{"schema_version": 1, "id": "brunswick-ga-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09", "product": "Metro Job Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 90, "label": "Brunswick, GA MSA", "slug": "brunswick-ga-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "general_conditions", "slug": "metro-job-market", "label": "General Market Conditions"}, "period": "2026-09", "public_after": "2026-09-01", "frozen_at": "2026-10-09T13:38:07.278228+00:00", "headline": "Brunswick's labor market runs hotter than the nation's.", "headline_summary": "Glynn County unemployment sits near 2.70% against a national 4.1%-4.2% rate, with local service-sector wages climbing nearly 20% even as national wage growth slips below inflation for the first time since 2021.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Glynn County unemployment", "value": "2.70%", "context": "vs 4.1%-4.2% national, 3.2% Georgia"}, {"label": "Metro employment growth", "value": "+3.8% YoY", "context": "48,097 jobs, Q1 2026, Georgia DOL"}, {"label": "National wage growth", "value": "3.0%", "context": "Below 3.4% inflation, weakest since May 2021"}, {"label": "Financial Activities wage growth, Brunswick", "value": "+19.7%", "context": "Weekly wages, Q1 2026 vs year-ago"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Brunswick's unemployment edge over the nation is widening, not narrowing.", "body": "Glynn County's 2.70% rate compares with 4.1%-4.2% nationally and 3.2% statewide, a gap that has held or grown through mid-2026. That spread points to a local economy running measurably hotter than national momentum would suggest, relevant to any regional competitiveness pitch commerce leaders make to prospective employers or investors."}, {"headline": "Service-sector wage surges may outpace what national data implies is possible.", "body": "Financial Activities and Other Services posted weekly wage gains of 19.7% and 17.1% locally even as national wage growth slowed to its weakest pace since 2021. Base effects from a smaller metro payroll make these percentages volatile, but the direction is consistent with a tightening local services labor pool worth tracking against incoming business formation data."}, {"headline": "Manufacturing wage softness bucks the metro's otherwise upbeat story.", "body": "Manufacturing Production Worker pay fell significantly even as the broader metro posted 3.8% employment growth, echoing Georgia's statewide pattern of non-durable goods manufacturing softness. Commerce leaders tracking industrial recruitment should treat this as a sector-specific signal, not evidence of a broader local slowdown."}, {"headline": "Public-sector stability remains a quiet strength for the metro.", "body": "Government accounts for 9,094 of the metro's roughly 48,000 jobs, a share that has shown no comparable contraction to the national 216,000-job government decline over the past year. That stability offers a counterweight to national headlines about federal and state payroll reductions and merits mention when assessing the metro's resilience to national fiscal headwinds."}], "local_conditions": "Glynn County's unemployment rate held near 2.70% in July, well below both the state's 3.2% and the national 4.1% reading, as port, hospitality, and health-care activity continue to anchor a labor market tighter than the national trend. Brunswick MSA nonfarm employment reached 48,097 in Q1, up 3.8% year-over-year, with wage gains concentrated in Financial Activities (+19.7%) and Other Services (+17.1%), a pattern consistent with services-sector expansion outpacing the national slowdown in white-collar hiring.", "implications": "Local labor market conditions are tighter than both state and national benchmarks, which is consistent with a business climate still favorable to expansion even as national payroll growth has slowed to roughly 29,000 jobs in September. Commerce leaders weighing site selection, capital investment, or workforce-development funding should treat Brunswick's sub-3% unemployment rate and above-national wage momentum in services as a signal of underlying demand rather than a statistical anomaly tied to seasonal tourism. Current conditions suggest local economic development planning should account for the gap between national wage-growth deceleration (3.0% annual, trailing 3.4% inflation) and Brunswick's stronger service-sector wage trends, since a widening local-national divergence has implications for consumer spending capacity and public revenue projections alike.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Expected", "body": "September Brunswick MSA unemployment data has not yet been released; watch for confirmation of whether the sub-3% trend held through late summer or whether seasonal tourism cooling nudges the rate upward."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Open positions in the metro stood at 459 as of mid-September, a figure economic development offices should track month-to-month as a leading indicator of whether local demand is broadening beyond services into logistics and manufacturing."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "National wage growth falling below inflation (3.0% vs 3.4%) for the first time since 2021 raises the question of whether Brunswick's above-average service-sector wage gains can persist if national purchasing power continues to erode consumer demand feeding the metro's tourism and retail base."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "Georgia's manufacturing WARN filings account for nearly 39% of all state layoff notices historically; any new filing activity touching Brunswick's industrial employers, following Radial's 164-worker 2025 notice, would be the clearest local test of whether national manufacturing softness is reaching the coast."}], "roles": [{"role": "Retail Sales Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 24519.0, "metro_p50": 30448.0, "metro_p75": 35374.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 33325.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Retail Cashier", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 23663.0, "metro_p50": 26218.0, "metro_p75": 29589.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 31200.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 33280.0, "metro_p50": 39520.0, "metro_p75": 39520.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 38000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "CDL Truck Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 63385.0, "metro_p50": 83000.0, "metro_p75": 94200.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 78000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Delivery Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 26844.75, "metro_p50": 33280.0, "metro_p75": 40678.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 34344.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Construction Laborer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 30209.0, "metro_p50": 39004.0, "metro_p75": 41350.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 40560.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Electrician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 43680.0, "metro_p50": 58240.0, "metro_p75": 68992.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 71404.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 36400.0, "metro_p50": 42640.0, "metro_p75": 47840.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Customer Service Representative", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 31522.0, "metro_p50": 33527.0, "metro_p75": 35360.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Food Service Worker", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 26632.5, "metro_p50": 30452.2, "metro_p75": 34902.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 33756.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29120.0, "metro_p50": 32801.0, "metro_p75": 34036.75, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 41106.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 30604.0, "metro_p50": 38651.0, "metro_p75": 39707.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 43680.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "HVAC Technician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 52000.0, "metro_p50": 60424.0, "metro_p75": 70200.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 70720.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Registered Nurse", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 80606.5, "metro_p50": 89504.2, "metro_p75": 97174.5, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 102581.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 113828.0, "metro_p50": 151646.0, "metro_p75": 165000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 153652.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Data Engineer", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 99151.0, "metro_p50": 135953.0, "metro_p75": 152955.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 139500.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 53851.0, "metro_p50": 62500.0, "metro_p75": 70767.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 72182.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 51050.25, "metro_p50": 71289.4, "metro_p75": 72827.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 94782.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "HR Generalist/Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 54965.0, "metro_p50": 68969.2, "metro_p75": 80668.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Marketing Specialist", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 46361.0, "metro_p50": 59253.0, "metro_p75": 70614.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 62354.4, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Operations Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 65000.0, "metro_p50": 81400.0, "metro_p75": 91730.25, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 85216.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Elementary/Secondary School Teacher", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 24960.0, "metro_p50": 51376.0, "metro_p75": 55509.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 56731.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Account Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 62500.0, "metro_p50": 85000.0, "metro_p75": 85000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 92749.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Warehouse Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 54937.0, "metro_p50": 80500.0, "metro_p75": 99000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Business Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 67600.0, "metro_p50": 76560.0, "metro_p75": 79426.5, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 98279.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}], "industry_snapshot": [{"sector": "Construction", "median_pay": 77615.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Manufacturing", "median_pay": 62901.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Retail Trade", "median_pay": 35360.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities", "median_pay": 44200.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Information", "median_pay": 50044.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Financial Activities", "median_pay": 60356.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Professional & Business Services", "median_pay": 37440.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Education & Health Services", "median_pay": 42500.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Leisure & Hospitality", "median_pay": 31200.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Government", "median_pay": 67687.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}], "citations": [], "methodology": "Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay.", "edition_label": "October 2026", "files": {"html": "brunswick-ga-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.html", "pdf": "brunswick-ga-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.pdf", "sources_html": "brunswick-ga-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.sources.html"}, "published_at": "2026-10-09T13:48:57.150553+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/brunswick-ga-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/brunswick-ga-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.pdf"}