The local economy of Georgia and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
3.2%
-0.2 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Oconee County 2.6%, highest Chattahoochee County 7.3%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,539
+3.3%vs a year ago
4,865,240 jobs at 397,430 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
60,994
+3.5%this year vs last year
Most in Fulton County 10,175, Chatham County 3,520.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+35,106
+4.4 per 1,000residents
270,317 moved in and 235,211 moved out. Most newcomers came from Florida.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Georgia gas price
$3.82
+$0.94vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Schley County $3.65, highest Twiggs County $4.06. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Georgia, October 10, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
261K
+1.1%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
4.41M
+3.7%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (13.3%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$280.4B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$63,644
Highest sector: Management of Companies and Enterprises $132,303.
Per employee per year
Share of Georgia's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 395,597 | $21,380 |
| Employment Services | 243,263 | $51,920 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 173,300 | $73,642 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 128,415 | $132,303 |
| Warehousing and Storage | 108,795 | $44,919 |
| Offices of Physicians | 100,968 | $100,079 |
| Grocery Stores | 98,528 | $27,025 |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services | 92,751 | $111,930 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 85,024 | $29,086 |
| Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 80,297 | $37,974 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 71,104 | $69,746 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | 57,152 | $115,210 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Offered pay in certified work-visa filings, fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025). Click a company for its jobs and salaries.
In fiscal year 2025, employers offered a median of $108,514 a year in 20,316 certified H-1B filings for jobs in Georgia, up 5.4% from 2024 (US: $120,000). The largest job group was Software Developers. Fiscal year 2026 so far covers filings decided through Jun 30, 2026.
Median offered pay
$108,514
+5.4%vs 2024
Middle half: $86,445 to $135,908.
H-1B, fiscal year 2025
H-1B filings
20,316
-0.5%vs 2024
24,532 positions asked for.
Certified, full-time, fiscal year 2025
Top job group
$122,366
Software Developers, 7,165 filings.
Median offered pay of the largest job group
Green card jobs
$30,202
+0.6%vs 2024
10,342 PERM filings.
PERM median, fiscal year 2025
Median and middle half of the offers in Georgia, next to the US median. Hover a year for the numbers.
| Job group | Filings | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | 7,165 | $122,366 |
| Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians | 2,535 | $101,962 |
| Data Scientists | 1,073 | $111,164 |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | 1,023 | $97,380 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 782 | $104,000 |
| Computer Programmers | 667 | $90,210 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 599 | $179,629 |
| Operations Research Analysts | 370 | $105,000 |
| Accountants and Auditors | 364 | $75,000 |
| Database Administrators | 321 | $110,100 |
| Employer | Filings | Cities |
|---|---|---|
| Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corp. CTSH | 537 | 30 |
| Ernst & Young U.S. LLP | 533 | 40 |
| Tata Consultancy Services Limited TCS.NS | 512 | 15 |
| Microsoft Corporation MSFT | 323 | 19 |
| Emory University | 294 | 8 |
| Infosys Limited INFY | 281 | 7 |
| Deloitte Consulting LLP | 274 | 30 |
| Capgemini America, Inc. CAP.PA | 235 | 20 |
| Morgan Stanley Services Group Inc. MS | 232 | 2 |
| Intercontinental Exchange Holdings, Inc. | 219 | 17 |
| City | Filings | Median pay | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | 8,459 | $113,000 | $90,000 to $142,000 |
| Alpharetta | 4,152 | $109,283 | $90,958 to $132,866 |
| Cumming | 1,474 | $110,000 | $97,820 to $144,783 |
| Duluth | 594 | $101,962 | $83,533 to $123,531 |
| Johns Creek | 380 | $109,715 | $100,984 to $150,858 |
| Savannah | 339 | $66,360 | $57,953 to $82,000 |
| Suwanee | 310 | $105,264 | $84,193 to $130,671 |
| Marietta | 306 | $109,000 | $90,000 to $141,960 |
| Athens | 215 | $72,800 | $60,000 to $98,695 |
| Norcross | 214 | $90,726 | $69,758 to $120,000 |
Yearly pay that employers offered in certified work-visa filings (H-1B, E-3 and PERM green card), from official public data. Pay is the lower end of the offered pay range, for full-time positions only. These are offered pay figures for positions in work-visa filings, not the pay of all employees. A filing is an offer for a position, not a hire, and one person can appear in several filings. Fiscal years run from October to September. Groups with fewer than 3 filings show counts only. Employers are ranked by filings in the cities of Georgia added up.
Declared disasters and flood insurance claims: what happened, from official public data.
Georgia has had 81 declared disasters and emergencies since 1953, 49 of them since 2000, most often Severe Storm. Flood insurance has paid $520.5 million on 24,479 claims since 1978; the biggest year was 2009 ($134.5 million).
Declared disasters
49
25 major disasters. Most often Severe Storm (17 since 1953).
Since 2000, all types; 81 since 1953
Flood claims paid
$191.7M
7,250 claims. Biggest year 2009 ($134.5M).
2016 to 2025, flood insurance
Policies in force
71,813
Average premium $825 a year.
2025, flood insurance policies
Most-declared county
20
Brantley County, latest Apr 22, 2026.
Declarations since 2000
Declarations for Georgia, 1953 to today
Claims paid in Georgia by the year of the flood, US dollars
Declarations since 1953
Declarations naming the county since 2000; statewide ones not counted
All years since 1978; policies are a yearly average. Top 15 of 142.
| # | County | Claims | Paid | Policies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fulton County | 3,100 | $95.8M | 3,936 |
| 2 | Chatham County | 5,467 | $82.5M | 28,581 |
| 3 | Cobb County | 2,031 | $66.9M | 3,361 |
| 4 | Glynn County | 1,996 | $43.6M | 15,252 |
| 5 | DeKalb County | 1,998 | $29.2M | 3,293 |
| 6 | Dougherty County | 1,255 | $28.4M | 1,476 |
| 7 | Lee County | 700 | $16.7M | 314 |
| 8 | Gwinnett County | 487 | $10.4M | 1,461 |
| 9 | Douglas County | 215 | $7.21M | 289 |
| 10 | Camden County | 346 | $6.27M | 3,620 |
| 11 | Bryan County | 285 | $5.77M | 4,355 |
| 12 | Cherokee County | 73 | $5.60M | 377 |
| 13 | Catoosa County | 324 | $5.59M | 326 |
| 14 | Carroll County | 60 | $5.50M | 169 |
| 15 | Gilmer County | 199 | $5.23M | 297 |
A declaration opens federal help after a disaster; it can name counties or the whole state. Flood insurance numbers count insured losses only (most homes have no flood insurance) and are not adjusted for inflation; the current year is data so far. For the flood-zone risk of a place, open the area on the real estate map.
Environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports of facilities in Georgia, from official public data.
Official public data lists 13,620 facilities in Georgia with records since 2010, 13,505 of them with environmental compliance records. In 2022 to 2026, the largest penalties were at Schnitzer Southeast LLC in Macon ($1,550,000). 245 large facilities reported 55.0 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2023, down 0.5% from 2022.
Facilities with records
13,620
13,505 with environmental records.
Since 2010
Largest penalties
$1.55M
Schnitzer Southeast LLC, Macon.
One facility, 2022 to 2026
Greenhouse gases
55.0M t
-0.5%vs 2022
245 reporting facilities.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
Largest emitter
10.2M t
Ga Power Company - Plant Bowen, Cartersville.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
| Facility | Penalties | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| Schnitzer Southeast LLC Macon | $1,550,000 | 0 |
| Radius Recycling INC - Columbus Columbus | $1,550,000 | 0 |
| Radius Recycling Gainesville | $1,550,000 | 0 |
| Schnitzer Southeast - Edgewood Facility Macon | $1,550,000 | 0 |
| Schnitzer Southeast Atlanta | $1,550,000 | 0 |
| Schnitzer Southeast LLC - Cartersville Facility Cartersville | $1,550,000 | 0 |
| Schnitzer Southeast - Albany Facility Albany | $1,550,000 | 0 |
| Schnitzer Southeast LLC Atlanta | $1,550,000 | 2 |
| Silicon Ranch Toombs Solar Facility Vidalia | $1,105,000 | 1 |
| Abf Freight Terminal 86 Conley | $535,000 | 1 |
| Facility | Metric tons CO2e |
|---|---|
| Ga Power Company - Plant Bowen Cartersville | 10,223,193 |
| Ga Power Plant R.W. Scherer Juliette | 7,612,539 |
| Jack McDonough Smyrna | 6,468,269 |
| McIntosh Combined Cycle Facility Rincon | 3,478,992 |
| Thomas A. Smith Energy Facility Dalton | 3,432,994 |
| Wansley CC Franklin | 3,388,644 |
| Pcs Nitrogen Fertilizer, L.P. Augusta | 1,566,702 |
| Chattahoochee Energy Facility Franklin | 1,310,709 |
| Plant Yates AP-1 Backfill Newnan | 1,306,893 |
| Meag Plant Wansley Unit 9 Franklin | 1,149,468 |
Large facilities in Georgia, metric tons of CO2 equivalent. Hover a year for the number.
Their facilities in Georgia, 2022 to 2026. Click a company for its Risk & Compliance tab.
| Company | Facilities | Penalties | CO2e (t) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ArcBest Corporation ARCB | 1 | $535K | - |
| Graphic Packaging Holding Company GPK | 2 | $73K | 532K |
| Archer-Daniels-Midland Company ADM | 1 | $58K | 63K |
| International Paper Company IP | 20 | $28K | 775K |
| Tyson Foods, Inc. TSN | 14 | $5,000 | 175K |
| FedEx Corporation FDX | 22 | $4,700 | - |
| The Home Depot, Inc. HD | 67 | $2,000 | - |
| Target Corporation TGT | 55 | $1,200 | - |
Official public data on environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports, summarized by facility and year since 2010. A record does not mean a site is unsafe today; penalties and violations vary a lot by industry and size. Penalties are the amounts assessed (after settlements), not amounts paid. Recent years can still change.
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Georgia, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Georgia is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Georgia, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Georgia was 3.2% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 3.4% a year earlier. 5,314,822 people were employed out of a labor force of 5,490,319. Among its counties, Oconee County had the lowest rate (2.6%) and Chattahoochee County the highest (7.3%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Georgia was $1,539 in Q1 2026, up 3.3% from a year earlier, across 4,865,240 jobs at 397,430 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 5,028 new homes in Georgia in August 2026 (3,651 single-family and 1,277 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 42,207, up 3.5% from the same months last year, and 60,994 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Fulton County (10,175), Chatham County (3,520), Gwinnett County (3,437) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 270,317 people moved to Georgia and 235,211 moved away, a net gain of 35,106 (+4.4 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Florida, New York, Texas, and most people who left went to Florida, Texas, South Carolina.
Regular gasoline in Georgia averaged $3.82 per gallon on October 10, 2026, up $0.94 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $5.76. Among its counties, Schley County had the lowest regular price ($3.65) and Twiggs County the highest ($4.06).
Health Care and Social Assistance (586,195 employees), Retail Trade (513,434 employees), Accommodation and Food Services (475,652 employees) were the largest sectors in Georgia in 2023. In all, 261,320 business locations employed 4,405,730 people at an average pay of $63,644 a year.
$108,514 a year was the median pay offered in 20,316 certified H-1B filings for jobs in Georgia in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), up 5.4% from 2024. The middle half of the offers ranged from $86,445 to $135,908. The US median was $120,000. These are offered pay figures in work-visa filings, not the pay of all workers.
Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corp. (537), Ernst & Young U.S. LLP (533), Tata Consultancy Services Limited (512), Microsoft Corporation (323), Emory University (294) had the most certified H-1B filings for jobs in Georgia in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025).
Software Developers (7,165 filings, median $122,366), Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians (2,535 filings, median $101,962), Data Scientists (1,073 filings, median $111,164) were the largest job groups in certified H-1B filings in Georgia in fiscal year 2025.
$113,000 was the median offered pay in Atlanta, the highest among the Georgia cities with the most H-1B filings in fiscal year 2025 (8,459 filings).
$30,202 a year was the median pay offered in 10,342 certified PERM green card filings for jobs in Georgia in fiscal year 2025.
81 disasters and emergencies have been declared for Georgia since 1953, 49 of them since 2000 (25 major disasters). The most common type is Severe Storm (17 declarations).
Brantley County, with 20 declarations since 2000, followed by Ware County (20) and Bulloch County (18). Statewide declarations are not counted for single counties.
$520.5 million on 24,479 flood insurance claims since 1978. The biggest year was 2009, with $134.5 million paid on 2,985 claims. Fulton County received the most ($95.8 million).
$825 a year in 2025, across 71,813 flood insurance policies in Georgia. Most homes have no flood insurance; the premium depends on the home's flood risk and coverage.