Augusta's labor market lags Georgia's record-setting state momentum.
4.0%
Metro unemployment rate
vs 3.2% Georgia, 4.2% U.S. (Sept)
+4.7%
Richmond County wage growth
Q1 2026, to $1,226/week, above 3.3% state avg
253,000
Metro nonfarm employment
Preliminary, July 2026, largely flat YoY
3.0% vs 3.4%
National wage-inflation gap
Wage growth below inflation, lowest since 2021
This Month's Takeaways
01
Augusta's unemployment gap versus Georgia is widening, not closing.
Metro unemployment sat at 4.0% in July against a statewide 3.2%, with Richmond County itself running hotter at 4.8%. Commerce leaders should treat state-level headlines of record labor force and employment as describing Atlanta-driven momentum more than Augusta-specific conditions.
02
Wage gains are concentrated, not broad, across the local economy.
Richmond County average weekly wages rose 4.7% in Q1 to $1,226, outpacing the statewide 3.3% average, yet metro job postings data show wage stability or decline across a majority of tracked occupations including manufacturing, delivery, and HVAC work. That divergence is consistent with wage growth concentrated in a narrow set of higher-skill roles rather than an economy-wide tightening of labor supply.
03
Federal and professional-services softness is a statewide pattern worth local tracking.
Georgia shed 9,400 federal government jobs and 11,600 professional/technical positions year over year, a trend with direct relevance to Augusta given Fort Eisenhower and the region's defense-adjacent cyber and technical employer base. Local economic development officials should watch whether this statewide contraction shows up in metro-level WARN filings or payroll data over coming releases.
04
Health care remains the one dependable growth engine in the region's mix.
Statewide health care and social assistance added 19,100 jobs over the year, the strongest sector performance in Georgia, and Augusta's dense hospital and research-university health system presence positions the metro to capture a disproportionate share of that momentum. Registered nurse advertised pay locally rose to $95,275, a moderate but real increase that tracks this broader sector strength.
Local Economic Conditions
Augusta-Richmond County's preliminary unemployment rate held at 4.0% in July, slightly above both the national 4.2% September reading and Georgia's record-low 3.2%, as local labor force and employment levels remain essentially flat year over year. Regional wage momentum is uneven: Richmond County weekly wages rose 4.7% in Q1 to $1,226, a pace that outstrips the metro's broader hiring stagnation and points to selective wage pressure concentrated in specific occupations rather than broad-based labor tightness.
Open Threads in the Data
Metro conditions read as steady-but-soft rather than expansionary — unemployment above both state and recent historical norms, flat nonfarm payrolls near 253,000, and sector gains concentrated in administrative support and retail rather than higher-wage fields, a pattern commerce leaders should treat as a signal of cautious consumer and business spending locally rather than a tightening labor pool. Government economists tracking workforce participation should note Georgia's statewide rate of 61.1% remains below historical norms even as the state posts record labor force totals, suggesting population growth rather than re-engagement of sidelined workers is driving the headline numbers. Commerce leaders evaluating expansion timing may want to weigh this softness against the region's still-favorable cost structure before treating state-level strength as a proxy for metro-level momentum.
Advertised Pay Indicators · WageScape Benchmark 25 Jobs
Job postings data for the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC MSA metro — median advertised pay, its recent trend, and the number of active postings behind each figure. Jobs are grouped for readability and are not the same as the 10 sector classifications on the next page. For additional job detail contact WageScape.
Retail Trade
| Retail Sales Associate |
$27,963 |
→ Stable |
2,235 |
| Retail Cashier |
$24,614 |
→ Stable |
1,320 |
Transportation & Warehousing
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate |
$34,762 |
→ Stable |
257 |
| CDL Truck Driver |
$78,438 |
↓ Moderate decline |
3,594 |
| Delivery Driver |
$30,751 |
↓ Significant decline |
1,458 |
| Warehouse Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Construction
| Construction Laborer |
$38,480 |
→ Stable |
86 |
Construction/Skilled Trades
| Electrician |
$66,196 |
→ Stable |
706 |
| HVAC Technician |
$62,400 |
↓ Moderate decline |
165 |
Manufacturing
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler |
$35,453 |
↓ Moderate decline |
144 |
Cross-Sector
| Customer Service Representative |
$35,360 |
→ Stable |
481 |
| Operations Manager |
$81,400 |
↑ Moderate increase |
330 |
Leisure & Hospitality
| Food Service Worker |
$32,629 |
→ Stable |
160 |
Healthcare
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide |
$34,320 |
→ Stable |
1,268 |
| Registered Nurse |
$95,275 |
↑ Moderate increase |
10,947 |
Admin/Office Support
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk |
$37,440 |
→ Stable |
423 |
Information/Technology
| Software Engineer |
$141,029 |
↑ Moderate increase |
168 |
| Data Engineer |
$129,974 |
↑ Moderate increase |
92 |
Professional & Business Services
| Accountant |
$60,000 |
↓ Moderate decline |
520 |
| HR Generalist/Manager |
$65,363 |
↑ Moderate increase |
39 |
| Marketing Specialist |
$50,154 |
→ Stable |
14 |
| Business Analyst |
$99,167 |
→ Stable |
118 |
Finance & Insurance
| Financial Analyst |
$96,391 |
↑ Significant increase |
202 |
Government/Education
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher |
$51,555 |
↑ Significant increase |
1,787 |
Cross-Sector Sales
| Account Manager |
$80,712 |
↑ Moderate increase |
324 |
Industry Snapshot · Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC MSA
Advertised pay and job-posting trends across the whole metro economy, rolled up by employer industry — not just the bellwether roles above.
| Sector |
Median Pay Change |
Job Postings Change |
| Construction |
↓ −6.4% |
↑ +93.5% |
| Manufacturing |
↑ +9.7% |
↑ +115.4% |
| Retail Trade |
→ +0.7% |
↑ +67.5% |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities |
↑ +13.1% |
↑ +144.6% |
| Information |
↑ +23.9% |
↑ +154.6% |
| Financial Activities |
→ −1.2% |
↑ +117.1% |
| Professional & Business Services |
↑ +21.0% |
↑ +124.5% |
| Education & Health Services |
↑ +9.3% |
↑ +74.0% |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
→ +1.4% |
↑ +77.1% |
| Government |
↑ +100.8% |
↑ +1028.1% |
Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days
Data release to watch
Official BLS September MSA-level figures for Augusta won't post until November or December, leaving a reporting lag that makes July's 4.0% unemployment rate the most current official local baseline. Press and economists citing current conditions should flag this lag explicitly when making month-over-month comparisons.
Emerging pressure point
Georgia's federal government job losses (down 9,400 year over year) carry outsized relevance for Augusta given the region's defense and federal-contractor presence. Watch whether forthcoming WARN filings or county-level payroll data show this contraction reaching the metro directly.
Potential inflection point
National wage growth has slipped to 3.0%, its lowest annual pace since May 2021, while inflation runs at 3.4% — a gap that, if it persists, erodes real purchasing power for Augusta-area households and could dampen local retail and services spending. Commerce leaders should track whether local retail and food-service wage data (currently stable) begins to show similar erosion.
Worth watching
Manufacturing accounts for nearly 39% of all Georgia WARN-triggered layoffs historically, and metro-level manufacturing production worker pay is already down moderately in Augusta. Any uptick in regional WARN notices in this sector would be an early signal worth flagging for regional economic development planning.
Sources & Methodology
Pay and hiring data provided by WageScape. See every source cited in this report, with links →
Advertised pay reflects the pay ranges employers publish in active job postings in this metro, not survey or payroll data. Pay trends compare the current period with the prior period for the same metro and role. Sector figures group postings by the employer's industry classification; sectors with limited classified postings are marked as such rather than estimated. This briefing is independent of, and complements, official statistics from the BLS and state labor market information offices.
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