schools. Rice Creek School operates within city boundaries, serving grades pre-K through 8 with an enrollment of 1,167 students — a large campus that consolidates elementary and middle grades under one roof. Port Wentworth Elementary School is listed in NCES records but reports zero enrollment for the reference year, suggesting it may be inactive, consolidated, or in transition.

For high school, students attend Savannah-area Chatham County secondary campuses.

Getting Around

Port Wentworth is a car city. Of 5,668 workers, 4,786 drive alone — 84.5%. Another 788 carpool, which is a notably high carpooling rate and likely reflects shift-work logistics at the distribution centers. Zero workers report using public transit. Only 41 walk to work and 27 work from home.

The aggregate commute time for all workers totals 153,385 minutes, averaging roughly 27 minutes per worker. Savannah proper is a short drive south via US-17 or I-95, and most employment is concentrated in the industrial corridor along those routes.

Healthcare

Port Wentworth residents access hospital care in Savannah, which lies a short drive to the south. The major facilities serving this area include Candler Hospital, Memorial Health University Medical Center, and St. Joseph's Hospital — Savannah. Coastal Harbor Treatment Center and Georgia Regional Hospital Savannah round out the behavioral health capacity in the broader metro. None of these facilities are within Port Wentworth city limits, but all are accessible within the Savannah metro area.

For local provider searches, the NPI Registry lists licensed providers operating in Port Wentworth: NPI Provider Search

Library

The nearest public library is the Port City Library, located 3.2 miles from Port Wentworth. Phone: (912) 965-0102. The library is part of the Live Oak Public Libraries system, which serves Chatham, Effingham, and Liberty counties.

Parks & Recreation

Two National Park Service sites sit within reasonable driving distance. Fort Pulaski National Monument protects the Civil War-era masonry fort at the mouth of the Savannah River and includes a visitor center approximately 19.7 miles from Port Wentworth. The fort was the site of a landmark 1862 battle that rendered masonry fortification obsolete. Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, based in Beaufort County, South Carolina, is approximately 34 miles away and preserves sites central to the post-Civil War story of formerly enslaved people.

Natural Hazards

Chatham County's FEMA disaster declaration record is long and serious. Since 1998, the county has received federal disaster or emergency declarations 15 times. Major hurricane-related declarations include Hurricane Matthew (2016), Hurricane Irma (2017), Hurricane Michael (2018), Hurricane Dorian (2019), Tropical Storm Debby (2024), and Hurricane Helene (2024) — two separate declarations for Helene in the same week of September 2024. The COVID-19 pandemic generated two declarations in March 2020. The record also includes a Hurricane Katrina evacuation declaration in 2005 and a severe storms and flooding declaration in 1998.

Port Wentworth's position along the Savannah River and proximity to the Georgia coast places it squarely in the path of Atlantic storm systems. Flooding risk is not a remote possibility here — it is a documented recurring reality.

Government & Municipal Code

Port Wentworth's municipal code is published by Municode and available at library.municode.com/ga/port_wentworth. The city does not have a locally adopted building code on file in the available records; state-level Georgia codes would govern construction standards.

Weather

Current forecasts and conditions for Port Wentworth are available through the National Weather Service: NWS Forecast · Active Alerts

The nearest weather observation station is Garden City 1.2 NNE, located 1.7 miles from Port Wentworth.

References

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