Effingham County

Georgia · Savannah, GA metro area · 74,397 residents (2025 est.)

FHFA annual index 1991–2025Developmental county indexPermits through August 2026

Effingham County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession

FHFA notes: The FHFA HPI is a broad measure of the movement of single-family house prices. The FHFA HPI is a weighted, repeat-sales index, meaning that it measures average price changes in repeat sales or refinancings on the same properties. FHFA describes its county indexes as developmental and subject to revision. The index does not give a dollar value for any home.

FHFA's index for Effingham County, Georgia, starts in 1991 and stood at 400 in 2025, +299.7% above its base of 100.

Over the ten years to 2025 the index rose +106.4% (+7.5% a year), close to Georgia at +110.1% and well above the national +85.0%. The Savannah, GA area rose +117.9%. The latest one-year change is +2.7%.

The strongest decade was the 2000s (+31.2%); the weakest the 2010s (+19.5%).

After a 2007 peak the index fell −24.2% to 2012 and regained the peak in 2020.

Builders were authorised for 544 housing units in the county in the 12 months to August 2026 (−22.7% on the previous 12 months), 7.3 units per 1,000 residents; 81% were single-family houses. Since 1995 the county has authorised 16,762 units, most in 2015.

+2.7%1 year, 2024–2025Georgia +2.2%

+67.2%5 yearsUS +47.0%

+106.4%10 years+7.5% a year annualised

+161.9%since 2000US +158.3%

544units permitted, 12 months7.3 per 1,000 residents

Same span, four levels

Change in the FHFA index	Effingham County	Savannah area	Georgia	United States
1 year (2024–2025)	+2.7%	+2.5%	+2.2%	+2.8%
5 years (2020–2025)	+67.2%	+70.6%	+57.6%	+47.0%
10 years (2015–2025)	+106.4%	+117.9%	+110.1%	+85.0%
20 years (2005–2025)	+96.3%	+116.6%	+100.2%	+79.1%
Since 2000	+161.9%	+211.2%	+147.3%	+158.3%
Since 1991	+299.7%	+372.5%	+250.9%	+243.0%
10-year annualised	+7.5%	+8.1%	+7.7%	+6.3%
20-year annualised	+3.4%	+3.9%	+3.5%	+3.0%

All columns are FHFA annual all-transactions indexes over the same years.

Decade by decade

Decade	Change	United States
2000s (2000–2010)	+31.2%	+29.7%
2010s (2010–2020)	+19.5%	+35.5%
2020s so far (2020–2025)	+67.2%	+47.0%

FHFA reports each index with a value of 100 in its base period, the first year the area has enough transactions (1991 here). A decade's change is the index at the end of the decade divided by the index at the start, so it does not depend on the base year; the United States column covers the same years. Decades before 1991 are not shown.

Peak-to-low declines

Peak	Low	Decline	Peak regained
2007	2012	−24.2%	2020

Building permits

Housing units authorised by building permits in Effingham County, by month over the latest five years and by year since 1995.

Housing units authorised in Effingham County by month, latest 12 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings

Housing units authorised in Effingham County by month, latest 60 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings

Housing units authorised in Effingham County by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings

Permits, 12 months to August 2026	Effingham County	Georgia	United States
Housing units authorised	544	60,994	1,418,086
Units per 1,000 residents	7.3	5.4	4.1
Single-family share	81%	70%	63%
Change on previous 12 months	−22.7%	+1.1%	−0.1%
Units authorised since 1995	16,762	2,016,046	43,082,761

Population is the Census Bureau's vintage 2025 estimate. Permits authorise construction; they are not completions.

ZIP codes in Effingham County

Ranked by ten-year change in the FHFA ZIP index. Where a ZIP's index ends before 2025, its spans end in that year.

ZIP	1 year	10 years	Since 2000	Index through	Years
31326	+6.1%	+116.1%	+173.4%	2025	35
31312	+2.0%	+106.1%	+157.3%	2025	33
31329	+3.7%	+100.8%	+155.5%	2025	33
31303	—	+67.8%	—	2025	23

Cities and permit-issuing places in Effingham County

Housing units authorised in the 12 months to August 2026; places with at least 12 units in the year, or in the year before.

Place	Units, 12 months	Per 1,000 residents	Single-family
Effingham County Unincorporated Area	454	—	78%
Rincon	56	4.8	96%
Guyton	26	8.0	100%
Springfield	8	2.4	100%

Questions and answers

How much have home values in Effingham County risen over 10 years?

The FHFA index for Effingham County rose +106.4% from 2015 to 2025, about +7.5% a year. Over 20 years: +96.3%; since 2000: +161.9%.

How does Effingham County compare with Georgia and the United States?

Over the ten years to 2025: Effingham County +106.4%, Georgia +110.1%, United States +85.0%, Savannah, GA +117.9%.

What happened to Effingham County prices in 2008?

The index peaked in 2007 and fell −24.2% to 2012; it passed the peak again in 2020. The state index fell −24.9% over 2007–2012.

How many homes are being built in Effingham County?

544 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026 (441 single-family, 97 in buildings of five or more units), or 7.3 per 1,000 residents against 5.4 for Georgia.

Where does this data come from?

The index is FHFA's annual county house price index (all-transactions, developmental), last updated March 31, 2026, with values through 2025. Permits are from the Census Bureau Building Permits Survey through August 2026; population is the Census Bureau's vintage 2025 estimate.

Provenance

Index: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual house price index for counties (all-transactions, developmental), last updated March 31, 2026, values 1991–2025; metro, state and national comparisons from FHFA's annual indexes in the same release. Permits: Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, county and place files, through August 2026. Population: Census Bureau vintage 2025 estimates. ZIP assignment: 2020 ZCTA-to-county relationship file. Public domain throughout. Corrections · FHFA HPI datasets · Building Permits Survey.