Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC MSA — October 2026
Augusta wages outpace inflation as jobless rate hits 12-month low streak.
Augusta's private-sector earnings rose 11.6% year-over-year against 3.4% local inflation, even as the metro's 4.0% unemployment rate remains the highest among major Georgia metros against the state's 3.3%.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Augusta metro unemployment: 4.0% — vs 3.3% Georgia, 4.1% national
- Private-sector weekly earnings: $1,321.49 — up 11.6% YoY vs 3.4% local inflation
- Metro labor market index: +1.2% YoY — 12 consecutive months of expansion
- Georgia initial jobless claims: 15,874 — 50-year low, down 953 in a month
Key takeaways
Augusta wages are outrunning inflation while the nation's are not.
Private-sector weekly earnings rose 11.6% year-over-year against 3.4% local inflation, a gap that contrasts sharply with the national pattern where median weekly earnings grew just 1.5% against 3.5% CPI. That divergence is a differentiator for the metro's economic narrative and worth highlighting in any regional comparison.
A twelfth straight month of labor market expansion signals durable momentum.
Augusta's labor market index has now expanded for a full year, with labor force, employment and total jobs all rising in September. A twelve-month run suggests structural improvement in the local economy.
Augusta's jobless rate still trails the rest of Georgia despite the gains.
At 4.0%, Augusta's unemployment rate remains the highest among major Georgia metros and nearly a full point above the state's 3.3% rate. Progress is evident, but the gap with Atlanta, Savannah and other metros has not closed, which matters for any comparative pitch to employers or investors weighing locations.
Manufacturing and delivery-driver pay softness complicates the recovery story.
Metro manufacturing production worker pay and delivery driver pay are both trending down even as broader metro earnings climb, pointing to uneven conditions across the goods-movement and production economy. A headline wage gain can mask sector-level softness that matters for diversified regional economic planning.
Median advertised pay by role — Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $21,662 | $27,709 | $32,192 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $21,840 | $24,615 | $26,023 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $27,248 | $34,840 | $37,928 | Stable | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $55,380 | $80,000 | $87,500 | Stable | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $26,701 | $31,148 | $34,942 | Moderate decline | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $33,280 | $37,440 | $51,480 | Stable | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $53,176 | $65,658 | $72,020 | Stable | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $31,200 | $35,457 | $39,531 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $30,398 | $35,360 | $36,900 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $26,520 | $32,386 | $37,372 | Stable | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $30,160 | $34,349 | $37,440 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $31,605 | $38,744 | $41,600 | Moderate increase | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $58,555 | $62,400 | $69,680 | Stable | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $82,008 | $93,600 | $100,337 | Stable | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $106,439 | $142,742 | $156,000 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer | $114,000 | $130,097 | $140,701 | Moderate increase | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $46,900 | $59,823 | $74,613 | Stable | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $90,000 | $96,391 | $100,628 | Moderate increase | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $42,640 | $65,091 | $71,568 | Moderate increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist | $41,177 | $50,731 | $57,754 | Moderate increase | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $67,500 | $84,405 | $92,220 | Significant increase | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $29,681 | $51,726 | $58,116 | Significant increase | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $60,700 | $80,117 | $90,000 | Stable | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $57,500 | $82,500 | $95,500 | Stable | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $82,105 | $99,218 | $117,077 | Stable | $98,302 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $63,219 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $77,677 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $34,087 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $66,118 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $84,759 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $52,943 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $84,948 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $81,120 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $29,225 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Government | $66,461 | Stable | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Augusta metro unemployment fell to 4.0% in September, with the labor force expanding by 2,064 and total jobs reaching 253,800 — a twelfth straight month of growth in the metro's broader labor market index. Private-sector weekly earnings climbed to $1,321.49 in August, up 11.6% year-over-year against 3.4% local inflation, a wage gain that outpaces the real-wage erosion seen nationally and sets Augusta apart from the national pattern of pay trailing prices.
What it means
Augusta's combination of falling unemployment, rising labor force participation, and wages outpacing local inflation points to an economy adding capacity, a distinction that matters for anyone assessing whether this is a market to expand operations or investment in. The metro's unemployment rate still sits above the state average and WalletHub's job-seeker ranking signals friction that coexists with the headline improvement, suggesting the recovery is real but uneven across sectors and skill levels. Commerce leaders evaluating expansion or site-selection pitches should consider pairing the metro's earnings and labor-force growth story with context on where that growth is concentrated, alongside the headline unemployment figure.
Looking ahead
Expected: October BLS data for the Augusta MSA was delayed by the federal data reporting gap; watch for the delayed release to confirm whether September's momentum carried into the fourth quarter.
Worth watching: Georgia's statewide labor force hit a record high for a ninth straight month in September, driven heavily by local and state government hiring; watch whether Augusta's public-sector employment — a traditional stabilizer for the metro — tracks that statewide trend or lags it.
Emerging pressure point: National WARN filings remain elevated (340,316 affected workers through late October) even as Georgia's filings stay comparatively modest; any new notices touching Augusta-area manufacturing or logistics, sectors that account for the bulk of the state's recent filings, would be a signal to watch given the metro's reliance on those sectors.
Potential inflection point: Augusta's unemployment rate has converged with the national 4.1% rate this year after historically running below it; continued convergence or a reversal over the next two reporting cycles will clarify whether the metro's current position marks a durable shift or a temporary alignment.
Sources
- Augusta Business Daily — Augusta MSA unemployment fell to 4.0% in September 2026
- Augusta Business Daily — Private-sector weekly earnings rose 11.6% YoY to $1,321.49
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — National median weekly earnings rose 1.5% vs 3.5% CPI in Q3 2026
- Georgia Department of Labor — Augusta unemployment highest among major Georgia MSAs
- Georgia Department of Labor — Georgia labor force hit all-time high for ninth consecutive month
- Georgia Department of Labor — Georgia initial jobless claims fell to 15,874, a 50-year low
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. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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