New economic data shows that jobs in Chattooga County are closely tied to trade moving through Georgia’s ports, even though those ports are hours away from Northwest Georgia.

An economic impact study from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business reports that port activity supports about 45,800 jobs across Northwest Georgia and roughly 651,000 jobs statewide. In Chattooga County, the study estimates 642 full- and part-time jobs are supported by port-related activity—work connected to the supply chain that keeps products moving in and out of Georgia.

The study shows Georgia’s total number of port-supported jobs grew by more than 41,000 since Fiscal Year 2023, a 7% increase, with ports now helping sustain about 12% of jobs statewide. Supporters say those numbers help explain why manufacturing, logistics, and distribution across places like Northwest Georgia can rise or fall with shipping demand.

Locally, the port connection is likely boosted by the region’s access to freight infrastructure, including the Appalachian Regional Port in nearby Murray County, which opened in 2018. The inland port is designed to bring international shipping access closer to Northwest Georgia businesses by linking the region more directly into the Georgia Ports Authority network.

The report also shows port-supported employment has climbed across the 15-county Northwest Georgia region—up about 5,600 jobs, or 14%, since FY2023. Nearby county figures in the study include Dade County with 631 port-supported jobs, Walker County with 2,188, and Catoosa County with 1,583.

Researchers say port activity fuels a wide range of industries beyond shipping itself—supporting jobs tied to transportation, warehousing, distribution, manufacturing, agriculture, and forestry. In other words, even in Chattooga County, work tied to making, moving, storing, and selling goods can depend on how smoothly traffic flows through Georgia’s ports and freight corridors.